Should I only change front time of different brand?

cbdtran_imp

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At 8500 miles, my Dunlop front tire has ~2mm depth on center line, can last for 1.5K miles but I feel I want to change now because during very hard acceleration on twisty road it loose traction.

The original Dumlop D205 is not as available, so i set my eyes on the Bridgestone tire. I assume I can put tire of different brand on the CB?

I like the Dunlop tires and people say Bridgestone BT-45 is better???
 
Although they recommend using the same brand of tires in the front and the back, many times I had a different brand on the front and back on many of my bikes.
It never gave me a problem as long as you stick to radial only or bias only on the same bike.
There are times that you might prefer the front tire from one company and the back tire a different make.
 
My CB1100 came with the Dunlop D205 tires. I picked up a nail with only 1,200 or so miles on the bike. I could not find a D205 replacement locally so I bought a Bridgestone BT-54 for the rear so I have been riding for several thousand miles with a Dunlop on the front and a Bridgestone on the rear. They're essentially the same tire so don't worry about it.

I bought a new BT-54 for the front and have it waiting. The OE Dunlop on the front is feathering pretty badly so I'm going to replace it in about another couple of hundred miles.
 
If there both original tires its a good idea to change them both at the same time. When my front is shot I change the rear.

As mentioned, you can change brands, i would put a radial to match the back.
 
With the amout of miles I got out of my rear tire it just wouldn't make sense tonme to change them at the same time. I got 9,000 mile out of the front and almost 15,000 from the rear and it probably could have safely gone a other 500 - 1, 000 miles, but I just don't take those chances.
 
I recently had to make a decision as my Bridgestone BT-54 was bald at 6K miles. With the rear tire still looking new, I was definitely looking at just replacing the front tire. With my disappointing wear experience of the BT-54, I decided to go with a dual compound Michelin Pilot Road 3. Hopefully the dual compound composition will give me a better experience.

You mentioned the BT-45 in your original post. Unlike the BT-54, the BT-45 is a bias ply tire. That wouldn't be a good fit with a radial on the rear. While I've never had an issue with different brands front and rear, I don't think I'd go as far as to mix radial and bias ply tires.

Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I still had a BT-54 radial on the back, I would have gone for the BT-45. I've gone through 3 sets of them on my CB750 and they're excellent in both handling and wear.
 
Thread starter
Randy B_imp said:
With the amout of miles I got out of my rear tire it just wouldn't make sense tonme to change them at the same time. I got 9,000 mile out of the front and almost 15,000 from the rear and it probably could have safely gone a other 500 - 1, 000 miles, but I just don't take those chances.
yes - the rear Dunlop can last another 8K miles. I don't feel like throw the rear tire away at 8K miles. this is the reason I like Dunlop 205, very sticky and long lasting. Dunlop discontinues the D205, I wonder what is the replacement for it.

Many like Bridgestone BT 45/54, I assume they are as good.
Flynrider_imp said:
I recently had to make a decision as my Bridgestone BT-54 was bald at 6K miles. With the rear tire still looking new, I was definitely looking at just replacing the front tire. With my disappointing wear experience of the BT-54, I decided to go with a dual compound Michelin Pilot Road 3. Hopefully the dual compound composition will give me a better experience.

You mentioned the BT-45 in your original post. Unlike the BT-54, the BT-45 is a bias ply tire. That wouldn't be a good fit with a radial on the rear. While I've never had an issue with different brands front and rear, I don't think I'd go as far as to mix radial and bias ply tires.

Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I still had a BT-54 radial on the back, I would have gone for the BT-45. I've gone through 3 sets of them on my CB750 and they're excellent in both handling and wear.
6K for a tire is not good enough. I might just go back to Dunlop tire that give me at least 8K in front and 15K in the back. the d205 is very sticky, handle great. I LEAN my motorcycle at an angle on straight line for a moment, sound impossile but it is true.
 
