Tire mounted in wrong direction...

[bigbikerrick]

Hello Folks, after making my rear wheel tubeless, by sealing up the spoke holes, and putting my convert completely back together, saddlebags on, ready to lower from the lift, I stand back to admire my work, and realize, Oh crap, I mounted my tire in the backwards direction, according to the arrow on the sidewall. I have run  tires  meant for the rear on the front of sidecar rigs and trikes, running in a backwards direction without a problem, so I dont think it will make a huge difference.  I am feeling kinda lazy today to take everything off again, and remount/ balance the tire. What difference ,if any would it make running the rear tire this way? Opinions?
Thanks
Rick

[mcdammitt]

Do you run hard, if not ride it

[Guzzistajohn]

  Always wondered........... ..............

[bigbikerrick]

I dont ride the bike real hard. Mostly 2 lane back roads, with the occasional jaunt on the freeway, always solo. I think the direction mostly has to do with the grooving, and water dispersion. The tire is a Shinko 712, That was on the rear of our RZ 350 for a couple of hundred miles, running in the proper direction, if that makes any difference.
Rick.

[DougG]

Hi Big,                                                                                              10-13-23

I don't know exactly the tread pattern on the tire, but most treads are patterned to push water to the outside and away from the wheel.  This keeps the center tread in contact with the road.  If they are mounted backwards, they tend to pull water into the center of the wheel.  That could be a problem on wet roads.  Just say'un.

Be well, stay well,
DougG

[twowheeladdict]

For me it would depend on the tread pattern. Rain is one factor.  Forces on the tire from the road another. Especially when leaned over. 

[Tkelly]

I would hesitate if it was the front,I doubt you will even notice anything from the rear.

[Huzo]

Forces on the tire from the road another. Especially when leaned over.

How are the forces different on the tyre when leaned over ?

[Mike Tashjian]

Does it rain at all in AZ when you are riding?  I thought most of the tires were directional mostly for rain and braking forces.  Unless you are doing track days and a lot of rain I would just ride.  If it feels off you can change it back. 

[n3303j]

If it didn't matter the manufacturer wouldn't bother marking tires for both positions and rotation.

So you have decided to become a test pilot? Feeling "kind of lazy today" to correct an assembly mistake that might lower your odds of riding a safe journey? Feeling lucky?

You made a mistake that might effect your safety. (I've done exactly the same thing and now mark rims with a marker when mounting tires to make that mistake less likely.)

Don't come to a group who aren't tire engineers looking for them to sanction perpetuating your error. Step back. Take a deep breath. Say OOPS - S#IT! Then correct your error and do the job to the best of your ability. You will feel better knowing it is as correct as you can make it BEFORE you ride.
 

[Huzo]

I would not be surprised if there were reinforcements inside the carcass design, to absorb torque loads under acceleration.
Reversing the tyre would render these worthless.

[Vagrant]

This is very humorous!
Rain riding in Az.
Hi torque, high speed on a convert just doesn't mesh.

[bigbikerrick]

Well, I took the Convert out for a test ride,and the rear tire felt great! I think that having a tire with a nice round profile,instead of the worn flat tire that was previously on there, made it feel much better. The bike would drop into corners real easy, and much better lean angles. I have a day ride scheduled with some friends tomorrow AM, so I plan to take the Convert. Next time I need to remove the wheel for any reason, I think I will flip the tire over.

I run a michelin pilot activ on the front of my Goldwing trike, in the backwards direction, with a tire meant for a bikes rear. It really helps in that application, but I thik its mostly due to the rear tire having a stiffer sidewall.

Vagrant knows us Arizona Guzzisti are not "rain riders"..... we are desert rats!   


Rick D.

[Huzo]

This is very humorous!
Rain riding in Az.
Hi torque, high speed on a convert just doesn't mesh.

I was referring to torque, not velocity.
Also, that tyre was manufactured to be suitable for bikes that actually produce torque.
Not every bike is a Guzzi, someone might mount one on an Aprilia Tuono.

[aklawok]

Pretty much any modern tire mounted backwards will perform better than whatever came oem on the bike back in the day! Just sayin it like I sees it...water dispersion grooves and dual compounds didn't exist back then.

[n3303j]

Don't need rain to hydroplane, just a puddle.

[Ncdan]

Short answer.
How did the manufacturing company design the tire to be mounted and ran?
Personally I would abide by that standard.

[aklawok]

Short answer.
How did the manufacturing company design the tire to be mounted and ran?
Personally I would abide by that standard.

Not bashing anyone's opinions, but quite often manufacturers standards are there to protect the manufacturer and are inconvenient to the consumer.

