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Did they mount my new tire BACKWARDS ?

6K views 36 replies 19 participants last post by  nippongreen 
#1 ·
As you can barely see this is the left side and you can see how the arrow on the tire is facing....



Is it backwards ?? Or am I wrong here ? Or is that what that arrow indicates ?



 
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#16 ·
I may be wrong (
) but I tend to doubt that is a directional arrow.



It's not even an arrow strictly speaking.



Have you looked for another 'arrow'?



What make tire ?


Yes that is the arrow, and the tire is rotating the wrong way.



No real harm to the tire or level of traction UNTIL it is raining and the pavement is wet. The sipes are then not going to effectively chuck the water for best traction.



Have seen so many directional tires mounted incorrectly, makes me wonder what the installers are smoking.
 
#7 ·
Rick,

My "well trusted" dealer did the same thing with me earlier this year


I dropped off both the front and rear wheels for tire replacement (an hours drive away)

It wasn't until i had re-fitted the wheels that i noticed the rear tire was on backwards


It was an honest mistake, as i had taken my G/F's wheels there before(Honda 500 Shadow) for new tires and the drive shaft is on the opposite side


Hopefully they will re-install your tire the "correct" way round for no charge.

Cheers..........Keith..........
..........
 
#9 ·
The answer looks to be yes. On the left that's the brake area right. A bit more rim would easily help identify it. Not the first spitfire I have seen mounted backwards by a dealer.
 
#10 ·
I've just fitted a rear tyre and had to make sure the direction arrow was correct.I took it to a local Tyre place as I had to get a tubeless valve put in as well.He was just about to fit the tyre incorrectly until I pointed out the direction arrow.Not their fault as they don't do a lot of Bike tyres.

I normally fit my own tyres but these budget ones are much stiffer on the beads and my compressor doesn't have the power to seat correctly and as if only costs me a fiver for them to do it I may as well let them.



Yes the arrow is important and must be in the direction of travel.
 
#11 ·
Yes that's the left side of the wheel....on the very far left of the pic you can barely start to see the little grooves in the shape of the wheel.



This just goes to show how VALUABLE this web site is. It was the fact that you Mr. Nippongreen shared your story about a month ago or so (I think) about how YOURS were mounted backwards that made me EVEN THINK to look for an indication of how mine was mounted. If I HAD NOT seen YOUR thread back then I would not have even thought to look for that indicator on mine and would have just put it back on the bike the way it is......



so THANK YOU !!!
 
#37 ·
You are MOST very welcome


I am a great beleiver in "what come around goes around" I too cannot thank this forum enough for all there great help


Especially the folks that will have to mentor me through changing my stator,cam chain and mechanical seal this winter






All The Best.................Keith..........
...............
 
#12 ·
From the stories we've heard over the years it might pay to take a white china marker with you ande clearly label both the tire and the wheel before you leave it with them - that or just stick around to observe. Of course many shops won't let you anywhere near where they work so I'd sit up front and ask theat they bring the tire/wheel up right before they did it so you can point the proper direction out.



Only time I came close to that problem was when a guy at the tire store habitually tried to reotate my tires in circular direction. This was very early in the days of directional tires so I couldn't really blame him, got out a piece of paper and explained how a tractor tire worked and why they were mounted the way they are.
 
#13 ·
Perhaps Rick should learn how to change his own tires. If you have a decent air compressor, it's not hard. Hardest part is getting the bead seated, but they sell bead-sealer at the parts store and that helps.



I do find the rear tire to be easier to change than the front, though. Done in less than an hour, which is faster than taking it to a shop, and a lot cheaper too.
 
#27 ·
Perhaps Rick should learn how to change his own tires. If you have a decent air compressor, it's not hard. Hardest part is getting the bead seated, but they sell bead-sealer at the parts store and that helps.






I've never tried to change a motorcycle tire before but I wonder if my wheelbarrow/furniture dolly tire technique would work: I take a racheting strap (like the ones I use to secure my motorcycle or whatever else to my utility trailer) and wrap it around the the tire longitudinally. As I crank it tight, it squeezes the center of the tire flat and causes the sidewalls to bulge out... so I can get the bead to seal with my compressor.



Any reason that wouldn't work for a bike?





Jay
 
#14 ·
I usually take my wheels off of my bikes to have the tires put on, so I always stick a piece of masking tape on the wheel somewhere and put an arrow on the tape for the direction when the wheel is mounteed back on the bike. I usually point it out to the tire mounter dude too.
 
#15 ·
About a few months ago I ran into MadMike and earlier that week his rear tire was changed by the local honda dealer and it to was backwards. I'm prone to looking at mounting directions when I see another bike. Think about how many people must be riding around with tires on backwards.



I wonder if the fronts are ever backwards?
 
