Tire rotation is backwards

[hydraulicman]

I had a tire installed on the front wheel while on vacation last year. The dealer installed a Dunlop 404 rear tire on the front. I did not notice that it was a rear tire untill this past weekend. It is my understanding that a rear tire will work on the front but needs to be mounted with the rotation arrow backwards.

My question is can I remove the wheel and turn the wheel and tire around so that the tire rotation is correct. Or does the wheel only mounts one way.

 

Thanks for the help.

[RSTDdog]

You can just turn the wheel around no problem.

 

RSTDdog

[steamer]

We do this on trikes, but never heard of it on two wheels??

[rickardracing]

Personally, I would get rid of the 404's and put on a set of E3's. You will not believe the differance.

[allwx]

Rear tire on front will probably work, but take a look at the difference in tread between a front D404 and a rear D404. They are a completely different design.

 

My question would be why did the dealer install a rear tire on the front without even letting you know about it and decide if you wanted to go that way. More than likely, the installer didn't know what he was doing.

[RedRider]

For future reference, don't ever run the D404s on the Venture (especially the rear). Too light of a tire for the RSV. Avon Venom, Dunlop E3, and Michelin Commander are the general choices.

 

RR

[hydraulicman]

Thanks for the help.

I normaly run Dunlop E3, but had a tire go bad on vacation and the only thing I could get quick was the 404. I did not realize that the dealer put on a rear tire until I saw it starting to cup and I did some investigation. I plan to call the dealer in the morning and let them know what they did and see if they want to help with the problem, but I do not think they will do anything.

The dealer is C & C Sports in Brighton, MI. I will post what they have to say.

[KeithR]

My brother installed a set of Avons on his Honda VTX1300 and they didn't have the right front tire size. They (Avon) suggested putting a rear tire of the right size on the front but in the reverse direction.

 

 

Keith

Edited April 2, 2012 by KeithR

[Cougar]

Guess I will be turning my front tire around on the trike then....

been reading more and more about it. SO I can just pull the tire

and spin it around it looks like.

[rickardracing]

The dealer is C & C Sports in Brighton, MI. I will post what they have to say.

 

You know, I have bought parts from them. I live not too far from them. They do not seem to be the sharpest tools in the shed. Not very helpful either. I put longer bars on my wifes 750 Shadow. They would not even take the time to see if they had a clutch cable that was longer or if one would fit from another model. But they sure do not have a problem with taking the money. I personally am not impressed with their sevice. But when your from out of town and obviously they knew you where, they took advantage of you. The only thing I can say is see what they have to say. I doubt you will get any satisfaction. If any of use find ourselves in a situation of needing a tire replaced while on the road, we should all be aware and look things over before we pay the bill.

[Sylvester]

For future reference, don't ever run the D404s on the Venture (especially the rear). Too light of a tire for the RSV. Avon Venom, Dunlop E3, and Michelin Commander are the general choices.

 

RR

 

Horse hockey! There is nothing wrong with the D404. I have run 130k miles on nothing but Dunlop D404s and I get better than 10k on the rear and 15k on the front. Run what you like but don't bad mouth a good tire just because you would rather spend more.

 

 

[Trader]

I've used the Dunlop 404 on all 3 ventures I have had.

 

Mind you...nothing else to compare them to as that is ALL I have used.

[Sylvester]

Guess I will be turning my front tire around on the trike then....

been reading more and more about it. SO I can just pull the tire

and spin it around it looks like.

 

I am not sure Cougar. I believe that they do the reverse rotation on rear tires mounted on the front. I have been wrong before, though.

 

[steamer]

I am not sure Cougar. I believe that they do the reverse rotation on rear tires mounted on the front. I have been wrong before, though.

 

Rear tire on front, reversed. It last longer, so I'm told.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

The directional arrows have more to do with tire (and wheel) repairs than original new mounting.

 

Its always best to keep the tire rotation the same as what it was during break-in, and during a repair to patch a tire, tighten spokes, replace brake pads, change bearings, whatever, the tech doing such a repair can easily put the tire back on the same way it came off by using the arrows as a guide.

