This is one of those things that has drove me nuts for years, and i'd sure like to find the answer to it. It has to do with the direction of the tread on the front tire VS the rear tires. On directional tires like the Michelin Scorcher the front tire "V" is running azz backwards when compared to the rear tire. On a normal directional tire as it makes contact with the pavement the channels in the tread squeeze water out, while on the front tire it looks like it would cause water to get sucked under the tire. I did notice on Pirelli Night dragons the front tire is going in the correct direction in my opinion which is opposite of most front tires. Does anyone have a good answer?

 

The engineers design the reverse V front tire to channel water away from the rear tire contact patch. Something I remember reading, no facts to back this up. Don't ask.

 

I have never come across anyone on HDF who admits to being a tyre designer! There was a time, back in the late '60s and '70s, when some tyre brands made tyres which could be used on the front or rear, however the direction of rotation was always reversed when using them on the front. Dunlop renamed their K81 tyres to TT100, because they won the Isle of Man TT Races with a production bike using them, at over 100mph average. I used them for several years and around 50k miles and jolly good they were too.

So reversed front treads have a good heritage! These days many tyres don't have a V tread pattern, including any of the ones currently on my three V-twins. So you're welcome to your view, but I'm happy to be guided by the tyre designers - who have seen me safely through the last 50 years.....

 

I believe it has to do with hydrodynamics. The tread pattern in the rear is designed to channel water away while accelerating. The tread pattern in the front is designed to channel water away while braking.
A simplified example: Let's take a droplet of water inside the groove of the front tire. Hit the brakes and what happens? The front tire is slowing down while the droplet of water is flying at the same speed. The droplet of water will follow the groove till it's evacuated from the tire.
If the "V" tread pattern was the opposite direction in the front, the water droplet would want to travel towards the center of the tire.

The same thing happens on the rear tire. Imagine a droplet of water in the tread as the tire is rapidly accelerating. The spinning tire will force the droplet to follow the groove till it's evacuated.