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Anyone running the AE 180 on the front? Running it backwards? Some manufacturers have bi-directional tires Dunlop says the AE 180 55 18 is for rear use only.
Anyone running the AE 180 on the front? Running it backwards? Some manufacturers have bi-directional tires Dunlop says the AE 180 55 18 is for rear use only.
I run the AE 180 on the front of my 2020 RGS with the Native Baggers Fat Front Tire kit. And yes you have to run it backwards. When mounted on the back the belts in the tire are set up for the forces of acceleration, you have to reverse the tire for the front as the force put on the tire from braking would be in the opposite direction and would pull the belts in the tire apart. The only bi-directional tire I am aware of is the Perilli Night Dragon tire.
I will say I have put a few hundred miles on the bike since I did the fat front tire kit and the tire rides great, handles curves and sweepers with out any issues and is smooth and quiet going down the road. Good luck on your project......
Not disagreeing with MC Sarge ^ but I have to wonder if a rear only tire would have to be constructed to accept both DRIVING & BRAKING forces. The rear wheel does have a brake after all .
( Much like a car tire that does double duty in a 2wd application, depending on which axle it`s mounted on )
And a front only tire would only have to absorb braking..
Front Native Baggers: If you look at a STOCK front tire the wide part of the chevron tread hits the ground first just like when we run rear tires backwards on the front. That is also the case with the Pirelli Night Dragon bi-directional tire so with that said Pirelli obviously thinks its ok to flip a rear tire backwards to install on the front seeing as how their PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS designed their bi-directional tire to be ran that way.
Doesnt running a tire backwards negate the water dispersal effects of the tread?
Tread pattern determins water dispersal. The front tire of a motorcycle provides the primary force for braking, while the rear tire provides the primary force for acceleration.
Let's forcus on the front tire. As you are braking, the speed of the tire is slowing down, but inertia keeps the water droplets in the tread of the tire moving. So, we want the water droplets to follow the tread to the outside of the tire and escape. If the tread was in the opposite direction, the water droplets would follow the tread to the center of the tire and cause hydroplaning.
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Dunlop American Elite 180 on the front.
