Front tires mounted backwards?

Lee T

Lee T

Joined
Oct 19, 2024
Messages
33
Age
65
Location
Colorado Springs
Bike
2007 ST1300
2025 Miles
000600
This is likely a "showing my ignorance" question, but are my newly mounted front tires on the rims backwards?

I have always thought that any sort of water channeling groove should taper outwards (as it rolls), like my back tires both do. But on my new front on the "IGOFAR" the rain grooves work from out to in. Seems like that would lead to hydroplaning?

Could anyone provide some clarity?

Thanks!
 

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The direction arrow on the sidewall may be hard to pick out but it should be there. It might not be an obvious arrow. And only on one side.

My AK uses Bridgestone tires, different model, but the tread is similar. This is the front of my front tire mounted correctly and verified after I finally found the direction indicator.
PXL_20240426_151138445.jpg
 
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I put on a set of tires on my ST and very carefully found and aligned the arrows on the tire to the ones on the rim.
When I was putting the assembly on the front of the bike, I very carefully removed the tire and reversed it to the correct direction. I pondered and thought, cursed, scrunched my eyes and still have no clear idea how I put the dang thing on backwards.
There is always time to do a job over again.
 
Lee T said:
I have always thought that any sort of water channeling groove should taper outwards (as it rolls), like my back tires both do. But on my new front on the "IGOFAR" the rain grooves work from out to in. Seems like that would lead to hydroplaning?
Click to expand...
I used to think the same way about the grooves.......made sense to me tapering out, but what do I know?
 
Mykllee said:
I used to think the same way about the grooves.......made sense to me tapering out, but what do I know?
Click to expand...
On a dirt bike if the knobs are in a V pattern like geese, the V digs in, not scoop (sand excluded) when powering the rear or braking the front - they oppose each other on the bike. Why street bike siping opposes each other may be similar. dunno
OTOH, when the axle is going sixty mph the top of the tire is doing 120 and the bottom zero.
What that means? dunno
 
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JetRanger said:
Hmmm... channel water out under power for the rear tire and channel water out for the front tire for braking?
Click to expand...
They only look opposite of each other because you’re in front of the bike, looking back at the front tire and looking at the back of the bike, you’re looking at the backside of the rear tire. If you could look at the front side of the back tire as it’s coming at you, the pattern would be similar to the front tire. They both have sipes and grooves angled to pump water out from the contact patch to the outside of the tire as the tire rotates forward.
 
SMSW said:
When the axle is going 60 mph, all parts of the bike are also moving at the same speed...or you have just been in a catastrophic accident.
Click to expand...
The contact patch is spinning backwards at 60mph unless you’ve broken traction. Then it’s a skid, drift or burnout.
 
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