Honda Spree and Elite 50 Forums

So how does everyone mount their front tires?
Just got some new 3.0-10 Michelin S1's for my 98 Elite, and debating on which way to go.

On motorcycles, the typical convention is for the front tire treads to be facing "backward" (center of grooves pointing up), with the claims of better traction under braking, plus improved water dispersion, and to not go against "tread splice". check out this link for info:
http://cyrilhuzeblog.com/2009/08/23/tir ... von-tyres/

check out the fronts on all these bikes, for an idea of what I'm talking about:


The S1's show only one directional arrow, with center of grooves pointing down, so it would be same as rear if mounted this way. Debating on going backward, for reasons above. OR following manufacturer's arrow. How much does it matter on scooters anyway?? Question of the day.

Would like to hear some input. Please discuss.

The "V" I was always taught drives water or dirt from
Outter to inner creating a clean "rooster tail". Creating traction from outter where you have more surface to inner where there's less creating a better hold. Makes sense to me but always wondered just how much it helped. About the time I asked "well doesn't that make me lose traction if I'm speeding in reverse? " my grandpa would shake his head and walk away.... Never did get a full answer!

...and this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VYOUFCKdms

jeez the more research I do on this top, the more conflicting info I see!! following manufacturer arrow makes sense, but so does better utilizing tread design for better braking! gah

got this response, directly from Michelin:
"Tire performance and handling charactistics will not be affected if a directional tire is mounted in the opposite direction. However, maximum wet traction capability will not be realized.
For best results refer to the owner's manual for proper mounting."
meh.

found this on a forum, and it sounds best to me:
"I posed that same question to a knowledgeable service manager at my local Honda dealer and he said it should be mounted reversed if used on the front. The reason being that the composition of the tire was designed to be optimal while propelling the bike while mounted on the rear. Since the front wheel does not propel the bike, then it should be reversed as it would also better utilize the design of the tire to slow the bike down. Made sense to me."
http://tw200forum.com/forum/technical-h ... t-way.html

summary
So putting those two together, I'd essentially be sacrificing some wet weather performance for better braking traction in the dry by going backwards.
OR I'd improve wet weather performance, and braking performance may or may not be affected by going with the arrow.
but overall, results may very well be negligible.