Ducati Monster Forum

Ruined a rear tire on my MTS, found a screemin' deal on a new one in a tight time frame.(late sat. night for sun. morn ride) Went from a pirelli scorpion sync.,1 ply rayon, 1 ply steel, tread   to a dunlop sportmax qualifier with 1 nylon, 1 aramid tread ply.  the front tire is pirelli scorp. sync. with  2 rayon, 1 steel ply tread.  handles a bit squirrly going into corners, feels like a start of a tank-slapper!!   Did I screw this match up ??   Is it a problem mixing tread ply material ??   

 I have a mts to and went for tires and the guys at the dealership told me not to mix and match . Most of the guys I talk to say replace both at the same time. Its a hard one to sallow when your front tire is still good.

I have a dunlop rear and a michelin front on my 1098s and a michelin pilot power dc rear and pilot street on my monster. 

I think he mix and match is bad if one of the tires is really worn...but I havent seen any issues with mine

Okay.  Here's the good - listen to your handlebars.  They are talking to you.  Here's the bad.  Different tires - especially between manufacturers - are bad juju.  The first problem is varied tire warm up times.  You could potentially lose traction to the harder compound tire first.  The second problem is different traction and different flex in the corners.  This can flex the forks due to the inconsistency between the rolling resistance between front and rear wheels.  The third problem is that this mismatch can effect high speed stability at speed.  A friend of mine just pulled a tank-slapper at Pueblo at the end of the straight due to a tire mismatch issue.  The ugly is you pulling a high-side because of this. 

Some AMA racers use different compounds between front and rear to tweak cornering.  But they stay with same manufacturer and same tire model (same construction) so the tire flex is consistent.  But, these guys are pros and have engineering support behind them.

Thanks for the input, I had a chance today to contact pirelli and dunlop for help. had basically the same answer as you did Larry, they said to stay with matching set's, change both when possible,the front is too good to waste.Pirelli recomended the original sync. or the diablo strada. I 'm going to try the strada for better wear, no harder than I ride. should be good in rain.  Thanks all again !!   I haven't had this bad a problem on other bikes in the past, must be more precise ducati chassis,ect. 

 I ended up putting on Michelin Pilot Powers on my mts and I love them. I found a great deal on a set.

Great.  I hope others read this thread too.   [thumbsup]  Are you riding with us on the 21st?   [moto]

Damn right I am !!  unless my world totally implodes,    Had a good friend pass away and am helping the family sort stuff out, should be about finished this weekend. The woodsplitting, lawn, house, shop, ect., ect.,  can wait a little longer,although I've been saying that all summer, ha,ha