BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

I don't recall if this has been discussed before on this forum so here goes.
Over a long and varied motorcycling life there have been a number of occasions where I have run a bike with Front and Rear Tyres from different manufactures.
"Sound of Alarm Bells and Warnings of Impending Doom, Highsides, Lowsides etc,etc." Some might ask why on earth would you want to run different makes of tyre. Well the first time I decided upon this route was when I had an Aprilia Pegaso 650. The bike came new with Michelin semi off road style of tyres and although they did work reasonably well I always has a feeling that the front (or should I say no feeling) steered very vague with a distinct lack of grip. Taking advice from a great guy who ran a small dealership in Kirby Moorside, North Yorkshire (sadly now defunct) We fitted a Continental road tyre to the front and the difference was amazing.
Another time was when in deepest Provence our K1200LT decided to destroy it's rear Bridgestone by suddenly wearing down to the cords in less than 500 miles. ("there was plenty of tread when we left home officer"). The only tyre we could locate from a dealer in Orange was a Metzeler Me880 and this was duly fitted. No problems at all over the next 3000 miles when a Metzeler was also fitted to the Front.
Presently I am running a Michelin rear with a Dunlop Roadsmart front and have been doing so for the last 1000 miles. The previous front was a horribly worn Michelin which was the "matched" pairing to the rear. Then I managed to pick up very cheaply a pair of Roadsmarts so the "orrible" Michelin front was replaced with the new Roadsmart. Once again a marked improvement over the so called "Paired" Michelins.
All of which brings us up to date, except that now there does seem to be a resurgence of "mixed tyre warnings" prevalent in the media and that in the unfortunate event of an accident Insurance Companies are taking a dim view of such deadly practices.
So then this morning my rear wheel is loaded in the car together with a spanking new Roadsmart which will be fitted to keep things in compliance.
Any Comments ?.

The only bit why personally I will not mix it up . Apart of really emergency case like tyre is busted and there is no any option available. Is possible different characteristics on wet, and handling in the corners. For me wet handling is important, and as much as all of the companies try the best, there are differences.

By choice, I wouldn't mix F&R tyre manufacturers. I've heard a local "officer" saying that tyre tread patterns are designed to work together. Having said that, I've also spoken to some tyre manufacturers who have advised that mixing their tyres would be ok. For example, Michelin say you can run mixed F&R within the Pilot Road range and likewise, Metzeler list a Z6/Z8 combination as acceptable.

By default, I ended up with a Pilot Road (original) on the rear and a Z6 on the front of a 2010 RT. I did not encounter any problems but had a matched Pilot Road fitted to the front asap. In the event of an accident, I think insurance companies would take a dim view of the mixed F&R tyres.

Whilst I can accept that tyre companies design front and rear tread patterns to work together (maybe) really they do different jobs and so have different patterns don't they. The Pilot Road 3 I removed to fit the Dunlop Roadsmart 1 was worn in a most uneven way. The bike felt totally transformed and steered a lot better with the front Roadsmart fitted and the Pilot Road 3 rear. With regard to Insurance Companies, we all know that they will look for any anomality to decline a claim and that is the reason I had the Rear Roadsmart fitted this morning. (For the bargain price of £10 !!).

I got caught a few years back in Scotland on my K13GT with a knackered front and could only find a Metzeler to go with the Michelin on the back.  It rode fine, but then again I never had to try it in an extreme situation.  Funny harmonic hum from what I assume was two different tread patterns though.  Not something I'd do from choice but in an emergency, and assuming the tyre is rated for the bike, then it got me out of trouble.

Fitting a new front tyre of any make/manufacturer, (mixed or not),  will always transform the steering/way the bike rides.

The front tyre slowly wears and changes shape, during which time, you just get used to it and don't notice the effect until the tyre is replaced.

My experience is that the steering always feels lighter, quicker and the bike actually feels taller too.

Many years ago when I was riding a FZ 600 Fazer, the go to tyre set up was Bridgestone 020 rear & an 010 front. This combination completely changed the handling for the better.

Used mix tyres for about 2 years many moons ago as transformed handling. Do keep same now but if found alternative more than happy to go back. No issues at all with diffrent tyres.

Interesting discussion. I personally haven't mixed brands, but have no real evidence to say that it's 'bad practice' anyway, other than hearsay.

I'm currently running a Metzeler 01 on the front and a Z8 on the back. The bike came with Z8s. I replaced the rear like-for-like, but when I needed a front tyre, I wanted to transition to the 01s, so put an 01 on the front while I 'finish off' the current Z8 rear. I'll put an 01 rear tyre on when it needs replacement.

Different tyres, same manufacturer. Any comments?

RTs4me wrote:Different tyres, same manufacturer. Any comments?

Having spoken to Metzeler, they would probably say it's just fine to mix an 01 front with a Z8 rear.

Metzeler can be contacted on 03456 094949 for confirmation.

Rts4me thats how i found out.worked for me Pirelli phantom front avon roadrunner rear.