 

 

 

 

[09RSTD]

Rear tire on front, reversed. It last longer, so I'm told.

 

Front tires will always last longer regardless of what type of tire you use up front. Weight is naturally transferred to the rear of the machine everytime you hit the throttle. The bikes are rear wheel drive and therefor the rear tire will also see more force put on it. Also rear lugage add weight to the rear of the machine and causes more wear to the rear tire.

 

I agree that once a tire is beyond its break in period I.E it has been ridden numerous miles at highway speeds I would not reverse the rotation of the tire. If you rotate the tires on a car you are only swapping positions not the direction the tire rotates. If you do anything at all I would just replace the tire. Cheap insurance as far as I am concerned. Maximum of $200 dollars. Otherwise I would just leave it alone and say an extra prayer before you ride.

[allwx]

Horse hockey! There is nothing wrong with the D404. I have run 130k miles on nothing but Dunlop D404s and I get better than 10k on the rear and 15k on the front. Run what you like but don't bad mouth a good tire just because you would rather spend more.

 

 

 

 

Yeah I've got to agree there. I've used quite a few sets of D404 on both RSTD and Venture. The worst I can say about the D404 is that sometimes I get one that only lasts about 5k miles. Usually I get 10k out of a set. They run real quiet, and handle well. But then, I don't carry a lot of weight. I almost never ride with even a passenger.

 

The D404 is a light tire compared to the E3. I've installed several of both, and find the D404 a LOT easier to spoon on and off than the E3. The carcass of the E3 is significantly stiffer than the D404. Most of the D404s come with the sidewalls crushed, probably from being stacked. The last rear D404 I put on I had to use a ratcheting tiedown to spread the bead enough to get it to inflate on the wheel. Never had that with an E3.

 

The E3 is a heavier, stiffer tire, but it is also noisier. Noise is a big issue for me with tires. There's enough noise coming off these Ventures without adding a couple of howling tires.

[Cougar]

My Front rear tire is a D404. as well been doing real well. it is just put on with the arrows in the right direction been doing great so far that way on the trike.

[Kirby]

D404's came on my bike new in 2009. I don't think they would have come on the bike if they were too light of a tire for the bike. I think some have got them confused with the Brickstones. IMHO, they are a good, reasonably cheap tire that wears reasonably well. I don't remember the exact mileage but I believe I got around 14,000 miles out of that first set. Granted, I'm no canyon racer either! I changed tires to E3's and now Avons because of the recommendations for a better handling tire from the folks on this website and you were right! If tire prices continue to rise I just might have to go back to them simply because of price. I generally go through 2 sets a year on the bike since I ride year round. Just my:2cents: worth.

[flb_78]

If you rotate the tires on a car you are only swapping positions not the direction the tire rotates.

 

I don't know about your car, but every owner's manual I've read for front wheel drive cars say to take the front tires straight to the rear axle and swap the rear tires side to side and bring them to the front axle.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/tiretech/tire_rotation_abc.jpg

 

all kinds of ways to rotate the tires according to tirerack.com

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=43

[LilBeaver]

The dealer is C & C Sports in Brighton, MI. I will post what they have to say.

 

You know, I have bought parts from them. I live not too far from them. They do not seem to be the sharpest tools in the shed. Not very helpful either. I put longer bars on my wifes 750 Shadow. They would not even take the time to see if they had a clutch cable that was longer or if one would fit from another model. But they sure do not have a problem with taking the money. I personally am not impressed with their sevice. But when your from out of town and obviously they knew you where, they took advantage of you. The only thing I can say is see what they have to say. I doubt you will get any satisfaction. If any of use find ourselves in a situation of needing a tire replaced while on the road, we should all be aware and look things over before we pay the bill.

 

For what it is worth, I have had mixed experiences at C&C [in Brighton] and granted my last exchange with them was maybe a year or two ago but in the couple of years that I lived in that area (my parents and some family are still there) I had mixed emotions about them too. They were not superb but they were good enough to me that I did not feel compelled to go elsewhere. Service and parts were prompt and upfront about most things although they did have a time or two that irked me but I chalked it up to someone having a bad day and whatever. Shame to hear that this is how they treated you AND that they didn't pay attention to tire mounting or bring it to the customer's attention.

