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Front Tire Wearing Out Faster Than Rear?

Sonx

2015
CBR650F
When I bought my bike in 2017 I put on a new front tire and kept the rear since the rear was like-new (the previous owner put one on shortly before selling it). I put on 7000 miles (11,000km) since then and I definitely need a new front tire but my back tire still looks ok. I know the rear usually wears out faster so I am wondering why this would be the case and if I should be worried.

What would be the reason the front tire would wear out faster than the rear?
Should I take my bike to a mechanic to get the suspension inspected? (not sure if this could be a cause or not)


The only two things I can think of are:
  1. I may have been riding on low tire pressure for a while (when I first got my bike I didn’t really know how to check the tire pressure but now I do it quite frequently)
  2. The tires are mismatching brands and could have something to do with it (front is Michelin Power RS, the rear is Dunlop Roadsmart 2)
I posted pictures of the tires below so you can see the wear.

Right now my plan is just to replace both of them and monitor the wear on the brand new set to see if the front wears faster on the new set. I am thinking of going with a set of Michelin Road 5 Tires.

Looking for any help, opinions, and advice anyone can offer. Thanks!

Front Tire

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Camera Flash ON (ignore the dust smudge):
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Rear Tire

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Camera Flash ON:
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Sonx

2015
CBR650F
Tire pressure & tire compound can both be factors. The age of a tire will also affect its wearability.
Yeah, I am just not sure exactly what the problem would be or if it could be a bigger issue.

do you think I should just swap them both out for fresh tires and see if it's still a problem on the new set?
 

baugustine

2014
CBR650F
Staff
May 21, 2016
Ventura, CA
I personally only replace tires when they are due (treadwear or age, whichever comes first). I am a fan on matched sets (brand and model) to keep the compound issue minimized. I am also crazy about checking tire pressures at least weekly. I have installed the TPMS kit for mine that I can read the pressures on my phone which makes it super easy to keep them at them proper levels.
 

miweber929

2014
CBR650F
650 Alumnus
Staff
Feb 13, 2015
Woodbury, MN
Riding Since
1975
Very easy reason for this:

You have two mismatched tires that are built for a different purpose. The front RS is a very sticky, high performance street/track tire, your rear is a sport touring tire. Because of that you have two different wear rates.

Next time get a matched set and you’ll have a much more even wear.
 

Sonx

2015
CBR650F
Very easy reason for this:

You have two mismatched tires that are built for a different purpose. The front RS is a very sticky, high performance street/track tire, your rear is a sport touring tire. Because of that you have two different wear rates.

Next time get a matched set and you’ll have a much more even wear.


great, this is what I thought but wasn't sure. I'll swap them both for a new matching set for riding season.
 

miweber929

2014
CBR650F
650 Alumnus
Staff
Feb 13, 2015
Woodbury, MN
Riding Since
1975
great, this is what I thought but wasn't sure. I'll swap them both for a new matching set for riding season.
Sounds good. You’ll also find the bike behaving noticeably more “even” with matching profiles and compounds.

The shop should not have mixed purpose and profiles like that on your bike, the front tire is a very high performance, almost race level tire made to last a very short time giving you maximum grip while the rear is an almost touring tire where mileage is much more important than grip. I’m not super worried about the mixing of brands, though that should also be considered, but running two tires at such extremes of the performance scale is not a great idea. You may want to consider finding another shop to do your tires if they do this often.
 

Sonx

2015
CBR650F
Sounds good. You’ll also find the bike behaving noticeably more “even” with matching profiles and compounds.

The shop should not have mixed purpose and profiles like that on your bike, the front tire is a very high performance, almost race level tire made to last a very short time giving you maximum grip while the rear is an almost touring tire where mileage is much more important than grip. I’m not super worried about the mixing of brands, though that should also be considered, but running two tires at such extremes of the performance scale is not a great idea. You may want to consider finding another shop to do your tires if they do this often.

Thanks for all the help and info. I don't know why they would switch purpose and profile (the answer is probably it made them more money). It was back when I knew very little about motorcycle maintenance and I trusted them to switch it because pre-inspection said I needed a new front.

The rear (Dunlop Roadsmart 2) still looks like it has some good life in it but it was manufactured in 2014 so I think I best switching it out especially if I want to switch brands/profile. I also heard great things about Michelin Road 5's so I want to give them a shot and see how it handles with matching profiles.
 

MattInTheHat

2018
CB650F ABS
Aug 30, 2021
Riding Since
1985
How much rear brake are you using? I get the mismatched compound issue, but you may also want to check your brake pad wear up front.
 
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