Commander IIs on a '95 ST1100 (Non-ABS)?

I'm about to order new tires for my bike. Official word is she requires 110/80v-18 in the front and 160/70V-17 (or ZR) in the rear. I have had great experience with the Commander II line. Got 16K out of a set on my last bike and they were still doing okay at the end. What I'm seeing here and on the web is that michelin makes the rear one, but not the front. They do have a 110/90-18. Is it a big deal to run a slightly taller front tire? The majority of folks on here who run commander IIs rears seem to be running a different tire on the front, particularly michelin Activs. Any thoughts on this? How do the Activs hold up for mileage compared to the Commander II?

On my '01 ST11 non-abs, I ran a Commander II on the back and a Bridgestone BT45 rear on the front, mounted backwards. I looked at the Commander II for the front and didn't think it would fit. I got just over 20k out of my last Commander II, but it was pretty worn down.

There could be an issue with the fender rubbing the inside of the fender. IIRC, the old ME880 front did that - it would expand a bit when hot and then rub a hole in the front fender.

I just put the Commander on the back and an Activ on the front. Only about 100 miles on the set so far, but they feel pretty good!

I'd rather not run a rear tire on the front because, as the rear is designed to stand up to acceleration, the front is designed to hold up to heavy braking, and reversing them can encourage delamination and/or bad water shedding depending on which way they're put on (and the shop will outright refuse to do it as well). I see how that would be a problem with the fender. Looks like the Activs then huh?

Dirt, I have run a rear tire on the front for many thousands of miles. I can say with confidence, the running a rear on the front works a charm. Many, many LD folks on 'Wings, ST1300s, and Yamha FJRs are doing it, in the 130/70-18 size. I always ran mine in the "correct" arrow orientation. Some folks run them backwards. My reasoning for not doing that, the Aramid belts in these modern tire are endless, no overlap and nothing to "delaminate" thru runnng them either direction. I have, in fact, flipped a used tire to help even lop-sided tread wear without issue. I have an Activ rear on hand right now to put on the front of my newly acquired GL-1100. Expect no problems.

That being said, the Activ front is available in 110/80/18 and will work great with the Commander II rear. Keep us poSTed.

I intend to order the tires in the next couple days. The choice is down to a Commander II rear and Activ front, or PR4's all the way. The Commander II and Activ will last longer and appear to be far less expensive. Is the handling of the PR4 significantly better enough to make them worth it? I live in Central California, so rain and water won't be a concern until next winter, but I also wouldn't scoff at the extra security because it may be a long way away, but winter is coming (reference intentional). Thoughts?