Most professionals, and virtually all manufacturers, would advise you against mixing tire brands, or even tire models. Many amateurs will say its fine. But, amateurs will also tell you it's perfectly fine to put passenger car tires on your motorcycle.
 
The Spaceman_imp said:
Most professionals, and virtually all manufacturers, would advise you against mixing tire brands, or even tire models. Many amateurs will say its fine. But, amateurs will also tell you it's perfectly fine to put passenger car tires on your motorcycle.
To add to Spaceman, all of the above would also advise to change tires together, well rounded fronts with flat spotted backs don't mix. With all the $$ spent on mods, its 150 dollars we'll spent.
 
After being out of the hobby for over twenty years, I come back and find that conventional wisdom is strongly suggesting changing both tires at the same time. Now I didn't on the last tire (replaced due to holes, not wear) and at the price of some of these tires that can be a large pill to swallow. But ideally, do both and keep them in the same family.
 
My Triumph T100 Bonneville came from the factory with a Metzler bias tire on the front and a Metzler radial on the back. (??)
I really didn't notice the difference until the time came for new tires and I started reading what was on the sidewalls.
The bike rode and handled fine. I had a set of Bridgestone's fitted and the bikes rides and handles exactly the same as before.
I'm not a hard rider, but I enjoy, shall we say, "spirited" riding :D
 
Rboe_imp said:
After being out of the hobby for over twenty years, I come back and find that conventional wisdom is strongly suggesting changing both tires at the same time. Now I didn't on the last tire (replaced due to holes, not wear) and at the price of some of these tires that can be a large pill to swallow. But ideally, do both and keep them in the same family.
I suspect the "replace both at the same time" mantra comes from the tire industry.

Rocky_imp said:
My Triumph T100 Bonneville came from the factory with a Metzler bias tire on the front and a Metzler radial on the back. (??)
I really didn't notice the difference until the time came for new tires and I started reading what was on the sidewalls.
The bike rode and handled fine. I had a set of Bridgestone's fitted and the bikes rides and handles exactly the same as before.
I'm not a hard rider, but I enjoy, shall we say, "spirited" riding :D
I looked around on some other forums. Bias ply rear and radial on the front is pretty common OE (especially cruisers, Triumph does it a lot). People report that mixing bias ply and radial on cars is disastrous, but not on motorcycles.

Conventional wisdom I've always heard is that mixing is a no no. This sort of changes that....
 
Thread starter
Pauley_imp said:
Rboe_imp said:
After being out of the hobby for over twenty years, I come back and find that conventional wisdom is strongly suggesting changing both tires at the same time. Now I didn't on the last tire (replaced due to holes, not wear) and at the price of some of these tires that can be a large pill to swallow. But ideally, do both and keep them in the same family.
I suspect the "replace both at the same time" mantra comes from the tire industry.

Rocky_imp said:
My Triumph T100 Bonneville came from the factory with a Metzler bias tire on the front and a Metzler radial on the back. (??)
I really didn't notice the difference until the time came for new tires and I started reading what was on the sidewalls.
The bike rode and handled fine. I had a set of Bridgestone's fitted and the bikes rides and handles exactly the same as before.
I'm not a hard rider, but I enjoy, shall we say, "spirited" riding :D
I looked around on some other forums. Bias ply rear and radial on the front is pretty common OE (especially cruisers, Triumph does it a lot). People report that mixing bias ply and radial on cars is disastrous, but not on motorcycles.

Conventional wisdom I've always heard is that mixing is a no no. This sort of changes that....
I tend to agree with you since tire in front and back act independent of each other ... to be safe, i will buy the Dunlop Sportmax II the successor of D205. Long lasting tires and sticky is what I am after.
 
Over the years I got used to a 2-1 ratio of rear/front tire consumption, but my CB wore both out about the same time. But, it doesn't seem too onerous to wear out too fronts and a rear before trying a new tire brand or model.
 
