Mixing Tyre Brands

[aussiebandit]

Quote from an Aussie bike mag.

"Using different brand tyres on the front and rear is extremely dangerous for every rider.  When tyre manufacturers develop tyres, they develop the front and rear to match each other in profile, shape and width, so mixing a pyramid - or triangle - shaped front tyre with a flat profile rear tyre can greatly restrict the bikes's turning performance and can easily cause a serious accident"

I actually disagree with this as I don't beleive having a 'triangle' front and 'flat' back causes any issues.  In fact I've been running this set up for years and have never experienced a problem.  In fact it improved the handling of the B12. 

As for using different brands, well I've been doing that for years as well.  On the B12 I use a Macadam on the rear, although this will need to change as the Macadam is no longer available in Oz, and a Metzler M1 on the front.

[rkfire]

yeah, that overstates it by calling it dangerous, especially on our Bandits or other bikes that come from the factory with less than stellar tire picks. I could have chose better, what was Suzuki and Michelin thinking?

On my first rides of my new bike last year I found the front slow and heavy to turn. It needed additional input to keep a line, and it wants to stand up if brakes are applied. Now I see the front tire cups as it wears too.

First thing I did after adjusting all the controls to suit me was to add a couple pounds air pressure to the front tire. It helped a lot, but the howling the tire makes at ordinary cornering speed is unnerving. I'm sure ANY other front tire would help, and a more triangular tire help the most.

If I gave that article the benefit of the doubt, I bet they were really thinking about some light, short wheelbase, quick handling sport bikes where the choice of tires may very well be more sensitive to brand and shape.