[Tom H]

I was going to keep my dog out of this fight. But......

Some tires can be used as front or rear. Most, if not all have two rotation arrows, specifying front or back.

You could leave your tire mounted backwards. You could also risk an issue with the plys coming apart due to the wrong rotation. This "could" cause the tire to fail.

Your choice,
Tom

[kballowe]

It used to be that front tires and rear tires were designed differently.  The front tire is stressed when braking.  The rear tire is stressed during braking, and acceleration.  Then there's the tread design/direction.

I've had more than a couple of bikes come in for new tires, and discovered that their tires had been mounted in the wrong direction.  Of course, the owners didn't know.

[AJ Huff]

If it's your front tire it'll make your odometer turn backwards.

-AJ

[cliffrod]

Down south, this situation is covered by the phrase “hey y’all- watch this!”…….

Having accidentally done this a few times over the years on customers’ bikes up at the shop, it was never an option to leave it as is and hope all goes ok.  Yes, some worn-out tires I changed had been on the bike the wrong way for a long time with no obvious failure.  Riding with no helmet is also pretty safe until something goes wrong.   

I believe the arrows are there for a legitimate safety reason, not as a branding or premium upgrade icon to enhance the value & profit potential of the tire.  If they didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be there.  I would bite the bullet and reverse the tire.   Ride safe.

[MotoGuzzi750]

If it didn't matter the manufacturer wouldn't bother marking tires for both positions and rotation.

So you have decided to become a test pilot? Feeling "kind of lazy today" to correct an assembly mistake that might lower your odds of riding a safe journey? Feeling lucky?

You made a mistake that might effect your safety. (I've done exactly the same thing and now mark rims with a marker when mounting tires to make that mistake less likely.)

Don't come to a group who aren't tire engineers looking for them to sanction perpetuating your error. Step back. Take a deep breath. Say OOPS - S#IT! Then correct your error and do the job to the best of your ability. You will feel better knowing it is as correct as you can make it BEFORE you ride.

I like your suggestion of: stepping back, taking deep breath.. and saying "Oh Sh%#T" 

[ridingron]

Seriously?

I can't believe the subject of rain siping for a bike in Arizona is even thought about here.

And torque? How much torque does a Convert have at the rear wheel?

I didn't think winter was here already.

If you have absolutely nothing to do, go ahead and switch it around.  I definitely would not pay to change it.

[Sye]

Everything you need to know can be found here: http://cyrilhuzeblog.com/2009/08/23/tires-directional-arrows-explained-by-avon-tyres/

[chuck peterson]

I’d have to change it to keep me from thinking about it every time I rode it..

I had a tiny hardly worth it to fix oil drip onto a rear tire…never ever pushed very hard in a right hand curve…but it popped into my brain ALL The Time!!

Whole new bike when I fixed it finally 

Wait till you put in an unknown new used Convert transmission in and it pops out of gear first time you use it..that’s when you learn you can take it out in 45mins and put it back in 2 1/2 hrs…dammit!

Make it a timed contest, there you go

[tommy2cyl]

+1 with Chuck's response.  My OCD has already kicked in and I didn't sleep well last night because of that damn tire.  Charles Dicken's
The Tell-Tale Heart comes to mind.

[guzzisteve]

When I bought my EV I didn't like the way the front tire felt, bought a new set of Metz touring tires. My V700 came to GA on the rims cause I stole the Avons off it to get my LM3 back to GA on a trip to IL. After the LM crash I put back tire back on the 700, front tire hit the car & I didn't trust it. The front got the take off from EV. The Demon went on fine but a few days later someone noticed & told me it's on backwards. That was in 08 and it has never felt weird even in rain. Still working fine.

[Mike Tashjian]

Avon says the tire splice is the directional arrow reason.  Of all bikes possibly putting excessive pressure on a tire construction splice the convert has to one of the least likely bikes.  I'd like to see one tear the skin off a grape.  I saw one at a show last month and it didn't move loose gravel exiting a parking lot. 

[Perazzimx14]

Having done this in the past and changing tars on many different makes/models of motorcycles a sharpie marker is part of my tire tools. Before I remove the tire, I mark the tire direction with an arrow on the disc's or hub. Saves rework.

FWIW if you remove the tire to flip it you can save some time and forgo the balancing. You'll notice no difference in performance, smoothness or longevity balanced or not.

As other have said the direction being correct is more import for when riding in the rain. I'm also sure that while it does not rain a lot in AZ it does rain on occasion. Or there is a possibility you may travel to and area where you encounter rain. Personally, I'd flip the tire as it's not that big a task. As Ron Swanson say's "never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing!"