Is it ok to mix tires?

[JeremyL]

When I traded for my XS11 the guy had just put a brand new Dunlop GT501F on the front but still had a pretty much bald rear tire. Since I've finally got my bike running pretty good and I'm finally getting to do more than just 5 minute test rides I'm ready to get a new rear tire. I have read GREAT reviews about the Shinko 712's and am completely happy with getting one of those for the rear. I was just thinking though, is it okay to mix/match with my GT501 I have now? It's a 95% new tire so I hate to order a front Shinko to match if I don't need to. And the GT501 rear to match the front is $100 MORE than the Shinko rear I'm looking at!

I thought I had heard that as long as they are both bias ply or (whatever the other kind is) then it's ok but not to mix types. I can't find what kind the Shinko is so I don't know if it's bias ply or not but the GT501 I have now is.

[jimbyjimb]

I ran a Metzeler Lasertec front and Dunlop d404 for three years without issue. I don't see what the harm could possibly be.

As far as radial vs bias ply I don't actually know why it would matter either way.

It's not like you're going to be Moto-GPing the thing.

[JeremyL]

I had an idea and googled "Shinko 712 bias ply" and that showed results that said it was a bias ply. I don't think it'd be a huge problem if they didn't match but I'm glad they do so it's not a problem either way.

Just placed my order for the Shinko 712... now I just gotta find someone to mount it for me. Gonna pull the rim myself to save a few bucks and take the rim and new tire to someone. Only one motorcycle dealership within 45 miles of me and they're known to be expensive but there's one motorcycle mechanic who will mount it for $20 or so, but he will take 2 months if you don't stay on him about it.

[psycoreefer]

Motorcycle tires are easy to mount yourself, I've got a set of 'tire spoons' from harbor freight for like 15 bucks and I've mounted all my own tires with them, takes about an hour to remove the wheel from the bike, take the old tire off, put the new tire on and balance it and then put it back on the bike. hardest part is breaking the 'bead' on the old tire to get started.

[motoman]

When I traded for my XS11 the guy had just put a brand new Dunlop GT501F on the front but still had a pretty much bald rear tire. Since I've finally got my bike running pretty good and I'm finally getting to do more than just 5 minute test rides I'm ready to get a new rear tire. I have read GREAT reviews about the Shinko 712's and am completely happy with getting one of those for the rear. I was just thinking though, is it okay to mix/match with my GT501 I have now? It's a 95% new tire so I hate to order a front Shinko to match if I don't need to. And the GT501 rear to match the front is $100 MORE than the Shinko rear I'm looking at!

I thought I had heard that as long as they are both bias ply or (whatever the other kind is) then it's ok but not to mix types. I can't find what kind the Shinko is so I don't know if it's bias ply or not but the GT501 I have now is.

These ole' scoots don't mind if different brands are run........just that they are good cond. Now my Honda ST is another matter. Can't mix brands or it handles adversley, to the point of raising the pucker factor at speed. It likes radials, and so do I, specially on grooved concrete. On any street bike, don't mix radials with bias-ply, or it will handle VERY poorly.

[JeremyL]

Motorcycle tires are easy to mount yourself, I've got a set of 'tire spoons' from harbor freight for like 15 bucks and I've mounted all my own tires with them, takes about an hour to remove the wheel from the bike, take the old tire off, put the new tire on and balance it and then put it back on the bike. hardest part is breaking the 'bead' on the old tire to get started.

I've considered it and was just googling around about how to do it as you posted. When I had my Ninja 250 I took my rim off, dismounted my own tire myself, but then took it somewhere to have someone else mount it and balance it at a shop for $20. I was just thinking if I can take it off I might as well remount it and balance it myself. I balanced a dirt bike rim before so I know the basics and can use the milk crate method.

[psycoreefer]

Yup, its not rocket science - you can get a real good balance by hand if you take your time, in fact many racers prefer the 'hand balance' to the machine balance you get at most shops.

[Bonz]

Got a pair of Shinko 712's on the 1983 Nighthawk 550 I picked up in May. Great tires and the same size as what my 80 SG wears as well. Once my K491 Elite II in back and D404 up front wear out on the SG (the mix-n-match of the tires shows nothing negative), I'd pick the 712's in a heartbeat.

FWIW, that little Nighthawk 550 turns like a scalpel. I have to stand it back up and take another crack at the turn midway through because it starts heading for the apex in the other lane... Pretty dang nice little motor as well, does not leave a lot of real world performance on the table compared to many larger bikes I've owned. Decent midrange but a hell of a hit from 7k up to 10k redline that feels sweet as heck.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Jeremy,

As other's have stated changing the tire yourself is the way to go. If you'll look in the tech tips, you'll find one about changing a FRONT tire, but the aspects are the same for the rear. It shows a relatively easy way to break the bead!

