Roadster Tire Replacement Advice Please

[Claviger]

The Road 5 should do quite well in the cold, it's a high silica content tire with a flexible carcass, meaning, quick warm up, good wet grip, and it will deflect enough in the cold to maintain some grip.

Always remember cold is the devil for grip though My ABS saved me from what would have been a horrible wreck last year at 35f, damp, cresting a bridge, and going way too fast, ended up shooting between a bus, the curb and running (a thankfully empty) a red light. Lesson learned

 

[1olbull]

Can you explain why you mounted the tire reversed? Is it because the most torque applied to a rear wheel is in acceleration and the most torque applied to a front tire is braking?
Rick

Here are some reasons:
You should turn a rear tire around to run it on the front, to run against its direction arrows. This is because of the way the tread joint is made on the tire. When braking, the forces generated will try to open the tread jointing of a rear tire on the front. This will be prevented if the tire is run in reverse direction

The tread is applied to a tire as a flat wide strip of rubber. When molded, the pattern is added. The ends of the tread sections obviously have to be joined together prior to molding. The ends of the tread are not butt jointed together, but cut at a steep angle & then joined together. This obviously makes the joint area larger to help absorb the stress placed upon it. Therefore because they are joined at an angle, if you rotate the tire in one direction you will (in effect) close the joint once every rotation. If you rotate it in the other direction you will try to open the joint once every rotation. The rear tire rotation direction arrow is noted to close the joint on every rotation of the tire as it is put under power.

The same tire would have to be mounted against its rotation direction arrow on the front because although in normal use the joint is running the wrong way. There is no force being applied to it (the front wheel is just running along without the application of power). When you brake, a strong force is pushing from the rear to the front of the motorcycle and this would open up the tread joint, possibly leading to the tread shearing. If you run the rear tire backwards on the front, braking forces will then be trying to close the tread joint, which is overall the best situation.
Tis a little complicated, I know, but I hope this helps a little.

 

[1olbull]

This may illustrate the overlay of layers better . . .

 

[sonny]

OK. Steve and Claviger you both have talked me into it. Next round of tires we will give it a try.

 

[Cav Man]

OK. Steve and Claviger you both have talked me into it. Next round of tires we will give it a try.

I'm also going to give it a shot, next spring we'll be rolling with the Road 5 reversed on the front.

 

[Cav Man]

Here are some reasons:
You should turn a rear tire around to run it on the front, to run against its direction arrows. This is because of the way the tread joint is made on the tire. When braking, the forces generated will try to open the tread jointing of a rear tire on the front. This will be prevented if the tire is run in reverse direction

The tread is applied to a tire as a flat wide strip of rubber. When molded, the pattern is added. The ends of the tread sections obviously have to be joined together prior to molding. The ends of the tread are not butt jointed together, but cut at a steep angle & then joined together. This obviously makes the joint area larger to help absorb the stress placed upon it. Therefore because they are joined at an angle, if you rotate the tire in one direction you will (in effect) close the joint once every rotation. If you rotate it in the other direction you will try to open the joint once every rotation. The rear tire rotation direction arrow is noted to close the joint on every rotation of the tire as it is put under power.

The same tire would have to be mounted against its rotation direction arrow on the front because although in normal use the joint is running the wrong way. There is no force being applied to it (the front wheel is just running along without the application of power). When you brake, a strong force is pushing from the rear to the front of the motorcycle and this would open up the tread joint, possibly leading to the tread shearing. If you run the rear tire backwards on the front, braking forces will then be trying to close the tread joint, which is overall the best situation.
Tis a little complicated, I know, but I hope this helps a little.

I'm seeing both a "V" and a "W" version available. I'm not expert, but I believe the "W" has the higher speed rating yet for some reason the "V" is priced higher, at least at Dennis Kirk. What version are you running 1olbull?

 

[1olbull]

I'm seeing both a "V" and a "W" version available. I'm not expert, but I believe the "W" has the higher speed rating yet for some reason the "V" is priced higher, at least at Dennis Kirk. What version are you running 1olbull?

Rocky Mountain ATV
Michelin Road 5
150/70ZR17 (69W)

 

[Cav Man]

Rocky Mountain ATV
Michelin Road 5
150/70ZR17 (69W)

Right on, thank you!

 

[BCRedHaze]

I had the Road 5 installed this afternoon.

The shop included a document stating that they strongly advised the that a rear tire was not designed to run in the front and they have zero liability!

The handling is certainly much better than the Metz though!

 

[1olbull]

@BCRedHaze
You should have asked the dork if he even understood how the tires were constructed and how they are layered?