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Tire mounting direction on Chen Shin tires

  • Thread starter Thread starter ccs
  • Start date Start date
C

ccs

Guest
Hello All;

I bought both front and rear Chen Shin tires for my GS 850G. Got a good deal from JC Whitney.

The tread pattern on both tires is like a set of chevrons (>>>>>)

The rear tire's "Rotation" arrow on the sidewall goes in the same direction as the chevrons (i.e. the tire rotates in the direction in which the chevrons point).

However the front tire's "Rotation" arrow on the sidewall is in the opposite direction (i.e. the tire rotates in the opposite direction in which the chevrons point).

To be as clear as possible, the tire pattern will look like:

>>>>>> motorcycle riding this direction --> <<<<<<<
rear tire ............................................... front tire

This looks incorrect to me.

Can anyone advise whether this is correct or the "Rotation" arrow is wrong on one of the tires?

TIA.

Charles...
 
Mount according to markings. I've actually had someone see my Cheng Shins and say the exact same thing, but the tires are indeed marked correctly.
 
Charles,

From your description I assume you have the HiMax 906/907 tires.
I used them on my 77 GS550 and had 1 on the front of my GS850 for 2 years. They handled and wore well. The one on the front of my 850 lasted for 3 years and 2 rear tires. Currently have Dunlop 404s on the 850-got a good deal so thought i'd try em. Been on a year/ 6,000 miles and they need replacing. Handled great but didn't last. Going back to the HI Max.

Scott
 
ccs said:
Hello All;


To be as clear as possible, the tire pattern will look like:

>>>>>> motorcycle riding this direction --> <<<<<<<
rear tire ............................................... front tire

This looks incorrect to me.

Charles...
Click to expand...

Funny ! I watched a real argument between a shop service man and an owner of an interceptor who had just had some tires mounted. It got pretty heated. Long story short...the customer is always right. The service guy remounted the front tire with the arrow running backwards. :-D
 
scotto58 said:
Charles,

From your description I assume you have the HiMax 906/907 tires.
I used them on my 77 GS550 and had 1 on the front of my GS850 for 2 years. They handled and wore well. The one on the front of my 850 lasted for 3 years and 2 rear tires. Currently have Dunlop 404s on the 850-got a good deal so thought i'd try em. Been on a year/ 6,000 miles and they need replacing. Handled great but didn't last. Going back to the HI Max.

Scott
Click to expand...

I have 5000 on my bridgestone s-11 back tire and it still looks like it could go another 5000 at least.
 
The braking forces applied to your front wheel are opposite the acceleration forces of your rear wheel, hence the 'different' mounting.
 
bonanzadave said:
Funny ! I watched a real argument between a shop service man and an owner of an interceptor who had just had some tires mounted. It got pretty heated. Long story short...the customer is always right. The service guy remounted the front tire with the arrow running backwards. :-D
Click to expand...

I wonder if the customer will remember that argument when his front tire separates at 70mph.....best case scenario is probably rapid tire wear, in which case it'll probably bring about another heated argument.

Always follow the arrow.
 
Fast Doc said:
The braking forces applied to your front wheel are opposite the acceleration forces of your rear wheel, hence the 'different' mounting.
Click to expand...

Now that really makes lot of sense!! A good thing to remember.
Thanks.
Doug
 
Fast Doc said:
The braking forces applied to your front wheel are opposite the acceleration forces of your rear wheel, hence the 'different' mounting.
Click to expand...

Huh?

The tires are both rotating in the same direction.

Charles...
 
Grand Rouge said:
Yer welcome......and will you post a ride / handling / wear report some time? :-))
Click to expand...

Well... I mounted the rear tire at 22,658 miles and mounted the new front tire at 28,715.

This puts 6,057 miles on the rear tire and the tread still looks fantastic. When I stick a penny into the tire, Lincoln's head is covered by the tread.

We'll see how much more mileage I get out of the rear tire (I'm thinking another 4,000 miles??).

The bike felt "thick" in the turns during the first 100 miles of mounting the front tire. It seems to be "settling in" but still feels like it won't turn as well as the old Dunlop (this Chen Shin is a little wider and not as rounded as the old Dunlop).

Charles...
 
ccs said:
Huh?

The tires are both rotating in the same direction.

Charles...
Click to expand...

looking at the bike from the right side, acceleration forces on the rear tire are clockwise, while braking forces on the front tire are counter-clockwise...
 
txironhead said:
I wonder if the customer will remember that argument when his front tire separates at 70mph.....best case scenario is probably rapid tire wear, in which case it'll probably bring about another heated argument.

Always follow the arrow.
Click to expand...