I have learned to always inspect my bike very very carefully before touching it, moving it out of wherever they parked it and especially paying. I understand the perils of having to have service done on the road and it stinks, especially when someone is not very careful in doing the job well that they are entrusted to do.

[rickardracing]

Horse hockey! There is nothing wrong with the D404. I have run 130k miles on nothing but Dunlop D404s and I get better than 10k on the rear and 15k on the front. Run what you like but don't bad mouth a good tire just because you would rather spend more.

 

 

I do not want to spend more on a tire. I know from personal experiance that the E3 is a better tire than the 404. My 07 had the original tires on it when i bought it in 09. The bike had just over 9000 miles on it. I was told by a fellow Venture owner that I would not believe the differance between the two tires. I really did not believe that there could be that much of a differance between the two. So when My rear tire was worn out, I replaced both front and rears with the E3's with alot of sceptisism. Price was not that much more, I mounted them myself. I was VERY surprised at how much better the bike handled and smoother it felt down the road. If you like the 404's, fine, use them, but myself I will never put another set of those on the bike again.

[twigg]

The direction arrows on motorcycle tyres are to do with the way the plys are laid up inside the carcase.

 

The rear is reversed if fitted to the front because it is no longer being driven, but pushed. Apparently there is science behind this, but I don't have the details

 

Whatever ... it seems to be a fairly common practise.

 

I have been using Bridgestone Spitfire IIs. Looks like the rear has about 2000 miles left, it has done 8000. It's pretty square after 3500 miles in the last two weeks.

 

Those tyres seem okay. A bit squirrely on some road surfaces, but you get used to it.

[allwx]

I do not want to spend more on a tire. I know from personal experiance that the E3 is a better tire than the 404. My 07 had the original tires on it when i bought it in 09. The bike had just over 9000 miles on it. I was told by a fellow Venture owner that I would not believe the differance between the two tires. I really did not believe that there could be that much of a differance between the two. So when My rear tire was worn out, I replaced both front and rears with the E3's with alot of sceptisism. Price was not that much more, I mounted them myself. I was VERY surprised at how much better the bike handled and smoother it felt down the road. If you like the 404's, fine, use them, but myself I will never put another set of those on the bike again.

 

From what you wrote, your only experience with D404 is with a set that already had 9k miles on it. They were already down to the nub, in other words. No tire, down to the nub, is fun to ride on. There would naturally be a striking difference in handling between a worn out set of D404 and a brand new set of E3. Now, you compare a brand new set of D404 to a brand new set of E3 and I'll bet the verdict would be more nuanced. There may even be things you prefer about the D404.

 

Think about this, for instance: The E3 is several lbs heavier than the D404 in the same size. I don't know how many lbs, 'cause I didn't weigh them. But I remember hefting both rear tires side-by-side and being impressed by the difference in weight. Let's say E3 is 5 lbs heavier than D404. That's a lot of weight to add to a wheel at the outer circumference. Bound to affect how the bike rides. Maybe worse, maybe better, depending on riding style, but usually isn't it better in terms of handling to have lighter wheels?

[Ventureless]

Ok sorry to dig this up. I have been having a very loose feeling. Feels like the front end, but from what I have read, it could be from the back and feeling it up front. Well I have posted that I have replaced tires, new Hagon shock, new rear brakes and rotors, lubed rear drive and splines. I have checked all the bearings and they all pass the tests. I realize that one could still be bad, but it just doesn't seem like it. I have done the quick tightening of the steering head. So today I am out messing with the bike and getting my heated gear wiring ready. I go to check the tire pressure and I notice something on the front. The rotation arrow on the rim is pointing backwards. The arrow on the tire is pointing the right way (it is a front tire on the rim). So would the tire being mounted on the rim backwards cause any problems as long as the tire is moving in the right direction? I am so frustrated now, it would be such a relief if that is the problem. The bike was so nice for the first 7 months or so I had it and now this lingering problem that almost scares me to ride it.