Pauley_imp said:
Rboe_imp said:
After being out of the hobby for over twenty years, I come back and find that conventional wisdom is strongly suggesting changing both tires at the same time. Now I didn't on the last tire (replaced due to holes, not wear) and at the price of some of these tires that can be a large pill to swallow. But ideally, do both and keep them in the same family.
I suspect the "replace both at the same time" mantra comes from the tire industry.

Rocky_imp said:
My Triumph T100 Bonneville came from the factory with a Metzler bias tire on the front and a Metzler radial on the back. (??)
I really didn't notice the difference until the time came for new tires and I started reading what was on the sidewalls.
The bike rode and handled fine. I had a set of Bridgestone's fitted and the bikes rides and handles exactly the same as before.
I'm not a hard rider, but I enjoy, shall we say, "spirited" riding :D
I looked around on some other forums. Bias ply rear and radial on the front is pretty common OE (especially cruisers, Triumph does it a lot). People report that mixing bias ply and radial on cars is disastrous, but not on motorcycles.

Conventional wisdom I've always heard is that mixing is a no no. This sort of changes that....
Interesting. I have to admit, my reluctance to mix types comes from cage experience. I guess I always assumed that mixing them on a bike would give equally bad results (and, as you say, it was the conventional wisdom).

If I'd known about this a few weeks ago, I definitely would have gone with the BT-45 as my new front tire.
 
The anecdotes on mixing all seem to favor bias ply rear and radial front. Research was not exhaustive by any stretch.


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The Shadow we just bought for my wife only had 3500 miles on it the rear looks like new, front did too except for cracks in the sidewall. Just ordered a Commander II to replace it with. Both are bias ply.
 
Thread starter
Flynrider_imp said:
Pauley_imp said:
Rboe_imp said:
After being out of the hobby for over twenty years, I come back and find that conventional wisdom is strongly suggesting changing both tires at the same time. Now I didn't on the last tire (replaced due to holes, not wear) and at the price of some of these tires that can be a large pill to swallow. But ideally, do both and keep them in the same family.
I suspect the "replace both at the same time" mantra comes from the tire industry.

Rocky_imp said:
My Triumph T100 Bonneville came from the factory with a Metzler bias tire on the front and a Metzler radial on the back. (??)
I really didn't notice the difference until the time came for new tires and I started reading what was on the sidewalls.
The bike rode and handled fine. I had a set of Bridgestone's fitted and the bikes rides and handles exactly the same as before.
I'm not a hard rider, but I enjoy, shall we say, "spirited" riding :D
I looked around on some other forums. Bias ply rear and radial on the front is pretty common OE (especially cruisers, Triumph does it a lot). People report that mixing bias ply and radial on cars is disastrous, but not on motorcycles.

Conventional wisdom I've always heard is that mixing is a no no. This sort of changes that....
Interesting. I have to admit, my reluctance to mix types comes from cage experience. I guess I always assumed that mixing them on a bike would give equally bad results (and, as you say, it was the conventional wisdom).

If I'd known about this a few weeks ago, I definitely would have gone with the BT-45 as my new front tire.
in car - tires **should be** the same on same axle. so you can have 2 tire types on a car.
The reason is for braking and acceleration, in emergency braking, you want tires on same axle bite the road of same force.

there are a lot of misconception when i change tires of my son's car, they say put a new pair in the back. It does't make sense, the front pair should be the better one, for braking. if one tire would blow up, I prefer the one in the back blows up since front tires provide directional control.
 
Thread starter
I just order Dunlop RoadSmart II for the front, the OEM Dunlop and the RoadSmart II are both radial tires, so I assume it is okay, will install them after another 1K because I want to use the tire to the max.
 
CIP57_imp said:
If there both original tires its a good idea to change them both at the same time. When my front is shot I change the rear.

As mentioned, you can change brands, i would put a radial to match the back.
Let me get this straight.When your front tire is shot,you replace the rear tire.How does THAT help you?
 
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