Yet Another Darkside Question

[pappy]

I posted this in another thread but I think it kind of got lost since it was so far down. Sorry if this has already been discussed but I couldn't find where it had. I finally decided to move over to the darkside and I ordered a SP 5000 195/60-16. I will need a front tire soon and was looking at installing a Michelin Commander REAR tire but in the 150/80-16 front tire size. Do any of you guys have experience with the Michelin Commander? Are any of you guys running a rear tire on the front of your Nomad that you really like? I would really appreciate your comments.

[Jared]

I have no experience with the cammander tire, but I run a 150/80-16 Metzeler 880 rear tire on the front. I've had it on there for 15K+ and it still looks great. I think it will outlast my SP 5000.

Make sure when you mount it that you reverse the tread direction. When you do that, it's the same tread pattern as a normal front tire, just more tread. Good luck!

[lonewolf]

have a mt 66 pirelli rear mounted on my front! like it so far, only hav a couple thousand on it. put in 2 ounces of dynabeads at install. yes, make sure whatever you use, to reverse the direction.

[pappy]

Utah,
Thanks for the input. I was looking at the Metzeler but I had one on the rear and it started to cup after about 1500 miles. Could have been the air pressure though. I picked up a nail and didn't know it and had to keep airing it up. I'm sure I ran with a low rear tire a few times. Are you running the radial or the bias ply? Hows the handling compared to a proper front tire, can you tell any difference?

[Jared]

Handling is just fine. I don't notice any difference at all.

I believe all 880s are radial, but I could be wrong.

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Utah Motorcyclist

Handling is just fine. I don't notice any difference at all.

I believe all 880s are radial, but I could be wrong.

When I put ME880's on my bike, the rear was a radial and the front was a bias-ply.

[ringadingh]

Whats the purpose of installing a rear tire on the front wheel?

[clayton]

Originally Posted by Ringadingh

Whats the purpose of installing a rear tire on the front wheel?

Agreed??
Also because I do not know...why reverse the thread?

[pappy]

Thanks Utah,
Metzeler makes both a radial and bias ply in the ME880 Marathon 150/80-16 size but the rear may only be made radial. In any case I'm going to do research on both the Metzeler and the Michelin.

Ringadingh,
The thought behind running a rear tire on the front is that if you compare a front tire and a rear tire of the same size (in this case 150/80-16), the rear tire will have about 15-25% more tread depth depending on the manufacturer. So by putting a rear tire on the front position should result in a longer front tire life. Personally, I'm trying to find a rear tire where the tread pattern on the rear isn't that much different front the front. Reversing the direction arrow when putting a rear tire on the front will allow the rear tire tread to match the treat direction on the factory front tire.

[qdog]

Originally Posted by pappy

I posted this in another thread but I think it kind of got lost since it was so far down. Sorry if this has already been discussed but I couldn't find where it had. I finally decided to move over to the darkside and I ordered a SP 5000 195/60-16. I will need a front tire soon and was looking at installing a Michelin Commander REAR tire but in the 150/80-16 front tire size. Do any of you guys have experience with the Michelin Commander? Are any of you guys running a rear tire on the front of your Nomad that you really like? I would really appreciate your comments.

I've been running a rear Dunlop Elite 3 bias 160/80-16 (reversed) on the front of my '03 Nomad for the last 11,000 miles.

I say....go for it. The rear tire on the front reversed (so the tread pattern will be correct) is the way to go. A rear MT has more rubber on it than a front tire does, so it will last longer. My rear MT has very little wear in 11K.

Quinton

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by pappy

Ringadingh,
The thought behind running a rear tire on the front is that if you compare a front tire and a rear tire of the same size (in this case 150/80-16), the rear tire will have about 15-25% more tread depth depending on the manufacturer. So by putting a rear tire on the front position should result in a longer front tire life. Personally, I'm trying to find a rear tire where the tread pattern on the rear isn't that much different front the front. Reversing the direction arrow when putting a rear tire on the front will allow the rear tire tread to match the treat direction on the factory front tire.

Thanks for the response, Although Id do more research into the ME880's. I had a run of bad luck with them, and found that they made my bike wobble worse than any other tire Ive ever used.

[Jared]

Originally Posted by pappy

The thought behind running a rear tire on the front is that if you compare a front tire and a rear tire of the same size (in this case 150/80-16), the rear tire will have about 15-25% more tread depth depending on the manufacturer. So by putting a rear tire on the front position should result in a longer front tire life. Personally, I'm trying to find a rear tire where the tread pattern on the rear isn't that much different front the front. Reversing the direction arrow when putting a rear tire on the front will allow the rear tire tread to match the treat direction on the factory front tire.

Great explanation. I'm not too sure if my tire is radial or bias. I'll check soon and let ya know.