I ordered new whitewall tires for my 48. Shinko 777, fr and bk have the same basic pattern.

Going to run a 170/70 on the rear and 150/80 on the front.

Fatter front and back.

Only the front size I chose is a rear tire. I do not plan on riding in the rain, I will avoid it as much as possible short of being stuck in it. I am a slow cautious driver, not a daredevil at all.

Reading online people say to run a rear tire in reverse on the front of the bike. I think it is because the rear pushes and the front pulls... Not sure.

Has anyone done this? Am I going to regret my decision?

Please keep you responses based on experience...

 

I can't comment on the rights and wrongs of doing it, only that I know lots of guys that do and their only advice is to run the tire in reverse rotation on the front.

 

Yep, just run is backwards.

You run it in the reverse direction to prevent pulling the tire ply's apart. The ply's are directional in that a rear tire is constructed to withstand the forces of acceleration while the front ply construction is laid up in the opposite direction to withstand braking forces.

 

There was a time in the past when tyres could be used as you suggest, however tyre design these days is more specific to the front or rear. Personally I wouldn't do it. There are suitable tyres out there designed for the front.

 

Just had a new Metzler 880 put on the front of my Tour Glide, and we were talking about this yesterday. Before that I never even gave it a second thought.

 

I 100% agree with grbrown. Belt and construction sophistication have excelled past the point of being able to use a rear tire on the front. Sidewall compliance, directional stability and heat management engineered in are very mounting point specific.

 

I've been digging through the old grey cells and it was back in the late 60s when dual direction tyres came in for a few years. They were great at the time, but that is over 40 years ago! Tyre design has moved on. Keep up with the times.....

 

I must really be pushing the limits. I put the same non-directional tire on both front and rear. The tires came with this warning label. My will has been updated

 

You gonna die Rog!

 

Damn, then I guess going to the darkside will kill me for sure.

"A man with experience is never at the mercy of a man with an opinion." - Anonymous