BT010/BT020 Compatibility

[Paul Young]

I converted to alloys some time ago & have run BT020's ever since. I'm due a new rear tyre & can get a cheap BT010 rear so will this go with a BT020 front?

I've been told that I can match a BT010 rear with a BT014 front, as the 010's are being replaced with 014's & have complementing profiles, but nothing about whether an 010 rear can go with an 020 front.

Cheers for any help/reports.....

 

[Dellis]

The BT020 is a harder compound tyre than a BT010 therefore fitting an 010 to the front and an 020 to the rear is a safe bet but fitting an 010 to the rear and an 020 to the front is not a good idea and, for what it's worth, not something I would do. I'm not sure about the profile compatibility either.

HTH

Dave

 

[Paul Young]

Cheers for that, Dave. You've confirmed the exact same thought I was having.

I'll just have to get a couple of rears & source a new front 010 to match. At £65 for a rear tyre, I can't ignore them.......

 

[Schtum]

FWIW, Bridgestone don't recommend the 010/020 pairing for front/rear fitment. I had this combination on my VFR for a while, following good results using a BT56/57 pairing. The bike continually hunted around the straight ahead position. It would also drop into corners very quickly but wouldn't hold a line in a corner. Swapping the front 010 for an 020 created an immediate and welcome improvement apart from slowing down the rate of turn.

 

[Gipsy]

I wasn't aware that 010's were available in the appropriate sizes. If so I think they could prove to be a very expensive fitment. Wife currently getting 2500 miles out of a rear 014 and 3500 out of a front 014 on her blade!! Too expensive for me.

 

[Paul Young]

I wasn't aware that 010's were available in the appropriate sizes. If so I think they could prove to be a very expensive fitment. Wife currently getting 2500 miles out of a rear 014 and 3500 out of a front 014 on her blade!! Too expensive for me.

Not too bothered about mileage any more as I've gone from doing 16k miles/yr to doing around 4k on the GS. I just don't get the time at the moment & had to give up using it to commute a few years ago so it's used for trips out & the TT holiday each year. Outright grip is now the main priority, hence converting to alloys, & the power delivery will be much more forgiving than a Fireblade.....

Schtum...... That's the sort of handling I was thinking might happen. Almost like starting out with badly worn tyres. I believe that they work nicely the other way around, though.

 

[Schtum]

Schtum...... That's the sort of handling I was thinking might happen. Almost like starting out with badly worn tyres. I believe that they work nicely the other way around, though.

The other way round.....

I had an 010 on the front and an 020 on the rear. The problem is caused by the mismatch of profiles.

You certainly wouldn't want to put the softer compound 010 on the back with the harder 020 on the front.

 

[Gipsy]

Power delivery will not be more forgiving than a blade. 1200 Gs makes as much torque as a 2004 GSXR 1000 at useable speeds. Just as easy to burn off rubber on the BM as on a Blade, unless you ride it differently.

 

[Paul Young]

........I had an 010 on the front and an 020 on the rear. The problem is caused by the mismatch of profiles.

You certainly wouldn't want to put the softer compound 010 on the back with the harder 020 on the front.

Oops..... I just re-read what you said.

 

[Raindancer]

Tyres

You certainly wouldn't want to put the softer compound 010 on the back with the harder 020 on the front.[/QUOTE]

Schtum

Can you explain why..... Is it because you are better having more grip on the front than the rear in the case of mixed tyres? Just a guess from a novice.

Ta

 

[Schtum]

Can you explain why..... Is it becasue you are better having more grip on the front than the rear in this case? Just a guess from a novice.

In terms of grip, you would want the rear to slide before the front because if the rear lets go you've got more chance of recovering it than if the front does. It's obviously not as clear cut as that since there are other factors such as how you use the brakes and throttle but in the theoretical steady state cornering, you want more grip on the front than the rear.

It's worth noting that in matched pairs of tyres, the front is often constructed of a softer compound than the rear and that's certainly what Bridgestone say about the 020.

HTH

 

[xbootie]

I used to run my Fazer on bridgestones, with a BT010 on the front and an BT020 on the rear

The only downside is could see would be the higher wear rate with BT010 on the rear

 

[Raindancer]

In terms of grip, you would want the rear to slide before the front because if the rear lets go you've got more chance of recovering it than if the front does. It's obviously not as clear cut as that since there are other factors such as how you use the brakes and throttle but in the theoretical steady state cornering, you want more grip on the front than the rear.

It's worth noting that in matched pairs of tyres, the front is often constructed of a softer compound than the rear and that's certainly what Bridgestone say about the 020.

HTH

Thanks for that ..... that's very clear cut and makes total sense now. Didn't know about the matched pairing and compounds either.