Mixing up Tires? Different front and back

North

North

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I do this on my Dirt Bikes, but have never done it on my GS. I don't see it being a problem. But since I don't know everything. :D I thought I would ask.

Has anybody ran a different front and back tire on their GS, and if yes, how was it.

Or just any thoughts from anybody on this.

I ask, because I am thinking of running a TKC on the front and an Anakee 2 on the back. I thought that the TKC on the front would help on Gravel roads with steering. While since in rains so much here. The Anakee would be better for a rear then the TKC which I have now on the rear, for the pavement.
 
Mixing tyres will make your bike handle and feel awful. Tyre profiles are all different - this is why some tyres fall into turns so sweetly (steeper profiles tyres), and why some are harder work to turn but are very stable at speed.
Obviously a pair of tyres are designed to work together and will share the same profile so will handle well as a pair.
Whilst mixing different makes of tyres is not in its self dangerous, the two different profiles will clash - the front will be trying to turn while the back is doing something else or whatever. Handling wil be compromised. In my book, its a pretty daft idea. :D
 
I've got a TK80 on the front,and a Heidenau K60 on the back.It seems a pretty good combination to me. It's being going on forever and isn't a daft idea at all.Front steers,back drives(unless of course I've been sat on backwards for the last 35 years)
 
He lives in canada, along side the tarmac are miles of well graded gravel, exactly as north describes the knobles of the tkc helps with the sensation of the front being on marbles, that sensation from the back wheel is less of a problem, ive done it when the back tire was fucked and the front was still good, bike handled fine on all surfaces.
 
Thanks Guys.:thumb2

I am going with TKC on the front and an Anakee 2 on the back.

I run different Tires on my Husky 610 and never noticed any difference from the stock tires on the road.


And you have the right of how things are over here Mr. Hall.

Thanks. :thumb
 
I use whatever i have spare. Pick and mix.

And no one who has ever used my loan bikes has ever remarked about the handling:D
 
Vern said:
Front steers,back drives(unless of course I've been sat on backwards for the last 35 years)
Click to expand...


Its a bike not a BMW car!! Both wheels 'steer' 'cos they both lean into a corner, and if the profiles are a miss match then the handling will be compromised. ;)
 
giles lamb said:
Its a bike not a BMW car!! Both wheels 'steer' 'cos they both lean into a corner, and if the profiles are a miss match then the handling will be compromised. ;)
Click to expand...

So then,a pair of tourances,back one worn,new front.That'll make the bike handle badly will it?

What about a new back and a worn front.Will that be a death trap?

The back can only steer when sliding,otherwise it will follow the headstock whatever you do.

Stop talking such bollox!
 
You guys ever raced bikes?

That's when you find out if the sucker handles

Worn front, new back? Disaster

Worn back, new front? Gets real exciting if you like driftin'

Mixed combination? Usually takes the whole race to figure out how hard you can lean on the damned thing, by which time the tyres are shot

A mix of tyres is like a dinged helmet. 95% its going to be OK, 5% it'll killya

At best a mixed set of tyres is unpredictable...maybe great in the dry but lethal in the wet....at the limit which lets go first....back you can maybe catch, front? forgetaboutit.

Bottom line, as soon as you end up with any kind of mismatch between front and rear, you need to compensate in how hard you push. Mix the tyres by all means but then don't go pushing any limits 'cos you've no idea where you'll find 'em
 
I think people are getting too excited by this thread (surely not. :rolleyes:)
North's question was more to do with the kind of riding conditions in his locale, and less to do with handling at the edges of the envelope.
I put a Tourance on the back, after wearing the TKC out, as an experiment. I prefered the knobbly front for directional stability on gravel, while a comprimise between grip and longevity on the rear was more acceptable.
On ADVrider that seemed to be the favoured choice of riders doing extended trips on unsealed roads.
I tried it, with reservations, and found that it didn't cause any problems for my kind of riding. When the front wore out I put a tourance back on, because I had one in my garage.
Maybe I just ride too slow. :nenau
Mark
 
I saw a lot of people up in Alaska last year running knobbly front and road rear and they said it was a great combination on the roads up there.

FFS you lot, North is riding a GS on dirt roads in Canada and not on an R1 round Cadwell park.

I run mixed tyres all the time and 've never noticed any real issue:thumb
 
For my twopenneth worth it depends on the style of riding/conditions you will be riding in.
For road riding it's not ideal due to the reasons explained by Giles and others. However, if you're an average rider and not trying to do Rossi impersonations then you MAY not notice too much of a problem mixing tyres, as long as the profiles are similar. I got stuck out in Skye needing a new rear, and the only one he had was a Metzeler, whereas I was running Michelin at the time (it's what the bike had on when I bought it). He said the tread patterns etc were very similar and it shouldn't be a problem, and guess what, it wasn't Couldn't tell any difference. In ideal situations though I'd always have the same front and rear.

As for off road, or mixed terrain I really don't know.
 
snerkler said:
For my twopenneth worth it depends on the style of riding/conditions you will be riding in.
For road riding it's not ideal due to the reasons explained by Giles and others. However, if you're an average rider and not trying to do Rossi impersonations then you MAY not notice too much of a problem mixing tyres, as long as the profiles are similar. I got stuck out in Skye needing a new rear, and the only one he had was a Metzeler, whereas I was running Michelin at the time (it's what the bike had on when I bought it). He said the tread patterns etc were very similar and it shouldn't be a problem, and guess what, it wasn't Couldn't tell any difference. In ideal situations though I'd always have the same front and rear.

As for off road, or mixed terrain I really don't know.
Click to expand...

Wise words maybe...

But you haven't specified whether the "black plastic thingy" needs to be mounted on the handle bars left or right hand side oh "esteemed and learned one"... :augie
 
Don't know much about bike racing but in serious car racing, in forumlae that don't use control tyres, it's not uncommon to use a different tyre construction and compound on every wheel.

Greg
 
When I raced Supermoto I ran shagged 2nd hand slicks on the rear with an Outtomunch copyrighted hand cut tread along with shagged 2nd hand 'wets' on the front.

Probably why I never won a race :D

Andres

Edit: Actually, thinking about it, this has complete relevance to North's post as the reason for this was to have heavy tread on the front for front end grip on the loose stuff and rear end grip for the smooth shiny stuff.
Go for it North, sounds an excellent answer for what you want.
 
stevec said:
That's when you find out if the sucker handles

Worn front, new back? Disaster

Worn back, new front? Gets real exciting if you like driftin'

Mixed combination? Usually takes the whole race to figure out how hard you can lean on the damned thing, by which time the tyres are shot

A mix of tyres is like a dinged helmet. 95% its going to be OK, 5% it'll killya

At best a mixed set of tyres is unpredictable...maybe great in the dry but lethal in the wet....at the limit which lets go first....back you can maybe catch, front? forgetaboutit.

Bottom line, as soon as you end up with any kind of mismatch between front and rear, you need to compensate in how hard you push. Mix the tyres by all means but then don't go pushing any limits 'cos you've no idea where you'll find 'em
Click to expand...
agree totally,
but we arnt talkin about racing really are we?
we are on about fat lardy bikes wi fat lardy men on, the sheer weight alone should pin em to the ground:augie
a sets better, but i gotta say iv never had a prob with mix n match either, (yet):D
 
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