Tire mounting direction on Chen Shin tires

[NATEO]

Like I said... HUH?

You're comparing apples (acceleration forces) to oranges (braking forces) <g>

The acceleration forces on BOTH tires clockwise, and the braking forces on BOTH tires are counter-clockwise. You're explanation makes absolutely no sense to me.

It seems to me that the chevron pattern on both tires should point in the same direction, and that direction should be forward (i.e., >>>>>>).

This, or so it seems to me, would allow water to be shunted out of the tread and away from the tire. Mounting the front tire so that the pattern is facing <<<<<<< would seem to capture water and make the bike more unstable in inclement weather.

Charles...

you dont accelerate with your front tire. its just along for the ride. and MOST of your braking power (about 70%) is in the front tire, so unless you use just the back for braking, your front is taking most of the stopping forces.

maybe it will help to think of a wheelie and a stoppie...

when you wheelie, the back tire is pushing so hard clockwise that the bike itself starts moving counter-clockwise in relation to the back tire. when doing a stoppie, the forces are opposite. the front tire is stopping so hard counter-clockwise that the bike itself starts moving clockwise in relation to the front tire...


I just re-read that, and I think I just confused myself... lol

sorry, I tried...

[bwringer]

The bike felt "thick" in the turns during the first 100 miles of mounting the front tire. It seems to be "settling in" but still feels like it won't turn as well as the old Dunlop (this Chen Shin is a little wider and not as rounded as the old Dunlop).

Charles...

The 850G/GL requires a 100/90-19 front tire, but I have seen several with 110/90-19 tires mounted for unknown reasons. The larger tire screws up the handling as you describe -- it steers much more slowly and feels heavy. Mounting the correct tire size makes a big difference.

Is your front the correct size?

[ccs]

you dont accelerate with your front tire. its just along for the ride. and MOST of your braking power (about 70%) is in the front tire, so unless you use just the back for braking, your front is taking most of the stopping forces.

maybe it will help to think of a wheelie and a stoppie...

when you wheelie, the back tire is pushing so hard clockwise that the bike itself starts moving counter-clockwise in relation to the back tire. when doing a stoppie, the forces are opposite. the front tire is stopping so hard counter-clockwise that the bike itself starts moving clockwise in relation to the front tire...


I just re-read that, and I think I just confused myself... lol

sorry, I tried...

You tried well -- this explanation makes sense. (Guess I was merely looking at the tread pattern.)

Thanks...

[ccs]

The 850G/GL requires a 100/90-19 front tire, but I have seen several with 110/90-19 tires mounted for unknown reasons. The larger tire screws up the handling as you describe -- it steers much more slowly and feels heavy. Mounting the correct tire size makes a big difference.

Is your front the correct size?

Oops --- Looks like I ordered a 110/90-19 from JC Whitney.

Is this dangerous or should I just slow down a little in the curves?

[Steve]

Allow me to throw in a couple more facts to confuse you. :shock:

The shape of the tread really has no bearing on which way the tire gets mounted. It's the way the plies are laid underneath the tread.

Think of a roll of duct tape, especially the end of the roll. If the roll of tape (your tire) is mounted correctly, when the rear tire is spun, the end of the tape (the plies) will just spin by the ground. If you reverse the mounting (or just the direction), there is a chance that the end of the tape will catch on the ground and start peeling itself off the roll.

As mentioned before, the rear tire does all the accelerating, the front tire does most of the braking, so their primary forces are in opposite directions, hence the need for mounting arrows and specifying which wheel it's for. Personally, I agree that the chevrons should go the other way to disperse the water away from the center of the tire, but I have to trust that the mounting arrow is correct.


.

[bwringer]

Oops --- Looks like I ordered a 110/90-19 from JC Whitney.

Is this dangerous or should I just slow down a little in the curves?

Personally, I would send it back and get the correct size -- it really does make a big difference in the way the bike feels and handles. I wouldn't say the handling gets dangerous with the bigger tire, but it makes the bike feel about 75 pounds heavier. You'll just enjoy the bike a lot more with the correct size tire. But then again, I'm a lot more picky about handling than most, so it's up to you.

TiresUnlimited is right up the road from you in Dayton. They are a very reputable tire vendor with excellent prices, and they stock what they sell, including a huge range of brands and sizes for vintage bikes. I bet with shipping, they're cheaper than JCW for CS tires, too. I usually get my tires the next day via UPS in Indianapolis.

http://tiresunlimited.com

[earlfor]

The pattern you describe is correct for the Hi Max. Metzelers are the same way. In fact, I believe the Hi Max is a copy of the Metz tread pattern. Keep in mind however, not all tires are oriented this way. My Continentals are the opposite :-)

Earl

Hello All;

I bought both front and rear Chen Shin tires for my GS 850G. Got a good deal from JC Whitney.

The tread pattern on both tires is like a set of chevrons (>>>>>)

The rear tire's "Rotation" arrow on the sidewall goes in the same direction as the chevrons (i.e. the tire rotates in the direction in which the chevrons point).

However the front tire's "Rotation" arrow on the sidewall is in the opposite direction (i.e. the tire rotates in the opposite direction in which the chevrons point).

To be as clear as possible, the tire pattern will look like:

>>>>>> motorcycle riding this direction --> <<<<<<<
rear tire ............................................... front tire

This looks incorrect to me.

Can anyone advise whether this is correct or the "Rotation" arrow is wrong on one of the tires?

TIA.

Charles...