Lock up front tire? How common?

[Hoopty]

Imola- in the future may I suggest the use of a touring type compound for the rear tire, with a "sporty" tire up front. In general, you will wear out a rear quicker than you would a front tire, so using a softer tire up front should make them wear out at about the same time. This also gives you the benefit of having a grippy front tire that can take really hard braking without locking up. The reasons for locking up your front tire have already been stated (grabbing too much brake, too fast), but a better tire will be able to take more pressure faster without locking up. A general rule with tires is that you want your front as sticky, if not more so than your rear tire. When I was into high-mileage street riding, I used a BT010 front, BT020 rear and it was AWERSOME. The BT020 and D220 are very similar in life and traction, BTW.

Keep in mind for the future that if your front tire chirps from locking it up, ease off the brake momentarily without letting off of it completely. If you don't ease up, it will slide and you will be feeling pavement in a hurry. You should be able to lock the front in a stoppie and keep it up if you know what you're doing. Ask Bob about the St Patty's Day parade this year, I was having a bitch of a time keeping the front from locking up on cold pavement!

[Anonymous]

Hoopty has a good point. I also think Barn still has his Pilot Power front for sale on here (may have sold it, I don't know for sure). The profile is very similar to Dunlops, being a smooth round shape, so it'd likely work well. You can usually get two rears to one front, so it might be a good mix for you.

[Mista Black]

hmmmm never really concidered that. i may have to try it out. on my bike i get just about double the milage from the front as i do the rear even if all i do on the set if travel (no or very little twisties). a sport front might be a good idea

thanks hoopty for the advise

[ImolaFem]

Just an update: I made it to work without my tires locking up, doing stoppies, wheelies, jesus's christs, highchairs, or any other type of stunt. No one cut me off or stopped unexpectedly when I wasn't looking today =)

I like Hoopty's sticky front tire advice too... I might do that when these tires are worn out. I just didn't like how my previous Pilots were so flat on the rear after my 70 mile each way commutes every day.

Thanks for the work time entertainment everyone!

[Hoopty]

You have no idea how many sets of tires I wore through before being enlightened about this particular combo for tires. I highly suggest it for anyone that puts on a lot of street miles, but still wants their tires to stick when they need to. I even ran this combo on the track and it wasn't that bad at all. They definitely aren't race tires, but they held their own quite well, and I never had a complaint about them on the street.

[KooLaid]

You have no idea how many sets of tires I wore through before being enlightened about this particular combo for tires. I highly suggest it for anyone that puts on a lot of street miles, but still wants their tires to stick when they need to. I even ran this combo on the track and it wasn't that bad at all. They definitely aren't race tires, but they held their own quite well, and I never had a complaint about them on the street.

Damn it Hoopty, I'm too lazy to go back and look at your recommendation in this 3 pages of garbled goo. So what's this hoopty secret you gotta share?

Ragrote, do you ride a green ZX-9r by any chance?

[RAGrote]

Ragrote, do you ride a green ZX-9r by any chance?

No. KATOOM - Orange.

[Hoopty]

Koolaid- I used a Bridgestone BT010 front, BT020 rear. Basically a sport-touring rear tire (like the D220) and a full on sport tire for the front. You get the traction of a sporty tire up front, and much better mileage out of the rear. Since rears normally wear out much quicker than fronts do, it makes an awesome combination.

[Turtle636]

My question is , I just put on these tires a couple of weeks... Dunlop D220s and this is the 2nd time I've hit the front brake hard on the interstate and heard a squeal from the front tire.

That squeal is you screaming. If it was anymore intense it would have been followed by you shitting your pants.

I grabed my front brake at about 50-55 mph a few weeks ago. I was going down a long country road, and my hat blew off and for some stupid reason i grabed it all and before i knew it my back tire was over my head. Scary feeling but when it's over you think holy shit that was badass. but i never want to do it again.

EDIT By the way i only read the first post. then replied and just noticed that this was on page 3.

[trackaddict]

no no... WE find ourselves in tight spots... he's made it clear in previous posts that he's never, not even once, had an accident of ANY kind on a bike... :

Misquote noted.

Never said that.

for the record---and shame on me for not figuring out how to put the quote in an actual quote box until now---i was quoting Mista Black when i wrote that.