I bought a new front tyre for the Baby Burger in the late autumn, fitted by a small local workshop. its been fine. However, when I got home today I looked at the tyre and something struck me as odd. Don't ask me why something struck me as odd today and not any other day, but nevermind! I thought the tread looked odd somehow. I peered at the tyre and I'm pretty sure that they've fitted it the wrong way round!!! ie the tread is pointing in the wrong direction with the direction arrow on the tyre pointing backwards! Its certainly the opposite way round to the back tyre!

I need Mr Meldrew to say 'I do not believe it!' at this point.

Now, I'm the worlds most incompetent mechanic and pretty ignorant of most mechanical things, but thats why I pay someone else to do it for me!

Oh well, I guess it needs a service soon anyway......though on the other hand, I've been impressed with the wet grip its been giving me with the new front tyre!!!

It's not usually a mechanic that fits tyres. No mechanical knowledge needed to put a tyre on a rim the right way around. It would have been an M.O.T. failure though, and if you had been in an accident it would have counted against you.

Sylar wrote:It's not usually a mechanic that fits tyres. No mechanical knowledge needed to put a tyre on a rim the right way around. It would have been an M.O.T. failure though, and if you had been in an accident it would have counted against you.

Well, it wasn't a Kwik Fit Fitter! It makes you wonder what other havoc they might have caused.....

We switch tyre direction on the (left turn dominant) track to get full use out of the hoops. If a racer cbr1000 ridden hard can cope then while its not 'perfect' it's not the worst thing they could do to your bike.

How would a tyre fitter, even a bike knowledgeable one know which way the wheel revolved if you don't mark it?
I know they can look at the old tyre but the speed they remove them means that sometimes it's off before they even think about direction markings.
I always chalk big arrows on the rim just make sure that if they aren't awake, there is still no excuse for getting it wrong. It must make some difference on a road tyre which has to shift water through the grooves from the centre to the edges.

Anyone know what the red spot is for on the sidewall?
No prizes for correct answer...

+1

Most would mark the wheel before removing the old tyre...
The Red Dot on the side wall usually gets sited at the valve when fitting...
Apart from on Maxxis Goldspeed Supermoto tyres (and possibly others) where it goes opposite the valve...

Well, it ain't anything clever...the tyres are marked which direction forward is! With a big arrow thats marked 'Front' in the Michelin's case (and the rear one has an arrow marked 'rear'!). All it takes is a little attention to which side the brake disk goes, and what way is forward and work out whether the tyre is on right!
Even I understand that, even if utterly incapable of doing it!

You're all wrong and the 'mechanic' is right! You tosser.gifs Unlike car tyres, motorcycle/scooter FRONT tyres only, go on the 'wrong' way round. Examine some pictures of ANY bike on dealers web sites that have directional tyres and you will see what I mean.

http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/bike/gsxr1000l3z/gallery/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/supe ... !/cbr500r/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mvagusta.co.uk/f4rr_13.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now, how about you armchair experts taking your words back?

Steve_D wrote:You're all wrong and the 'mechanic' is right! You tosser.gifs Unlike car tyres, motorcycle/scooter FRONT tyres only, go on the 'wrong' way round. Examine some pictures of ANY bike on dealers web sites that have directional tyres and you will see what I mean.

http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/bike/gsxr1000l3z/gallery/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/supe ... !/cbr500r/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mvagusta.co.uk/f4rr_13.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now, how about you armchair experts taking your words back?

I see what you mean on the pictures! Now I'm more confused than ever! So why would a bike tyre go on the 'wrong way round'? And why the hell have I got a tyre with the words 'Front' with an arrow pointing backwards on it

This is why I pay people to do things cos I don't know anything!