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  • #1

    Tire Rotation Direction

    Hoping to make it to XS East this weekend..

    I noticed my front tire was shot, lots of rot etc. I picked up a NOS Dunlop F11 to replace it but I can't figure out what direction this tire is supposed to mount on the wheel. There is no "direction mark". Does it matter on these old bias ply tires? There are a couple of colored rings around the tire circumference, one side has a red stripe...The lettering on the tire goes "Clockwise" if you look at the tire face..

    Any ideas?

    Never taken this bike for a long trip. Looking forward to the trip..


    Regards,

    Gareth
    Tags: None
  • #2
    When you say "old", how old are you talking about? You don't want to use a tire that's been sitting for 10 years, even if it is NOS. There should be a date code on it somewhere that will tell you when it was made.
    1980 XS850SG - Sold
    1981 XS1100LH Midnight Special (Sold) - purchased 9/29/08
    Fully Vetterized and Dynojet Kit added, Heated Grips, Truck-Lite LED headlight, Accel Coils, Irridium plugs, TKAT Fork Brace, XS850LH Final Drive & Black SS Brake lines from Chacal.
    Here's my web page devoted to my bike! XS/XJ User's Manuals there, and the XJ1100 Service Manual and both XS1100 Service manuals (free download!).

    Whether you think you can, or you think you cannot - You're right.
    -H. Ford

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    • #3
      Where in NYC are you? I'm I whitestone if you're close I can stop by and help you figure it out?

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      • #4
        Tire is new, and the "born on date" is mid '03..
        It does not have that new tire smell, but looks good..and I didn't have the money to give the local guy the $140 he wanted for the 110 ME that was the wrong size anyway..If I wasn't planning to make it to VT, I would have just ordered on line.. but a poster on craigslist had this one and I didn't want to take the chance that I wouldn't have anything fitted by Friday...$50.

        Randy... I'm on 117th in the City, right by the FDR..

        I did some google searches, and there were postings about the "nap" of the tire needing to be oriented in a certain way. This tire looks pretty symmetrical either way..but I just want to be sure...or reassured that is doesn't matter..

        There is a Dunlop logo, a single upper-case "D" in a triangular frame '[D>'

        embossed on the tire. I'm not sure if this doubles as a rotation indicator or not. It looks nothing like the usual "rotation-----> " that I have seen on other tires,



        Thanks for any and all info...

        G

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        • #5
          That triangle is the rotation symbol check your pm's and give me a call I have off tomorrow if you want help got a new tube?

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          • #6
            Originally posted by randy View Post
            That triangle is the rotation symbol check your pm's and give me a call I have off tomorrow if you want help got a new tube?
            Hey Randy and Gene,

            Not so fast on that D> symbol! See the below photo of the Dunlop 404 that I posted in the Tire Pictorial. Looking closely at the tire, you'll see that D> on the left edge/side of the picture, and it's pointing to the right, BUT if you look at the right side of the picture, you'll see the REAL DIRECTION Arrow, and it's pointing the LEFT! See second photo below of the closeup of that direction arrow.





            I know that this is a NEWER tire, but I don't think that the D> symbol is specifically the direction arrow!?
            T. C. Gresham
            81SH "Godzilla" . . .1179cc super-rat.
            79SF "The Teacher" . . .basket case!
            History shows again and again,
            How nature points out the folly of men!

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            • #7
              well it's on now, in the D-irection. And there is no way I am taking it off again until after the weekend...

              If the front brake is only effective when travelling backwards then I'll know something is up..

              FWIW...three people told me today that the [D> was a direction arrow.

              Gareth

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              • #8
                Tire is new, and the "born on date" is mid '03..

                I would have taken the tire BACK TO THE SHOP for a refund! When a tire is over 5 years old, the rubber has lost a LOT of the characteristics that it was designed to have. These include the ones that help on wet roads, and handling in general.
                When I got my MNS in September, riding home was "interesting". After I got it home I noticed the born on dates were 2000 and 2003. I replaced both tires, which had LOTS of tread on them, and it handled MUCH better. It went from "riding on ice" to what can I scrape now...
                Ray Matteis
                KE6NHG
                XS1100 E '78 (winter project)
                XS1100 SF Bob Jones worked on it!

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                • #9
                  Right you are, TC. Dunlop says that there are two reasons for the directional arrow. First is so that a tire with a directional tread is mounted in the proper rotational direction. Second reason is that a used tire will develop a wear pattern over time and when removed, like for a repair or a re-tube the tire can be remounted in it's original orientation.

                  The F11 doesn't have a directional tread, so...

                  Interestingly enough, the Dunlop site lists the F11 as a tube type. When I spoke to Gareth yesterday he said the tire is marked 'tubeless' Maybe Dunlop lists the F11 as TT because the XS originally was fitted with tubes?

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