#21 ·
Guess it's a 50/50 chance if you don't tell them. Likely the dealers haven't seen a CX to know if the shaft is on the left or right side. Without your input at the service desk, you can't really blame them. Some of the responsibility has to be on the owner of an older bike.



For the record, most dealerships I talk with have two prices. One for the wheels on the bike, and another if you bring in the wheels only - saving them the installation time, saves you money. So, without the reference of removal, and the possibility that the tire on it might have been mounted wrong in the first place - the tape on the wheel showing left and right sides - and direction of travel - is a great idea.
 
#20 ·
Ditto that. I was talking to the dealer that mounted mine, he was nice enough to call me and ask what side the shaft was on. Apparently only our bikes and Goldwings have the shaft on the right. All others have them on the left. He had recognized it as an older Honda and wanted to be sure (I had taken just the rim in).
 
#22 ·
ISSUE SOLVED:



As of 10 am this morning they already had my tire re-mounted the correct way and I have it back home.....guess I WILL be going for a ride today !



Lesson learned of course....next time I just drop off the rim itself off of the bike I'll be sure to mark which side is the left or right !
 
#23 ·
Yes, that is the directional arrow and the tyre is rotating the wrong way. This does matter, and it should be changed at your earliest convenience

As manufactured the tread joint is now in the wrong direction. It is normally formulated in a rear tyre to be pressed closed on every rotation( its a long flat, angled joint on a flat strip of rubber in effect) to disperse the torque developed in the tyre evenly across the joint. As your tyre is fitted now, it will be trying to tear the joint open on every rotation of the tyre. this will eventually wear down through the joint and you may see a line starting to appear across the back of the tyre, at 90 deg to the rotation. the tyre dealer is responsible for this, and should rectify the fault immediately at no charge to you. If he does not, contact the US distributor for the tyre and see what happens!

If the tread joint is visible (the line across the tyre) then he should replace the tyre free, with no question. If he will not do that, take photo's of it and again contact the tyre manufacturer/distributor for the proper action
 
#25 ·
As stated, with pretty much every bike made in the past 30 years the final drive or chain is on the left. I'd say the onus is on us to inform the technician, not for them to automatically know. Your bike is probably 10 years older than the kid putting the tires on.
 
#29 ·
Well it's good to hear your tire is spinning in the right direction.





Shep is right with the compressor. It needs a good, hard, fast blast of air. I tried using a lesser compressor and fought it for a while. When I use a bigger one all you hear is pop, pop and you're done. Well done with the first part. Then you get the fun of balancing it.
 
#30 ·
Just to add:



Last year when I put on a new rear tire (cheap ass Kenda) I just rode the bike to the dealer about 30 miles from here and it was about $85 for them to do.



This time I took the wheel off the bike and took it to the little Ma/Pa shop down the street and it was $25...huge difference.



The way I calculate things: If I get 12 k miles out of the rear Bridgestone (as Stitch has gotten out of his so far with more to go) vs. only the 4k I got out of the Kenda then...



Kenda new $50 for 4k miles + $85 to install = $135 for 4k miles

Bridgestone new $75 for 12k miles + $25 to install = $100 for 12k miles



Uhm GEEEEZ I wonder which one is the better option ?



So once again KUDOS to THIS forum....it not only has helped me mechanically/technically over the past 2 yrs but also from all your info it has helped me FINANCIALLY.
 
#31 ·
Just to add:



Last year when I put on a new rear tire (cheap ass Kenda) I just rode the bike to the dealer about 30 miles from here and it was about $85 for them to do.



This time I took the wheel off the bike and took it to the little Ma/Pa shop down the street and it was $25...huge difference.



The way I calculate things: If I get 12 k miles out of the rear Bridgestone (as Stitch has gotten out of his so far with more to go) vs. only the 4k I got out of the Kenda then...



Kenda new $50 for 4k miles + $85 to install = $135 for 4k miles

Bridgestone new $75 for 12k miles + $25 to install = $100 for 12k miles






I am just blown away at how little mileage you got out of that Kenda. My bike came with what I assume are equally cheap ass Cheng Shin tires and they're still going strong with 10k miles on them.



What specifically failed on yours?
 
#36 ·
Just put a 100 miles+ on my Cheap budget 120/90/18" and it just way more secure and better handling than the Dunlop K70 I used to have.The K70s were fine but loads of our roads over here have ridges/ruts that wouldn't bother a 4 wheeled vehicle and the Square profile of the Dunlops reacted bad with them especially on bends.The round profile of the Budget tyres just like an old Avon I had seems to shrug them off.



So I'd say whatever tyres you get make sure they have the round profile,not the square profile.



My 10 penn'th



PS

The way I ride I only expect to get between 8/10k max out of a rear and I rarely brake around bends
 
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