Front tire?

[DeerWrangler]

L:ike you said " NO tire maker wants to or is willing to address this in reagrfd to trikes" The mounting of a tire in reverse seems to be fairly common and in many cases makes the trike handle a little better * although how so i have no idea on* and in some cases its a mater of " it just feels better" to the driver.

I have found that on Sough Texas rough roads i got a lot of rattle and jarring and when i put a shim in the anti dive valve that jolting / jarring completley went away. YES there is a little more front end dip when i pt on the binders but nothing shockingly so.

The main reason i posed the ? about mix of tires on trikes is that i have whitewall Radial tires on the back and would like to compliment them with a WW tire up front and there is only 1 tire maker who makes a double sided WhiteWall tire that will fit the Wing.......

[mhgoldwing]

Most of the 1800 trikes run a biased ply on the front and the tire milage increases dramatically. The two primary tires used are the Battlax BT-45 and the Michelin Pilot Activ - BOTH ARE REAR SPORT BIKE TIRES. They are much stouter than a standard front tire and therefore resist the scrubbing better. Also, bias ply tires do not flex in the sidewall as much as radials. Both run 41 psi.

The reason for running backwards is that the tire was designed for the rear where the primary force is acceleration. When used on the front the primary force is braking - just the opposite. Running it in reverse directions has do with the tire construction and the way the belts are laid in.

[DeerWrangler]

Most of the 1800 trikes run a biased ply on the front and the tire milage increases dramatically. The two primary tires used are the Battlax BT-45 and the Michelin Pilot Activ - BOTH ARE REAR SPORT BIKE TIRES. They are much stouter than a standard front tire and therefore resist the scrubbing better. Also, bias ply tires do not flex in the sidewall as much as radials. Both run 41 psi.

The reason for running backwards is that the tire was designed for the rear where the primary force is acceleration. When used on the front the primary force is braking - just the opposite. Running it in reverse directions has do with the tire construction and the way the belts are laid in.

Sounds like you have been down this road before regarding the ? of tires up front.

Im not sure that there is any stouter tire than the Dunlop that i have on the front. That tire has sidewalld that are a bunch more rigid that one would expect esp considering its width.

For those who have never had to break down a MC tire it is NOTHING like taking a tire off the rim on a car.. Bile tires are extremely stiff.

As a rule Radial car tires have much more side wall flex in them than does a Bias Ply tire of the same size...But how they make a bike tire is pretty diff than how a car tire is configured because a bike is designed to lean over and that puts drastic sheer stress on the side wall of those tires & if they flexed (side wall) too much then the bike would peal the tire off the rim **** Just as what happened with the 97 ford Explorer and its original tires...***

You have certainly given me some reason for though on this install the tire backwards on the front.. Although im betting that those of us that Trike get better tire milage and those of our 2 wheeled brothers do. Only because of our Trikes steering thru the curves (more like a car) where as the 2 wheeled MC leans over and rides more toward the side of the tire on curves etc.

A year ago i changed out the tires on my trike. Those were the original tires that were put on the trike when it was kitted... 28000 miles and still had as many miles ahead as behind. But as they were pretty old ( manufactured back in 2001) they needed to be changed for new. Now at 44000 milesthe front is still like new and the only reason for me to change it is to put a WW tire up there so as to match the rear White Walls

Thanks for the info. It is greatly appreciated and certainly enlightening

[Saltywheels]

Chuck: I have a Pilot Activ "backwards" on the front for the same reasons mhgoldwing explained. And it works great. Have abt 10k miles on it without a hiccup. Tires still in good shape. Plan to retain the same set up when I need to change.

[Pegasus1300]

do a google search for white wall tire paint.I found it awhile ago but cant find the url now I thought I saved it but I guess not.
I have a Michline Pilot Active rear tire mounted on my trike and it works great.It is mounted backwards,but this is only done on rear tires used in the front.

[beenthere]

What's up with AVON front trike tires? Any one running one?(do they make one?)
Thanks to all.

[Chumbly]

You have to be more specific bud,... I'm using an Avon Venom R (still held over from the two wheel days), and still feel it's the best tire made for my bike...when it was on two wheels. Now, they're telling me there are better selections out there...but, the Avon is still working for me. Scuttlebug has it the Avon is developing a trike specific tire, (and I'm waiting with baited breath,) but I'm unaware of one on the market yet...perhaps that is what you refer to.

[WILDBILLPHIN]

I have been running Avon tires since 06 and on two different trikes with great satisfaction. What I have been using are Avon Saftey Master II rears, and although you will find info here to the contrary I have been running mine without reversing the direction. I currently have 26,000 on one with my 2011 TG and it looks like it's at half life. I live in western NC so most of my riding is mountain. It has a flatter profile which I think suits the trike better and improves the traction for the front wheel. It also has a reasonable price tag and they have one at the correct size.

[mhgoldwing]

I have been running Avon tires since 06 and on two different trikes with great satisfaction. What I have been using are Avon Saftey Master II rears, and although you will find info here to the contrary I have been running mine without reversing the direction. I currently have 26,000 on one with my 2011 TG and it looks like it's at half life. I live in western NC so most of my riding is mountain. It has a flatter profile which I think suits the trike better and improves the traction for the front wheel. It also has a reasonable price tag and they have one at the correct size.

What size?

[WILDBILLPHIN]

The Avon I am using is a Safety Master Mark II rear and the size is 5.00- 16.00. This fits a Tri Glide. It is a tubed tire but as I stated in previous post, no trouble on two trikes and over 100,000 miles.

[wiredgeorge]

I will need a new front tire soon. I am going to buy a bike rear tire and mount it running wrong direction as I have been told by knowledgeable folk that this is the best set up. They told me to use a Battleax or Michelin Commander. Are these the best options for long mileage and handling? If you are mounting a rear tire running wrong direction on your Goldwing trike, which is the best tire to use and what mileage have you gotten? I am NOT asking for opinions on mounting a rear tire running the wrong direction, by the way.

[trikeleader]

I have been using the Michelin Pilot Activ rear tire mounted backword. I got 21,000 miles on the first one and I am at 20,800 miles on the second one and it still has plenty of life on it. You can mount a non radial tire on the front of a trike with radial tires on the rear and it will handle just fine.

[Pegasus1300]

Hi George
Like Tom I have the Michlin Pilot Active rear tire mounted on the front of my GL1500.I do not have a rake kit on my trike(yet) but the PA did make my steering easier and I like the way it grips in the hard turns.It is also smooth riding.I have not had it on for very long so I can't give you a mileage figure but others have gotten 20k+.This trike had an E3 on it when I bought it.I found it to be rough riding and I didn't like the way it felt in the curves.

[wiredgeorge]

Getting 20K plus miles seems like a dream on a bike (trike)... I forget what type tire is on my 97 but it isn't very good so will be changing soon. The back tires on my trike are probably off-brand Chinese as I can't recall the brand and had never heard of it. I assume the type of back tire doesn't make a huge difference as there is little talk about them. Am I correct?

[Lucky]

My rears are B F Goodrich with about 34000 on them and it is hard to tell any difference.RIDE SAFE

[oldbear]

I have been using the Michelin Pilot Activ rear tire mounted backword. I got 21,000 miles on the first one and I am at 20,800 miles on the second one and it still has plenty of life on it. You can mount a non radial tire on the front of a trike with radial tires on the rear and it will handle just fine.

What he said!

[Chazzman]

I have been using the Michelin Pilot Activ rear tire mounted backword. I got 21,000 miles on the first one and I am at 20,800 miles on the second one and it still has plenty of life on it. You can mount a non radial tire on the front of a trike with radial tires on the rear and it will handle just fine.

That's what was recommended to me by my trike builder.

[Rosy]

I am running Michelins on all three tires. I suspect you will get a better grip on the road if you run radials rather then bias-belted tires on the rear. All pressures are very important when you decide what to run for tires. 41 PSI front with 22 PSI rear pressures are the "norm" now.
Take advise on what TT members say about their tires as they are the ones riding every day. Also, as with automotive companies do, some dealers have changed their tire brands because they will get a bettter deal from one tire company than another.
Good luck on the tires you decide to put on your trike. Keep good records, this way you may be able to share this information with fellow trike riders.
Remember, take care on the information you gather from fellow riders because not all trikes are the same, so you may want to know from what type of trike the info comes from, to see if it matches what you ride.

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

[rmrc51]

Ditto on the Michelin Pilot Activ mounted in reverse.

[Casper]

I've run both I prefer the Bridgstone Battle Axe....but that's me...good mileage on both but the Michelin cupped...