That front Hi-Max tire design is as close to a Metzeler tread as you can get before getting sued. And I think it was designed by Metz for high water expulsion in wet weather conditions. Mounting it the wrong way probably makes this feature useless.
 
my bike came with a Metzeler up front. the treads looked 'backwards' i remember
 
NATEO said:
looking at the bike from the right side, acceleration forces on the rear tire are clockwise, while braking forces on the front tire are counter-clockwise...
Click to expand...

Like I said... HUH?

You're comparing apples (acceleration forces) to oranges (braking forces) <g>

The acceleration forces on BOTH tires clockwise, and the braking forces on BOTH tires are counter-clockwise. You're explanation makes absolutely no sense to me.

It seems to me that the chevron pattern on both tires should point in the same direction, and that direction should be forward (i.e., >>>>>>).

This, or so it seems to me, would allow water to be shunted out of the tread and away from the tire. Mounting the front tire so that the pattern is facing <<<<<<< would seem to capture water and make the bike more unstable in inclement weather.

Charles...
 
ccs said:
Like I said... HUH?

You're comparing apples (acceleration forces) to oranges (braking forces) <g>

The acceleration forces on BOTH tires clockwise, and the braking forces on BOTH tires are counter-clockwise. You're explanation makes absolutely no sense to me.

It seems to me that the chevron pattern on both tires should point in the same direction, and that direction should be forward (i.e., >>>>>>).

This, or so it seems to me, would allow water to be shunted out of the tread and away from the tire. Mounting the front tire so that the pattern is facing <<<<<<< would seem to capture water and make the bike more unstable in inclement weather.

Charles...
Click to expand...

you dont accelerate with your front tire. its just along for the ride. and MOST of your braking power (about 70%) is in the front tire, so unless you use just the back for braking, your front is taking most of the stopping forces.

maybe it will help to think of a wheelie and a stoppie...

when you wheelie, the back tire is pushing so hard clockwise that the bike itself starts moving counter-clockwise in relation to the back tire. when doing a stoppie, the forces are opposite. the front tire is stopping so hard counter-clockwise that the bike itself starts moving clockwise in relation to the front tire...


I just re-read that, and I think I just confused myself... lol

sorry, I tried...
 
ccs said:
The bike felt "thick" in the turns during the first 100 miles of mounting the front tire. It seems to be "settling in" but still feels like it won't turn as well as the old Dunlop (this Chen Shin is a little wider and not as rounded as the old Dunlop).

Charles...
Click to expand...

The 850G/GL requires a 100/90-19 front tire, but I have seen several with 110/90-19 tires mounted for unknown reasons. The larger tire screws up the handling as you describe -- it steers much more slowly and feels heavy. Mounting the correct tire size makes a big difference.

Is your front the correct size?
 
NATEO said:
you dont accelerate with your front tire. its just along for the ride. and MOST of your braking power (about 70%) is in the front tire, so unless you use just the back for braking, your front is taking most of the stopping forces.

maybe it will help to think of a wheelie and a stoppie...

when you wheelie, the back tire is pushing so hard clockwise that the bike itself starts moving counter-clockwise in relation to the back tire. when doing a stoppie, the forces are opposite. the front tire is stopping so hard counter-clockwise that the bike itself starts moving clockwise in relation to the front tire...


I just re-read that, and I think I just confused myself... lol

sorry, I tried...
Click to expand...

You tried well -- this explanation makes sense. (Guess I was merely looking at the tread pattern.)

Thanks...
 
bwringer said:
The 850G/GL requires a 100/90-19 front tire, but I have seen several with 110/90-19 tires mounted for unknown reasons. The larger tire screws up the handling as you describe -- it steers much more slowly and feels heavy. Mounting the correct tire size makes a big difference.

Is your front the correct size?
Click to expand...

Oops --- Looks like I ordered a 110/90-19 from JC Whitney.

Is this dangerous or should I just slow down a little in the curves?
 
Allow me to throw in a couple more facts to confuse you. :shock:

The shape of the tread really has no bearing on which way the tire gets mounted. It's the way the plies are laid underneath the tread.

Think of a roll of duct tape, especially the end of the roll. If the roll of tape (your tire) is mounted correctly, when the rear tire is spun, the end of the tape (the plies) will just spin by the ground. If you reverse the mounting (or just the direction), there is a chance that the end of the tape will catch on the ground and start peeling itself off the roll.

As mentioned before, the rear tire does all the accelerating, the front tire does most of the braking, so their primary forces are in opposite directions, hence the need for mounting arrows and specifying which wheel it's for. Personally, I agree that the chevrons should go the other way to disperse the water away from the center of the tire, but I have to trust that the mounting arrow is correct.


.
 
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