Front tires on the Rear ... How bad can this be??

[Raj1988]

Well i scored bigtime at a local bike shop. I got two tyres 110/90/18, a Metzeler ME880 and a Michelin Macadam for 50$ a piece!!!!

Both of these say Front tire and direction of rotation. I plan on mounting them in reverse and use them as the rear tire.

I would appreciate any thoughts on this. Safe...if not, how unsafe?

I also got a 100/90/18 SuperVenom  :o for $50

They also had a Cheng Shin HI-Max 90/90/18 for $20 and a few others that will work on our bikes. BOW Cycles in NW Calgary.

[h2olawyer]

I have heard of using fronts as rears when rotating the opposite direction.  Personally, I wouldn't do it unless it was necessary to get me home from some far off place.  Just me - the right tool for the job type of thinking.  Metzeler & Michelin make good tires and they should hold up OK for your intended use on a relatively lightweight, lower powered bike like the Vision.  As long as you don't ride really crazy all the time, they should be fine.

The Avon Road Riders are bidirectional in some sizes - but they are designed that way.  Haven't looked into what possible differences there might be in carcass construction.  However, you are correct to install them with the rotation arrows reversed.  The major fores on a front tire are under braking and the rear gets more force under acceleration.

Congrats on finding such a great deal on them! 

H₂O

Disclaimer: The info above is all my own subjective opinion and I am not responsible for any failures that may occur if you ride with the front tires reversed and installed as rears.  You choose the risks you are willing to take and my opinion is not intended to endorse or warn against proceeding with your plans.  (just the lawyer in me  ;D )

[Kiwi]

I've done it on a bicycle with no problems.... but obviously the risks are MUCH less.

I'd get a rear specific,  save the fronts for replacements perhaps?

Is there a way to store tires so they don't dry rot?

[inanecathode]

Two things i would think about: A front tire will be much rounder than a rear tire. Secondly, attributing to the first reason a rear tire takes centered load right down the middle, thats where it wears, no real stress is placed on the shoulders, whereas a front tire will be beefed up on the shoulders as most of the stress is on the shoulders where the middle is completely unstressed, just has to take occasional braking and simply carrying the load rolling along.

[Rick G]

The idea doesn't thrill me much,  Good luck!

[67GTO]

Don't store tires near any electric motor, they create ozone that ruins rubber.

[h2olawyer]

Even well protected tires outgas.  This deteriorates & hardens the rubber over time & does not even require ozone or UV light.  If you are going to store tires over an extended  period, wrap them in plastic wrap (Glad or Saran for example) and then store them in a cool, dark place.  Not ideal, but you will likely get a couple years of storage before they deteriorate too much.

H₂O

[fret not]

Tire rotation direction is dictated by the layers of fabric in the carcass.  Think of the Chinese finger puzzle.  The front tire gets maximum force load from braking and the rear gets max load from acceleration.  If you are always gentle with their use the direction might not matter, but if you use the brakes hard or accelerate hard you need the correct tires mounted in the correct positions. ;)

[h2olawyer]

That's why you reverse the rotation when using a front tire on the rear or rear on the front.  That gets the bias plies oriented correctly for the different forces the tires experience.  Still not a recommended solution, but should work OK for a while - assuming the rider isn't pushing the bike very hard.

H₂O

[Raj1988]

Thanks all for the input, After a bit of research, seems that X ply tires are all the same construction with different rotational direction so it looks like its not a big deal.....

[Tiger]

 :) Let me take you back to your original thread statement/question for a moment in time....

Well i scored bigtime at a local bike shop. I got two tyres 110/90/18, a Metzeler ME880 and a Michelin Macadam for 50$ a piece!!!!

Both of these say Front tire and direction of rotation. I plan on mounting them in reverse and use them as the rear tire.

I would appreciate any thoughts on this. Safe...if not, how unsafe?

I also got a 100/90/18 SuperVenom  :o for $50

They also had a Cheng Shin HI-Max 90/90/18 for $20 and a few others that will work on our bikes. BOW Cycles in NW Calgary.

:) Not unlike h2olawyer, I spent some time in my early working days as a tire fitter: cars, trucks, buses, tractors, motorcycles, etc, etc. I do all my own tire work...change outs, balancing, etc, on my Visions. I have even done work for other Vision owners... :o ::)
Now you can call me old fashioned but...if a motorcycle tire has on it a rotational stamp ----> it goes that way... and embossed in to it 'FRONT ONLY'...its for the front!! 'REAR ONLY'...its for the rear!!!
The contact area is very small on a Vision tire, yes that bit that is in contact with the road, all or most of the time. If a tire 'lets loose' at some point and it is correctly fitted you have some kind of come back to the supplier/manufacturer, if not, your S O L!!!...a 'cheap' tire isn't so cheap when, God forbid,  your looking at the world from a hospital bed!!!!!.......but hey, that's just my 2 cents worth.

                    8).......TIGER....... 8)

[kev10104]

Well said Tiger.There are some tires that are universal and they would be fine but I would hate to go down just because I thought the front could be used on the back.

[Lucky]

they will be worth more then to turn a profit: Ebay or Craigslist 'em  :laugh:

[Raj1988]

Much rather send em Tiger's way (at cost) for one/three of his rebuilds!!

[Tiger]

Much rather send em Tiger's way (at cost) for one/three of his rebuilds!!

:) So would I... 8)

[kev10104]

lol