replacing tyres

[timboellis]

When replacing tyres is it good to do bot at the same time and do they need to be the same?

[Billing]

You'll find that the rear tyre wears out faster than the front, so not always mandatory to do both at the same time.

Don't mix radial and crossply tyres, it's dangerous and one combo is downright illegal I believe (crossply front, radial rear?) I think it's advisable to stick with the same manufacturer, but you can mix compounds, for commuting I've been told a good combo is bt090 front and bt92 rear

hope that helps you a little
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[Walloper]

I do both at the same time as the front is normally only about 20% behind the rear. The hassle of whiping the wheels off and taking them to a garage is not worth it to me.

As said don't mix.

Stick to matched pairs.

And consider what the manufacturer fits. They do more testing than anyone I know with regards to tyres. So they should know best.

I swpped makes on my bike from Metzler to Continentals.
Great grip on the ontis but not lasting worth a fook.
So I'' stick to Metzlers on that bike now.

I don't mean Metz are best tyre. It depends on taste.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[Ingah]

Usually you'll get 2 rears to 1 front (i.e. the front wears at only half the rate). However, this clearly will vary. My front still has plenty of wear, and i'm thinking of changing my getting-squared-off rear again! (i.e. it looks like i'll be getting towards 3 rears to 1 front!)

Personally i'd happily mix within the manufacturer's own range, ensuring i wasn't mixing types (i.e. no cross-ply / radial combos, etc), and ringing up the manufacturer to ask their opinion on the combination i was after in the absense of any evidence that the combination is good. But i like BT45's and don't want to risk poor grip (as i'm kinda forced to get my money's worth out of each part i fit), so that's all my bike gets.

Note: I'm not an authority on tyres, i've read abit on them in techbooks and read lots of forums, so i play it safe - you can probably get away with far more than i do if you so wanted.
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-- Ingah

[Ben.]

dont listen to this bollocks about dont mix brands or anything.

tyres are tyres, and you should ride according to the feel of the bike. The only reason people say dont mix is because the front may have more grip than the rear (and visa versa), and if you ride according to the grip of the front the rear will let go. Obviously when you feel the rear get lose and the front is still planted, dont go any faster...

tyres will wear at different rates of wear and the front and rear will have different grip levels, even when the tyres are exactly the same.
get what you want when you want. if you want a hard rear and a soft front do it. ignore the tyre mans bollocks they are only after money.
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[Darth]

If this is for your Bandit then ^^^ + one for BT45's Had them on my GSX600F and found them to be excellent, especially in the cold and wet weather.
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Harold_Shand wrote: I suppose it's like anything, you get your fingers burned when you start out, you learn from it and eventually become a complete arsehole about the whole thing.

[Walloper]

[Dazbo666]

Always had BT45's on the GPZ, in all weathers, and never had a problem with them (except for a ham-fisted novice rider pushing them beyond their limit of grip once or twice).

So when I got the Bandit it had a BT019 rear and an Avon Azaro front. I've since been thru the original tyres, and a set of BT021's front and rear.

I've recently (since they sponsored part of the IOM TT race) switched to a Maxxis Supersport rear and Maxxis Touring on the front - purely down to cost saving, but I'm finding them very forgiving, with predictable levels of grip etc

So Bridgestones would be my first choice, but I'm also open to alternatives when the opportunity arises...
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