Bias Ply Vs. Radial tires Which Ones to use ??

steell wrote:

mtbspeedfreak wrote: Whatever you do, do NOT mix bias-ply and radial tire types on the same vehicle.

Better fire off a message to Harley Davidson, Victory, and Triumph, (among others) setting them straight then, since they sell new bikes with bias front and radial rear

Radial front and bias rear is still a no-no, as far as I have been able to discover.


But I still wouldn't mix them on my bikes

I have no heard of this, I'm curious as to why they're doing this. If you're correct, those bikes have been designed from the ground up to work with that mixed tire combination whereas our bikes have not. So, back to my original comment, DO NOT MIX TIRE TYPES.

Harley rear tires have to be much stronger to prevent failure when they run over the parts falling off the bike..... :laugh:

Like mentioned, rare to impossible to find radials except in wide widths. You sure wouldn't want to run a radial on a 2" wide wheel. KTM 990 Adventure uses radial tires, at least for sure the rear, and they still run tubes from the factory. I can't see why a tube would be a problem, sizing is the problem.
The Harleys Yes I laugh, yes I despise them, however they are not all bad I guess. This guy who's a customer of mine rides a 2002 Harley, ugly, noisey, torn seat. I'd rather ride a Vespa scooter, but regardless he has 180,000 miles on this POS. I saw it, he showed me the odometer.

RonKZ650 wrote: Like mentioned, rare to impossible to find radials except in wide widths. You sure wouldn't want to run a radial on a 2" wide wheel. KTM 990 Adventure uses radial tires, at least for sure the rear, and they still run tubes from the factory. I can't see why a tube would be a problem, sizing is the problem.
The Harleys Yes I laugh, yes I despise them, however they are not all bad I guess. This guy who's a customer of mine rides a 2002 Harley, ugly, noisey, torn seat. I'd rather ride a Vespa scooter, but regardless he has 180,000 miles on this POS. I saw it, he showed me the odometer.

Well it would appear that tubes can be used in radial tires BUT only if they are Radial Tubes and marked as such. Here are some current quotes from tire makers:

From www.bridgestone-firestone.com
Do not install non-radial tubes in radial tires. Insure that the tube marking matches the radial tire marking before installation to rims that require tubes.

From www.dunlopmotorcycle.com
Do not fit tubes in radial motorcycle tires, nor fit radials on rims requiring tubes, unless the tubes bear matching size and radial (R) markings.

From www.maxxis.com
Do not fit tubes in radial motorcycle tires, nor fit radials on rims requiring tubes, unless the tubes bear matching size and radial (R) markings.

190 Street Shootout Tire, Radial Tubed since 1998.

bountyhunter wrote: Harley rear tires have to be much stronger to prevent failure when they run over the parts falling off the bike..... :laugh:

Guy joined the motorcycle salvage yard mailing list, said he was looking for parts for his Harley. I asked him why he didn't stop and pick them up when they fell off. :laugh:

Disclosure, I actually like some Harley models.