when to change front tire

[2wheelingdawg]

I am running the metzlers that my 07 came with. The rear is going to need replacing in the near future. I've never had a new bike before so this might be a dumb question. Do i need to change the front at the same time as the rear, or does it matter to change the front later on. The front still has plenty left on it. I was going to try the new Dunlops, does it matter if the rear is a different brand than the front?

Thanks

 

[dbvolfan]

I am running the metzlers that my 07 came with. The rear is going to need replacing in the near future. I've never had a new bike before so this might be a dumb question. Do i need to change the front at the same time as the rear, or does it matter to change the front later on. The front still has plenty left on it. I was going to try the new Dunlops, does it matter if the rear is a different brand than the front?Thanks

No, you dont have to change them at the same time, even if using a different brand. Only issue I am aware of is on my small VLX which uses tubed tires....you cant mix/match tubed and tubeless tires I beleive b/c of handling issues. I ran my front tire with the Azaro for ~2k miles more with the Storm on the rear before switching it out and will likely have the Storm on there for a while I run the PR2 in the rear.

 

[colin]

yeah, shouldn't matter if the size is correct....not at least too much.

I've just changed out the front, myself, leaving the rear which was pretty new. I'm migrating over from bridgestones to michelin, so now I've got a michelin in the front, stone in the back. Doesn't bother me (so far). I don't ride the FJR particular hard, I have other bikes for that. So for 'normal' use, I'm sure you'll be fine, and you'll save a few bucks.

 

[Roy Epperson]

I am running the metzlers that my 07 came with. The rear is going to need replacing in the near future. I've never had a new bike before so this might be a dumb question. Do i need to change the front at the same time as the rear, or does it matter to change the front later on. The front still has plenty left on it. I was going to try the new Dunlops, does it matter if the rear is a different brand than the front?Thanks

I just got my FJR so can't comment specifically about the handling on an FJR. I ran 2 brands on my Roadstar until my front tire wore out with no noticeable handling or wear problems. The big caution I kept reading was "don't mix radial and biased" .

 

[r1byker]

I am running the metzlers that my 07 came with. The rear is going to need replacing in the near future. I've never had a new bike before so this might be a dumb question. Do i need to change the front at the same time as the rear, or does it matter to change the front later on. The front still has plenty left on it. I was going to try the new Dunlops, does it matter if the rear is a different brand than the front?Thanks

I agree with everyone else. In fact, the handling will improve when you change the rear because it will have the rounded profile a tire was intended to have, instead of the flat center I presume your old tire now has. I swapped out the rear about 3,000 miles before the front needed changing and got better handling as a result. And that was with the original Bridgestone front and a slightly used Dunlop rear.

This may seem anathema to some, but I put on used tires on my FJR. I run track days on my R1 and I usually get 2 track days out of a set of tires. Since track day tires get worn on the edges much more than the middle, and since they're the same size and load range as the tires on the FJR, and since I have a tire changer, I figure, why waste all that good rubber? They work well, and the bike handles fine.

I will say that everything "official" you will read will recommend changing both tires at the same time. Of course, that comes from the ones who benefit most, namely the manufacturers. If you were doing track days or very aggresive sport riding, I would say change both at the same time. For anything else, save your money and ride those things down to the wear bars.

 

[markjenn]

I agree with everything said so far, but my experience is that it is very difficult to use the last 1/3 or so of the tread on the front without the handling becoming unacceptably bad. (What typically happens with a worn front tire is you have to hold a lot of inside bar pressure to keep the bike in the turn and the bike bump steers like crazy.) Further, since a front typically won't last two rears, if you replace only the rear you end up with the tires mis-synced such that you have to replace the front separately well before another new rear is required.

So the typical situation for me is that I've got a 65% worn front when the rear needs replacing and if I attempt to get that last 35% out of the front, I'll have an ill-handling bike for most of the rest of its life. And a fresher tire on the front is safer from a puncture standpoint too, and front punctures are nasty. Given that the front is cheaper anyway, I don't think it is worth trying to get that last bit wear out of it - I just replace them both and get a great-handling bike at every tire change. I probably throw away $40 worth of tire but it's well worth it to me.

Last consideration - I get my tires at SWMoto and free-shipping kicks in on TWO tires.

Mixing brands of the same basic type of tire seldom causes problems these days, so I don't think this is much of a worry.

- Mark

 

[gumba]

I don't mix and I always replace as a pair. And I sure as hell don't put used on (for myself or anyone else). Changing tires is such a pain in the ass so why mess around.

 

[Afast03nNJ]

Given that the front is cheaper anyway, I don't think it is worth trying to get that last bit of wear out of it - I just replace them both and get a great-handling bike at every tire change. I probably throw away $40 worth of tire but it's well worth it to me.
- Mark

I couldn't agree more with that statement.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Given that the front is cheaper anyway, I don't think it is worth trying to get that last bit of wear out of it - I just replace them both and get a great-handling bike at every tire change. I probably throw away $40 worth of tire but it's well worth it to me.
- Mark

I couldn't agree more with that statement.

Gunny!

To each his own....

 

[madmike2]

Eye mostly tryin' tuh chainge myne afore thuh aire shows threw! Youshully win theirs still summa thet tread showin, tew.

Actually, I buy my tires in sets. When I have extras in the garage, I will change the rear and leave the front on for another 2K-4K. But its just as easy to change them as a set...and I have a stuntbike customer who will buy my take-offs so that ameliorates any loss I might suffer from replacing the front before it's time.

Of course, if I've been "enjoying myself" on twisty roads, the front is wearing almost as fast as the rear.

YMMV.

 

[jevers]

I couldn't agree more with markjenn. This is due from experience. I just replaced my front tire after getting 1,000 ill-handling miles more out of it after replacing the rear tire last fall. My advice:

DON'T F_ _ K AROUND WITH YOUR TIRES! REPLACE THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME! They are by far the most crucial part of the safety of any motorcycle. Besides, these FJRs eat up front tires faster than any bike I've had before. It's a small price to pay for a fantastic bike.

Sincerely, Dunlop Metzeler III

123 Firestone Way

Goodyear, PA.

Kidding, jevers

 

[Grumpy]

Given that the front is cheaper anyway, I don't think it is worth trying to get that last bit of wear out of it - I just replace them both and get a great-handling bike at every tire change. I probably throw away $40 worth of tire but it's well worth it to me.
- Mark

I couldn't agree more with that statement.

Gunny!

To each his own....

GunnyII