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Lucky People...

tt100

New member
...and I'm not one of them.

Problem Number 1: So today I had a shop mount new Michelin PR3s while I ran to Re-Psycle in Columbus to get crush washers and brake pads for a minor tune up on my 94 R1100RS. I picked them up and went home to get started. The rear went on fine, and then when I got to the front I realized the front tire was installed backwards.. Dang!!

This is the way it's mounted (which is wrong)

IMG_20140321_214755242_HDR.jpg



It actually seems right in that it would appear that water would channel from the center to the outside. I did some searching around and other folks have had the same questions/issue. I then found this French video which shows that mine is in fact mounted backwards

Pneu Pilot Road 3

So... properly mounted the tread should be this way.....

IMG_20140321_214745499.jpg

Seems counter-intuitive to me (and apparently the guy that mounted it), so tomorrow morning I get to go argue with them and try to get them to fix it.

In case any of you are doubter's (I wouldn't blame you) look at this:

IMG_20140321_213757667.jpg

I'll post up problem Number 2 in a subsequent post to show photos
 
Even though I change my own tires, I use a grease pencil to mark rotation on both sides of the wheel. The tire changer should have noted that when removing the old tire.
 
Not to mention that the lay up of the tire materials won't be right if run backwards relative to the forces it typically sees...the braking forces.
 
Fessing up...

Well, I decided to go look at the old tire before I drove down to the Tire Store just to make sure the PO didn't have it on backwards to start with and lo and behold he did, so the tire store guys "correctly" replaced the "incorrectly installed" original.

The old tire is Bridgestone. Here it is on the bike the way I bought it:

IMGP0082.JPG


You can see the awful wear pattern in the photo. Now I know why. It never occurred to me to check the tire for correct mounting. I bought this bike last August but haven't done anything with it until now. When I rode it home it was obvious it had a problem I just didn't take the time until now to get around to working on it.

Here is a closeup of the direction arrow relative to the tread grooves:

P1030990.jpg

So it was installed backwards by the PO and not noticed by me. Oh well, live and learn. I guess the 30 bucks I was going to buy Bondhus hex sockets with is now going to the tire guy on Monday. I already wrote him and apologized. He seems like a good guy, maybe he'll cut me a break on the remount.


On a different note I'm looking at getting my own mounting equipment. Tons to read on line about that!
 
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And you're not so unlucky. Any person who gets to spend time working on and riding motorcycles is not unlucky. You are a lucky man that had a minor dip in your Luck-O-Meter, but the luck is still flowing. :D
 
And you're not so unlucky. Any person who gets to spend time working on and riding motorcycles is not unlucky. You are a lucky man that had a minor dip in your Luck-O-Meter, but the luck is still flowing. :D

Right! I said as much in my other lucky post. So far on forum I'm 0-2! Thanks all for the help and comments
 
Even though I change my own tires, I use a grease pencil to mark rotation on both sides of the wheel. The tire changer should have noted that when removing the old tire.
This.

Yup, it's on backwards.

Bet it is not the first one they did that way.:D:D
This.

And you're not so unlucky. Any person who gets to spend time working on and riding motorcycles is not unlucky. You are a lucky man that had a minor dip in your Luck-O-Meter, but the luck is still flowing. :D
And this.

Thanks for the pics, they make everything more interesting.
Question:
How did you figger out the old tire was mounted backwards after it was off?
 
Post #5

I had my buddy that has the tire take a picture with the arrow and tread in the shot and then compared it to a photo I had of the bike with the tire mounted. If you look at the closeup in post #5 you'll see the direction of the tread
 
Happens...
I had changed a set for a friend...had the new tire checked and double checked laying on floor for rotation. The owner,while I was lubing rim, pick up tire to look at it and set it down flipped. I didn't check again as I had just set it in pre-mount position...and checked twice. Just did not see him.

He called me a few minutes after he left and stopped to fuel and check pressure saying it was on backwards...No way, but come back. I asked if he had moved the tire and he said he had :nono I left it at that...both of our faults. I use the grease pencil more than I used to now!

Anyways, I flipped and re-checked balance and didn't beat him too badly:laugh
 
Happens...
I had changed a set for a friend...had the new tire checked and double checked laying on floor for rotation. The owner,while I was lubing rim, pick up tire to look at it and set it down flipped. I didn't check again as I had just set it in pre-mount position...and checked twice. Just did not see him.

He called me a few minutes after he left and stopped to fuel and check pressure saying it was on backwards...No way, but come back. I asked if he had moved the tire and he said he had :nono I left it at that...both of our faults. I use the grease pencil more than I used to now!

Anyways, I flipped and re-checked balance and didn't beat him too badly:laugh

Which is exactly why customers should not be allowed in the shop! :nono
 
The "backwards" tread patterns started 5 years ago or so. MC tire tread has a minor part with evacuating water, the contact patch and profile of the tire, inherently "part" standing water, plus a MC has about twice the contact pressure of a car tire, so it is less likely to be able to surf on it.

Here is my tongue-in-cheek explanation. Some engineer at brand X drew it backwards in his CAD program, and no one caught it until it was too late. The other manufactures then saw that the tire was getting a lot of free press, with moto journalists that were perplexed, and at the local hang out everybody was laughing at the dolt that put it on backwards, until he bet them not. Upon showing his buddies it was correctly installed, a there was a crowd looking at this brand X tire (more free Advertising). So like any good marketing department they wanted to cash into to all the buzz, so they followed suit. Maybe a stretch, but as plausible as any other theory.
 
Unless it is an emergency I refuse to patronize a dealership that won't let me in the shop, talk to the real tech, etc.

You are entitled to your opinion but I find they are distraction and prefer to concentrate on the job at hand.
Talking to the tech beforehand is much different than having the customer talk to you while you are working.
There are many reasons why this policy prevails.
 
I had my buddy that has the tire take a picture with the arrow and tread in the shot and then compared it to a photo I had of the bike with the tire mounted. If you look at the closeup in post #5 you'll see the direction of the tread

Oops, I missed that.
Clever.
 
He wasn't a customer. He was a guy getting the free mounting by a friend of his. :)

Yes, that's different for sure.
I would've got him to flop on the first bead, torque the wheelbolts etc.

Friends working together is fun but liability has to clearly stay with the bike owner.
 
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