Ducati Monster Forum

So I have a flat in my rear OEM BT56. ( 696)  I would like to switch these out with BT016s  but tight on funds.  Can I put a BT016 on the rear and leave the Bt56 on the front for now?  Thanks in advance  [beer]

It's totally fine to do this if you don't mind zombies attacking you at stop lights.

I believe the best thing is to have the same tires. They are made to pull in the same direction, performance wise. Profile/grip/???

There will be some (small?) differences, but I really don't think you'll notice it much. It probably would be good advice to take it slow at first, so you get used to the (little?) different handling.

if you go for similar tires the zombies attacks will be minimal, they arent that smart.

alternatively, you can stay zombie free by just plugging the thing if is a simple small home.


im running Pilot Power front, and Pilot Road 2CT rear. so far no zombie attacks.

Short Answer: Yes.

Long Answer: Still Yes.

Rear tires wear faster than front. Do a good cost benefit analysis in your head before switching to a faster wearing compound for the rear.

id be kind of iffy on saying yes without some commentary, dont start mixing classes of tyres.

A Touring tyre will be less round then a sport tire and the difference in shape might upset the bike. 
TOuring tires are less triangle shaped then sport tires which means you will need to muscle it more to get it to lean. If one part of the bike wnats the lean, and the other is fighting it, you may ended up on the wrong side of a shit stick.

i was going through the same debate in my head. i have the 696 with bt56 and the rear is worn sqaure almost. but i am getting a second bt56 for now. hope to get another 4000km and then switch to pilot road 2ct to get more touring out of the sport.

You can get a set of BT016 for less than $250 shipped to you. (In the states anyway)

Diablo Strada in back, standard Diablo in front; no problems.  In fact, it handles better now than with 2 Diablos (of course the rear was worn.)  It would seem that combining a sport-touring rear with a sport front is okey-dokey.

would love for a tire manufacturer rep to come on here and tell us the skinny on mixing tire types

I survived my first zombie attack. It was close there for a second.

Here's how I've always thought of it: You can hurt yourself by having a sportier tire in one place or the other, the non-sporty tire is your limiter. You wouldn't be worse off than having both non-sporty tires, but not as sporty as two sport tires. The limiting factor would be the non-sport's, that's it.

NO !

I was attacked by zombies every time I got to ~85 mph the "zombie death shake" was VERY apparent ...

I was running different brands / compounds though F Avon Viper Sport AV59 R Dunlop Qualifier

Finally solved it when I got a rear AVON to match.

~DaVe

Interesting. I've never had any problems whatsoever from a dunlop front and pilot power rear.

if they are the same shape, i wouldnt matter unless u were pushing the limits on one of them.

Well obviously if one were round and the other hexagonal there might be problems.
I always recommend 2 round tires.  :P

No tire rep will publicly state that it's OK to mix/match tires. As luck would have it, we have someone on board who spreaks privatly to several top tire guys and the only good answer to this question is: maybe.
I've had great result as well as disaterous ones, you just have to see. Every tire and every bike is different so what works on one may not work on another.
PS: the Bt 016 is a sport time and will wear quickly, the old Bt 56 is more of a sport touring tire and will wear more slowly.

Thank you everyone for your input.    [thumbsup]   Think I have enough information to make an educated decision.    Anyone have any recommendations on tires if I decide to replace both?   Thanks again [beer]

Pilot Roads or Pilot Road 2's.