[Klyftonite]

Hello guys, about that time my tires are starting to run a little bald and it's time to get a new one (and my chance to finally do a burn out )

my question is, my front is perfectly fine and hasn't shown my wear at all but my rear is pretty much bald, and i was just wondering is it OK for me to just swap my rear out and keep the front?

A lot of my friends who have done tire swaps have done BOTH the front and rear at the same time, would i notice any type of performance change if i have a old front and a new rear?

Thanks for your input!

And if you are wondering.. my front is the Stock tires ( kinda new looking) and the rear I'm getting the Conti Road Attacks.

 

[tcl]

What's on your front? If it is a 16 month old tire i'd say leave it and just replace the rear with the same model. If it is old or crummy anyway, replace both.

 

[Klyftonite]

I have the stock sv tires on the front

how can you tell if it's a old tire or not?

actually my rear has this funny fuzzy rubber that's coming off on the sides... i think it's degrading or something lol

yeah i have NO idea how old my front tire is... any signs i can look for to see if it's old or not?

 

[tcl]

I have the stock sv tires on the front

how can you tell if it's a old tire or not?

actually my rear has this funny fuzzy rubber that's coming off on the sides... i think it's degrading or something lol

yeah i have NO idea how old my front tire is... any signs i can look for to see if it's old or not?

There's a datecode on the sidewall. If you only have 3000 miles on the bike, is is almost certainly the original tire. Either way, the d220 was a decent tire when it came out but there are now much better choices. eg, the dunlop roadsmart or the conti road attack or pilot road I/II I'd replace with a set of one of those.

 

[Klyftonite]

i've only put around 3000 on the bike MYSELF but i bought it used, it's around 14000 on the odometer =P

i'll look for a date tomorrow when i take off my fairings... wooo my bike is gonna look like poop for a week

 

[Desmo Demon]

Only change both it you feel uneasy about it or have money to throw away. If you take that front tire off and repalce it, I'll gladly pay for shipping if you send it to me. All you have to do is slap a label on it and ship it via USPS for around $14 to anywhere in the USA.

As for changing tires, I do everything "wrong" that you willl hear people tell you, and unless they've actually done what they claim you shouldn't do, and had an issue with it, I say they are full of sh!t. I've run on a mix of old and new tires, I've run on mix-matched model of tire (same manufacturer), mix-matched manufacturers, plugged tires, patched tires, multiple patched tires, and even tires that are more then 5 years old......

Run whatever you feel comfortable with, and if you don't feel comfortable riding on a used tire on the front and a new one on the rear....change out both.

 

[Dynamicz]

Unless the front tire is old (from date code), I'd just stick with changing the rear only. I had a 2:1 ratio rear's wearing out twice before my fronts need changing.

 

[Iakayak81]

another factor is if you ride in the rain much. i will ride bald tires in nice weather, but you don't always get to choose the weather on trips.

 

[leaftye]

Yes and yes.

 

[SDRider]

Hello guys, about that time my tires are starting to run a little bald and it's time to get a new one (and my chance to finally do a burn out )

my question is, my front is perfectly fine and hasn't shown my wear at all but my rear is pretty much bald, and i was just wondering is it OK for me to just swap my rear out and keep the front?

A lot of my friends who have done tire swaps have done BOTH the front and rear at the same time, would i notice any type of performance change if i have a old front and a new rear?

Thanks for your input!

And if you are wondering.. my front is the Stock tires ( kinda new looking) and the rear I'm getting the Conti Road Attacks.

Requires? No...definitely not.

I did both when I replaced my OEM tires simply because I was going with a Pilot Power in the rear (which is a sport tire vs a sport touring like the Dunlops). I just wanted to have similar grip levels out of both tires and I didn't like the way the Dunlop front tire tends to follow grooves in the roads here so I replaced them both.

I'm very happy with the Pilot Powers too.