Changing the rear is also when folks perform the other driveline maintenance that is recommended, pulling the final drive off to inspect, clean and regrease the driveshaft to Final Drive splines...the zerk fitting for most folks does NOT provide adequate lubing! Also, time to clean and regrease the wheel splines, and changing the FD oil also!

Also, Harbor Freight sells the curved flat stick on weights for balancing bike wheels vs. the crimp/clip on Car tire type weights!

Our rims are NOT designed for Radials anyways, so mixing brands of bias ply is usually not a problem.

T.C.

[barrelguy]

I put Shinko Tourmasters on my SG this spring and am very happy. Didi the swap myself without a hitch. Also installed Ride-On front and read and the bike handles great and no ugly weights on the rim. Haven't been able to test the puncture repair properties of the Ride-On. Maybe I should twist it a bit and see if the local constabulary will put out a spike belt for me

[DeanR]

These ole' scoots don't mind if different brands are run........just that they are good cond. Now my Honda ST is another matter. Can't mix brands or it handles adversley, to the point of raising the pucker factor at speed. It likes radials, and so do I, specially on grooved concrete. On any street bike, don't mix radials with bias-ply, or it will handle VERY poorly.

Brant, George in Ariz. has mixed tires for years on the ST. Tim at Two Brother Tire even sells the George Catt Combo. I have Avon up front and Bridgestone on back at the moment. Works fine. It is however, the last Avon I will use.

[JeremyL]

Hey there Jeremy,

As other's have stated changing the tire yourself is the way to go. If you'll look in the tech tips, you'll find one about changing a FRONT tire, but the aspects are the same for the rear. It shows a relatively easy way to break the bead!

Changing the rear is also when folks perform the other driveline maintenance that is recommended, pulling the final drive off to inspect, clean and regrease the driveshaft to Final Drive splines...the zerk fitting for most folks does NOT provide adequate lubing! Also, time to clean and regrease the wheel splines, and changing the FD oil also!

Also, Harbor Freight sells the curved flat stick on weights for balancing bike wheels vs. the crimp/clip on Car tire type weights!

Our rims are NOT designed for Radials anyways, so mixing brands of bias ply is usually not a problem.

T.C.

After reading everyone's posts and doing a little research I think I'll try it myself. I've been reading the tech tips and the write up you did about removing the rear wheel and lubing everything. I planning on changing the middle and FD oil anyways so this is a good time to do that plus lube everything else. I'm not sure if the previous owner would do this like this or how long the bike sat before I got it so it definitely needs to be done.

Since the tire shipped from KY and I'm in TN it's already scheduled t be delivered Monday so hopefully I'll be near a Harbor Freight (I think the closest is an hour or so away, I'm in the boonies) and I can pickup some spoons and the weights. I need to do a motor oil change as well and already have the oil and filter waiting so since I need to take the muffler off I might as well take the header off too and change the oil. I have a 4-1 and sadly I have t remove the exhaust to change it so it's a good time.

When the new tire is on and all the lubing is done I'll definitely be able to enjoy my rides a little more without worrying about that bald rear tire or worrying about the drivetrain not being lubed properly. Thanks for the write up on the wheel change/lube service, I'm definitely a visual kind of learner and SEEING it helps me tremendously!

[JeremyL]

Well I changed my tire today. I used the zip tie method and it worked really well, I was suprised. Took longer to get the zip ties on than it did to pull the old tire and pop on the new one. I spent less than 5 min on each step and maybe 5-10 min setting up and breaking the bead. To do that I just used a 5ft piece of 2x4 I had with a small piece of 2x4 and braced the long 2x4 against my porch railing.

I saw the yellow mark for the low spot on the tire and was going to mount that aligned with the valve stem hoping I wouldn't have to add any ways but I guess I stepped on it and rubbed it off while bracing my foot against the tire. So I setup my axle on a couple of cinder blocks and checked the balance and it is off but I didn't have weights so I don't know how much it's off yet.

[natemoen]

Gotta ask, what is the zip tie method?

[JeremyL]

Gotta ask, what is the zip tie method?

I saw a video on youtube that showed how to dismount in one vid and how to mount in the other. I actually had better luck than the guy making the video and my tire just "tore" right off. And when I broke the bead it was very easy to slip the ties under the old tire so if I had to do it again I could dismount and remount a tire in 10-15 min, including zipping the ties. Not only does the pinched together tire go on easier but the plastic of the zipties goes over the lips of the rims easier. I didn't even use soapy water to get the old tire off but sprayed a little to help get the new one on because it was stiffer than the old tire.

I was gonna take pics of the process but was pretty greasy and alone so I didn't wanna get my phone nasty.

Here's the videos:

Dismounting: http://youtu.be/TZTSdokVEIs

Mounting: http://youtu.be/S6WPzRRJLpA