Tire mystery.

Here are two Kenda Challengers.
Same size.
EDIT: Both supposedly are front tires.
Both installed on Kz400 front wheels.
The old one is a few years old.
The new one is brand new, (you can still see the lines and sticker).

Notice anything strange?
Any theories why this is?

One appears to be installed in the wrong direction.

That really is strange! One way or the other has to be wrong. I would send that photo to Kenda and ask them which way the tire should be mounted. Ed

For those who didn't see it, the "rotation" arrow is the same on both.

The disk on the wheel goes on the left side of the bike (as you sit on it).

I suspect the older one is correct.

EDIT: Now suspect the older one may be a rear?

The main question is:
Is tire direction dictated by internal construction or just tread pattern?

If it's only tread pattern that matters, then I suspect it won't make much difference in dry conditions. But I think the older pattern is better in wet conditions.

Hypothetically, if the tread was just a series of simple "V" grooves, you would want the point of the V to hit the pavement first so that the arms of the V would spread water outward away from the contact patch. Going the other way would direct water toward the contact patch.

The arrow on each sidewall is pointing in the same direction. Seems like that would take a major malfunction in the manufacturing process.
I blame Covid........

I have read that some high performance auto tires are constructed with a specific rotation in mind, but have no idea if that is the case with these. I wonder if the trad pattern is backwards, or if it is the sidewall info?

China?
Counterfeit?

For water dispersion, I would think the rear tread should look the same, but I thought some tires have a different direction if they are used on back versus front. So maybe it's more than just tread.

Perhaps one's a front and one's a rear. Avon Roadriders are opposite in direction.

"Tires are directional because the rear tire's main traction load is under acceleration and the front tire's main traction load is under braking. Tires such as the Dunlop TT100 4.10-19 (K81) and the Avon Roadrider (AM26) 100-19 have direction arrows for front or rear mounting."

edit: The back one is a rear tire and the new one is a front.

These are actually not my tires or wheels. They are my buddy's.
I'm not 100% sure on the older tire, but the new one was confirmed by the supplier to be a front tire.

Still, then the tread is irrelevant for water control?

powersports.kendatire.com/en-us/find-a-t...r/street/challenger/

When I zoom in on the front tire image, I think I can see the directional arrow at about 12:00, which conforms to the new tire in the first post, and seems to confirm BCScott's take on the matter.
Maybe dry traction is the priority. I do not see how that would be good for water evacuation.

Great spotting Texas! Yeah, it looks like the front tire tread (in that link) is backward from the rear, and the front one matches the new one we have. So maybe the old one is a rear but was used as a front. We'll have to look closer at the older tire and see if there is anything to indicate it's a rear.

A rear tire being used as a front tire...