Which direction should my tyres be facing?

[hussnainh8]

Hi,

If anyone could help me with this quick question it would be greatful.. My tube in my tyre ended up flat so I had to replace the inner tube however when putting the tyre back on.. I noticed the direction arrows are the same as the front tyre which if im correct it should be the opposite not the same?

I have a few pictures here of my 2 tyres, please could anyone tell me which way they are meant to face before I put it back on. The back tyre size 100/80 has front arrow and rear arrow as well. Should the front be facing forwards and the rear arrow be facing backwards on the rear? My front tyre has the rear arrow facing forward and the front arrow facing backwards. Here are pictures of the tyres.. This is on a CBR125 REPSOL 2006 with contigo tyres

https://www.dropbox.com/s/shd9gx7w7pj23h4/20190605_205316.jpg?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR0cxIaIpy6CS0iWAK18skUR8x3YQFE5s3paWCl0aSsGDkC76OwAMEsy02M

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bu7pq3xbg08lx5i/20190605_205324.jpg?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR2eJTy9T2df7_Ny7VzbYdL06uiN7w87W29Wxx-VXGu1NhEwMPEGazVvCDU

https://www.dropbox.com/s/75l02spdelnvriq/20190605_205331.jpg?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR3gqNFyNWtqB3-9JKkHk3YPBLnsVLooWbldaM-tlI7X7iakr7BM3VFjPlU

Thank you.

[Stu]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I would follow the direction arrows thats on the tyre

[Gerontious]

The arrow is the direction of rotation of the wheel once its on the bike and the bike is moving forward. Thats really all you need to know.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

When fitted the arrows should point the way the wheel will rotate as the bike is moving forwards. That covers the different forces the front and rear wheels are dealing with.

[Guest Richzx6r]

When fitted the arrows should point the way the wheel will rotate as the bike is moving forwards. That covers the different forces the front and rear wheels are dealing with.

 

Didn't know we were on about jedi's

I'll get my coat

[hussnainh8]

Hi

Thanks for your replies guys so the pattern for both tyres should be the same then? thats why i got confused becaused i read up that the pattern on the back tyre is opposite to the pattern on the front. When i saw both tyres pointing front i started worrying.

Thank you.

[JRH]

Both tyres should NOT be pointing front.

The arrows are rotational arrows. So the front tyre has the FRONT arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving. The rear tyre has the REAR arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving, ( eg towards the front of the bike). IE both arrows will be pointing to the front of the bike.

[hussnainh8]

I can do the rear Tyre so the rear arrow faces the front which is the way the wheel moves however at the moment the front tyre has the rear arrow facing forwards.. Should I remove the wheel and turn it around and bolt it back on so the front arrow is facing forwards?

[hussnainh8]

problem is i dont have just 1 arrow.. I have 2 .. one is left for rear and 1 is right for front ... so on both tyres.. The front arrows should be facing front ?

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

problem is i dont have just 1 arrow.. I have 2 .. one is left for rear and 1 is right for front ... so on both tyres.. The front arrows should be facing front ?

 

No. The arrows point in the direction each wheel rotates as the bike moves forwards.

The front wheel has the arrow marked front going in the direction of rotation, and the rear wheel has the arrow marked rear going in the direction of rotation.

The tread patterns will then work according to the major forces each wheel is dealing with. Primarily the front does most of the braking force and the rear does the driving force.

If you're not sure get a tyre fitter to do it for you

[JRH]

I can do the rear Tyre so the rear arrow faces the front which is the way the wheel moves however at the moment the front tyre has the rear arrow facing forwards.. Should I remove the wheel and turn it around and bolt it back on so the front arrow is facing forwards?

 

You can’t just put the front wheel in so the tyre rotation is correct. You need to have the tyre fitted correctly.

The wheel will only go in the one way, due to the disc brake.

[learningtofly]

Both tyres should NOT be pointing front.

The arrows are rotational arrows. So the front tyre has the FRONT arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving. The rear tyre has the REAR arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving, ( eg towards the front of the bike). IE both arrows will be pointing to the front of the bike.

 

That wasn't confusing at all

[JRH]

Both tyres should NOT be pointing front.

The arrows are rotational arrows. So the front tyre has the FRONT arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving. The rear tyre has the REAR arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving, ( eg towards the front of the bike). IE both arrows will be pointing to the front of the bike.

 

That wasn't confusing at all

 

I know what I meant.

You need to read the whole post not just the last sentence.

[JRH]

Both tyres should NOT be pointing front.

The arrows are rotational arrows. So the front tyre has the FRONT arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving. The rear tyre has the REAR arrow pointing in the correct direction when the bike is moving, ( eg towards the front of the bike). IE both arrows will be pointing to the front of the bike.

 

That wasn't confusing at all

 

This better

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I wish I could draw as well as that.

[skyrider]

well everyone gets the general idea

[Ross]

I assume if they have directional arrows thats they way they go...

If no directional arrows maybe make an educated guess by the tread pattern

But hey... you know what they say about assumption.... its the mother of all F**k ups, good luck

[fastbob]

What bike was it that was discussed on here ages ago where tyre fitters keep putting the back tyres on backwards due to the disk and sprocket being the opposite way round to previous models ? Was it a Triumph by any chance ?

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

What bike was it that was discussed on here ages ago where tyre fitters keep putting the back tyres on backwards due to the disk and sprocket being the opposite way round to previous models ? Was it a Triumph by any chance ?

 

I think it was, due to Triumph keeping the traditional fitting of the chain on the right side of the bike.

(You see what I did there?)

[krahang]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread. It is on the first page of Google search for motorcycle tyre arrows, I wish to help others by posting an answer.

 

If the tyre has 2 arrows pointing to different directions, and one arrow is marked FRONT and another REAR, it means that the tyre can be installed on either the front or the rear wheel of the motorcycle. It is very common for small scooters and underbones to have front and rear tyres almost the same size, hence small tyres are often 'universal'. FRONT and REAR mean Front Tyre and Rear Tyre. They DO NOT mean front and rear of the same tyre - this is where the confusion comes from. As others mentioned, the thread pattern is usually inverted for front and rear tyres and it is completely normal. For the front wheel, the FRONT arrow should follow wheel rotation when moving the motorcycle forward.  For the rear wheel, the REAR arrow should follow wheel rotation when moving the motorcycle forward.  Hope it helps someone.

[RideWithStyles]

w

Edited May 14, 2024 by RideWithStyles

[Nick the wanderer]

13 hours ago, RideWithStyles said:

why bother resurrected a very old thread? 

anyway simple as follow the bloody arrow to the front of the bike no matter simple as...

You got a grump on you mardy sod, read what he says,  some tyres can be used in both directions depending whether front or back use. 

[krahang]

Correct, the original question reads, 'The back tyre size 100/80 has front arrow and rear arrow as well. Should the front be facing forwards and the rear arrow be facing backwards on the rear?' This page is the top of Google search if someone asks the same question, so I tried to give a clear answer: REAR and FRONT means which wheel the tyre is on, then the corresponding arrow should rotate forward.

[Bender]

Front and rear have different requirements, front handles braking rear gives traction, tyres are marked to do the best depending on if it's on front or rear, hence 2 arrows if it's a size that can be used either end 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

So far everyone has got this wrong.

 

It is very very simple.

 

At all times your tyres should be facing down. If they are facing the sky you have crashed.