 

[RandyO]

I change my tires in pairs, I change my sprockets when I replace the chain.

why, cause the front is half worn out and has lost 50% or more of it's water dispersal capability, and had heat cycled as many times as the worn out rear.

sure it may be "legal" for another several thousand miles

what good in a new rear, if you have to take it easy cause your front is compromised with 50% wear

I really get a kick out of all the money spent on bikes & gear but then skimp out on tires

I also use matching tires, many peeps will put a softer sport tire on front and a harder ST tire in the rear, is it really wise to have front & rear tires that don't have the same handling & turn in characteristics

 

[leaftye]

Not everyone wants the same handling and turn characteristics as you. A set of tires that provides balanced grip for your suspension setup, style of riding and weight may be horrendous for another rider with a different suspension setup, style of riding and weight. There's no such thing as the perfect set of tires, aside from that mythical set of tires that never ever break traction and never wear out. Seriously, if you're going to be so hard core about tires, you better be riding on a fresh set of pre-shaved and heat cycled race tires for every ride because tires provide less grip over time. With all the money spent on bike & gear, you don't want to skimp out on tires!

 

[RandyO]

you don't want to skimp out on tires!

I average 5 or 6 sets of tires every year,

I really don't care what anybody likes for handling in a tire, when you go swapping out tires, you might find a combination you like, or you might not, what you will find, is a difference, a lot of times not good when your are surprised at the wrong moment

I've tried the combos, done 2 rears to every front, etc. in conclusion, over the miles I have to recommend finding a tire combo you like, then swapping in pairs as they wear


in reality, what really happens, is just as you have tried the majority of tires out and decided on one, only to find out that the manufacture is making it obsolete next year, in the meantime all the other manufacturers have improved their technology too, and you start all over again

 

[Desmo Demon]

With all the money spent on bike & gear, you don't want to skimp out on tires!

For each of the last two years, I've spent more money on tires than we paid for my '87 Ducati Paso 750, my wife's 1998 Ducati ST2, and her '94 GSX-R750, so I don't think I have to worry about skimping on tires....I guess I'm skimping on bikes!........Heck, the money spent on tires for both years combined would pay for my Harley and the wife's R1.

 

[SDRider]

For each of the last two years, I've spent more money on tires than we paid for my '87 Ducati Paso 750, my wife's 1998 Ducati ST2, and her '94 GSX-R750, so I don't think I have to worry about skimping on tires....I guess I'm skimping on bikes!........Heck, the money spent on tires for both years combined would pay for my Harley and the wife's R1.

Well, if you've got that kind of money then why the hell would you run your tires down to the steel belt before replacing them????

 

[Desmo Demon]

Well, if you've got that kind of money then why the hell would you run your tires down to the steel belt before replacing them????

Probably because one set of tires has lasted as little as two weekends, and.....Who said I have money? I just can sniff out really good deals. Simple math will tell you that I didn't spend much money on those bikes. Probably less than most SV owners spend on 5+ year old, used SV650s....If I changed my tires in pairs and when only one of them hit the wear bars, I'd literally throw away several thousands of dollars a year.

 

[Frogger]

If the front is in good shape, then replacing just the rear is fine as long as you replace it with a tire who's characteristics (mainly grip) are a close match to those of the front tire.

 

[leaftye]

If the front is in good shape, then replacing just the rear is fine as long as you replace it with a tire who's characteristics (mainly grip) are a close match to those of the OLD front tire.

Fixed to placate those that discourage replacing one tire at a time.

 

[zabrow187]

I still have my stock front tire from when I replaced my tires. Next time I need new tires I'm getting a rear that is the same as the front I already have just so I don't have a front tire laying around.

 

[ASCSurveyor]

Unless your tires are old and cracked, you're fine. I mismatch tires all the time. It's no big deal. Jesus, people are acting like if you have miniscule differences in tread patterns and wear, the bike will be completely uncontrollable. :BangHead: