| Author | Message | ||
     Hugie82 |
I have an 09 Uly with a NEW Karoo III on the rear from the PO. My problem is I need a front tire now and the Karoo III size that will fit the front is listed as a rear tire. Now I've seen many picks of rear tires on the front but you never hear the story how it rides. So my question is have any of you tried this and was the handling effected? Thanks! | ||
| Nillaice |
congrats on the new ride  the handling with a new tire will probably be better than with a worn out tire. at least it's the right type of tire for the vehicle. some folks out there have enough gall to put a car tire on a bike and then ride it all across America. the tread designs lend themselves to the intended purpose of the tire. rear-acceleration front-braking so if you're gonna put a rear tire on the front wheel of a MC, you might as well install it 'backwards' so the tread design is correct for the traction forces. if you're having someone else install the tire on the rim, it helps to draw an arrow (or 4) on the brake rotor so they match it to the one on the sidewall and install the tire in your desired orientation. this is especially helpful on the rear cuz most bikes have the chain/belt drive on the left side of the wheel | ||
| Teeps |
Hugie, I cannot tell you that it is OK to install a rear tire on the front, because: a) I did not make the tire. b) It's not my butt on the seat. What I can tell you is that I have done, just, that many times without a single problem. Understand, your experience may vary. You may also find that shops are unwilling to mount a rear on the front for liability reasons. But, if they will, what Nillaice said is good advice (and how I mounted a rear tire for use on the front.) | ||
| 651lance |
We have had to install rear tires on the front of bikes before for custom installs, its not recommended. If i remember correctly you need to run the tire backwards. The big problem is the rear tire and the front have different siping to remove water. The front tire cuts out the center of the path for the rear tire when you have wet roads. | ||
| Ourdee |
I have ran a rear on the front of a TW200. Horrible. High speed wobble. 70 on a TW is high speed. I will not do it again. There are reasons for some being called fronts and some being called rears. | ||
| Hugie82 |
Thanks guys for the input. I guess the worst that can happen is ill be selling a slightly used tire on eBay if I notice any ill effects Ourdee, TW200 is a light bike with a fat front tire from what I remember. You would need that tire balanced perfectly to run 70mph. Knobie style tires are very hard to balance. The Karoo is an off road but I wouldn't call it knobbie. More a deep grooved street tire | ||
| Hugie82 |
 This is the style tire I'm running, obviously skinnier on the front. I've had good results with it on other bikes. It's a radial when most dirt tires are bias ply. | ||
| Arry |
That is a nice looking tire. You might run a different tire on front (other than Karoo 3). Something else from Metz, or a front tire from a different brand. It would be a mix, but at least you would have a front on front... | ||
| Ourdee |
The other think I notice on the TW. The steering was not as responsive to inputs. | ||
| Wiscokid |
Any updates on this tire? How did it work? Anybody have any recommendations for a say 60% road, 40% logging road/any trail tire? Probably more hiway miles so longevity is a major attribution. | ||
| Hugie03flhr |
Wiscokid' I just started pulling the wheels off today. I wasn't expecting to do bearings but I wasn't happy with what I saw. So hold tight while I get these bearings shipped and hopefully it will be done by next week. |
