Mismatched Tires

Just to get it out of the way, I HAVE USED SEARCH!!

Having said that I need to know if using a different tire on the front thsn in the back will cause any mechanical or structural failure in any component and what kind of effects I can expect. I can deal with the whole shitty handling thing until I can afford another tire. Assuming I can ride with this shortcoming under consideration, would this be dangerous?

can you deal with laying the bike down? not trying to give you grief but as youll find most on here wouldnt even think of doing it. different tire compounds and tread designs act differently and when you mix them you may have one that sticks real well and another that just slips out from under you when you least expect it to. i always have run matched sets of tires from the same manufacturer. just sage advice. its your choice. if you do it please be careful at speed...steve

I don't plan on going at speed. 40 mph max. I just need my DD back to get to and from work. That being said, I am not afraid to lay the bike down, it already has damaged fairings and so forth from the PO. But I would rather avoid it if I can.

I'm glad I never knew how dangerous it was since I have been running unmatched fronts and rears for maybe 25 years now....:laugh: I think I have a Cheng Shin front and a Dunlop rear on it at the moment.

I don't push the handling much, so maybe I never got into the zone where it matters.

PFC FNG wrote:

I don't plan on going at speed. 40 mph max. I just need my DD back to get to and from work. That being said, I am not afraid to lay the bike down, it already has damaged fairings and so forth from the PO. But I would rather avoid it if I can.

The only time I got surprised was the first time I changed the tires from the stock ones to Avon roadrunners. The first time I went into a turn and set the lean as usual, the bike seemed to try to dive downward. I corrected immediately but the change caught me off guard. I'd say anytime you change tires, be careful until you get used to the difference in handling.

Yea, they definately feel a lot different after changing tires. I've ran many a mismatched tire too over the years and don't see a problem either. For years I ran whatever tires I could yank off junked out bikes sitting in the shed.

what kind of a combination are you planning to use?

I have a brand new BT45 for the rear (wrecked the front on install; see my other thread). Metzeler "Metz- something or other" on the front. I normally push it quite a bit, but I won't be doing any of that with this combination.

If you are talking about the ME-33 Lazer on front and BT45 rear, I have seen that combo and they seemed to work well together.

It's not a lazer, those where on my old KZ. They read something like METZPerfect or something similar.

Don't worry about it. As long as the tire on front is good and grabs when you hit the brakes. Mine are matched dunlops and I can't stand them as they don't grab well and they take the imperfections in the road not so well. Especially when going over grated bridges. I believe in buying the best tires that you can get. Cheap insurance as two wheels are not as good as four when one slips or goes out. But if you are just going back and forth to work and not cornering hard then you should be fine until you get them matched. They all grab differently for sure and each is completely different it seems. Scary at first until you get used to how they grab. Will mismatched tires grab differently? Sure. Will they not be as good as a matched set? Sure. They can and it also may not matter as long as they are similar. Do you notice a difference in handling? No? Then just ride until you can afford. If you haven't bought the best tires on the market and I am sure there are several you should try it. You get what you pay for. I remember thinking cheap on my bicycle until I rode a really great set of super expensive tires for bicycle and found that they handled better rode better quicker and lasted years longer instead of picking up every piece of road debris and going flat. A fifty dollar tire outlasted outrode and outperformed the 12-20 dollar tires I used to buy. I spent more in the short run repeatedly buying inexpensive tires than I did by spending a little more on good ones. Motorcycle tires are no different except that you go much faster which is much more of a reason to get the best you can get. Many disagree but I say when you get a flat at 100+ miles an hour you will think differently later.

saxjonz wrote:

Don't worry about it. As long as the tire on front is good and grabs when you hit the brakes. Mine are matched dunlops and I can't stand them as they don't grab well and they take the imperfections in the road not so well. Especially when going over grated bridges. I believe in buying the best tires that you can get. Cheap insurance as two wheels are not as good as four when one slips or goes out. But if you are just going back and forth to work and not cornering hard then you should be fine until you get them matched. They all grab differently for sure and each is completely different it seems. Scary at first until you get used to how they grab. Will mismatched tires grab differently? Sure. Will they not be as good as a matched set? Sure. They can and it also may not matter as long as they are similar. Do you notice a difference in handling? No? Then just ride until you can afford. If you haven't bought the best tires on the market and I am sure there are several you should try it. You get what you pay for. I remember thinking cheap on my bicycle until I rode a really great set of super expensive tires for bicycle and found that they handled better rode better quicker and lasted years longer instead of picking up every piece of road debris and going flat. A fifty dollar tire outlasted outrode and outperformed the 12-20 dollar tires I used to buy. I spent more in the short run repeatedly buying inexpensive tires than I did by spending a little more on good ones. Motorcycle tires are no different except that you go much faster which is much more of a reason to get the best you can get. Many disagree but I say when you get a flat at 100+ miles an hour you will think differently later.

ditto,that little bit of rubber is what holds you to the road.