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Tire Question??

3K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  saintsparks 
#1 ·
Just found a lovely screw sticking out of my front tire... SO i am ordering the pirelli diablo rosso front tire. My question is, is it ok to run a brand new front tire that is completely different from the rear tire which is stock, but still has plenty of tread life?
 
#4 ·
If the rear still has plenty of tread life, I assume the front did also?
I would have plugged it.

This is where you will catch nine kinds of crap from people for plugging a tire.
But I know what has worked with no problems, along with a half dozen other
riders who have done the same for all our years riding.

If I had to get a new tire, I would have gotten both.
But that's me.
And I plug motorcycle tires.
So do what your pocket book will allow.
 
#6 ·
thank you for all the info... I decided to buy a rear and front Perelli Diablo Rosso tires, they were on sale at motorcyle superstore. $250 together with free shipping...eh not to bad. Hopefully these are good quality tires. I just didn't feel comfortable plugging a front tire on a motorcycle, cause unlike a car, if you have one bad tire you could be in trouble.
 
#7 ·
Good score.
 
#8 ·
It looks like the tires you got are going to be stickier than the stockers. If so, go ahead and run the Pirelli on the front and save the rear for when the OEM tire wears out. You generaly want the stickier tire on the front, because if the back slips first in a corner you just ride it out like a dirt tracker, if the front slips out first it is a lot more sudden and harder to save. Most of the time 1 front tire lasts 2 rears unless you have strange riding habits.
 
#9 ·
I would put a patch on the inside of the tire and keep on riding. Then put on the new tires when it is time.
 
#12 ·
I absolutely would not plug a motorcycle tire, except to get home....or so I preached.

I got a nail on my almost new rear tire 2 years ago. I plugged it, went home, procedeed to order a new tire and rode the bike while the tire arrived. Tire arrived and kept postponing the change, and postponing it. Rode with the plugged tire for almost 2 years and new tire just sitting on my garage. Eventually I changed it out of normal wear.

Shame on me....
 
#14 ·
just got the tires in the mail and am getting both installed tomorrow. Hopefully will be good weather because these 4 days of not riding have been so rough. ANy good pointers on how to break tires in, or what you should or shouldn't do?
thanks
 
#16 ·
It wont lead to disaster if you realise that the tyres will be slipperier than normal.
My mate got a new bike zx7r I think and got a nail in it while getting it home.

Ended up with a new bike that was alien to him, ridding in torrential rain - this stuff just came from no where. He was fine.
 
#17 ·
Too bad I'm a week late to this conversation. Got a hole in front tire last week while on my 54 mile ride to work. Limped in to a gas station, plugged it in 25 seconds, 15 of which was reading the directions, inflated tire, rode 15 more miles to work. Heard all the stuff about not riding on a plugged tire, so I ordered some Bridgestone Battlax 023s while at work. Then rode 54 miles back home. Then back to work and home again the next day, and again. Despite my worries, plug held fine for at least a couple hundred miles.

Had the new tires installed earlier this week ($328 for tires, including tax and mouting on the bike). MAJOR improvement in stickiness/feel over stockers, although the stock tires were on 9000 miles and still had plenty of tread left. Regardless, I'll take the improved feel of the new tires despite the possibly unnecessary expense.

By the way - here is a plug for the DynaPlug flat tire repair kit. Way easy to use. Having it my saddlebags saved me a lot of hassle.
 
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