I just noticed on my 06 F4i, that I picked up about a month ago, that the front tire arrow is pointing the wrong way... I guess it was mounted/installed backwards?

What's the easiest way to fix this? Does the tire need to be remounted or can I just take the wheel off and flip it?

Also, the front tire is a dunlop while the back is a Bridgestone Battleaxe, should I just replace the front to match the back? Or does that really matter?
Both have a lot of tread left.

Thanks!

 

Your rotors will have tiny arrows on them pointing to which direction they should spin. Not good to reverse them. If you never ride in the rain it's not a big deal and i would just leave it.

Unmatched tire brands is not a bad thing either as long as they are evenly worn.

 

I'd go ahead and check the manufacture date on your tires, I think most guys on here trash them if they are 3 years old or more. Then see about getting the front remounted if you need it.

 

Most if not all bike tires are unidirectional. If the tire is currently mounted correctly it may be mounted incorrectly if you simply flip the wheel to be facing the right direction.

For what my opinion is worth I would have the tire taken off and re-mounted this way the tire, wheel, and rotors will all be correct. Should cost $20-$40 if you just take them the wheel.

 

Should I leave the rotors on if I bring them the wheel?

 

This. Take it off, have the tire mounted properly if it has enough life left that you want to keep it. Verify the brakes are all in the right direction while you're at it, then you're good to go.

 

If there is a directional arrow, it matters. Besides the rain-handling mentioned above,
the belts that are the core of the tire have a bias. When running they need to flex and
deal with the lateral, torsional and side wall forces operating on the tire. It's kind of like petting
a dog the wrong way...one way the hair lays down, the other makes it stand up.
Crude analogy but gets the point across, I hope.

I wasn't aware that rotors had a particular bias, so I'll defer to the others on that aspect.
Good to know, though, always learning something here. ;-)

Ern

 

Yes you can leave the rotors on there. I have always left mine on and have never had an issue.

 

sorry to dig this thread back up but today I had a closer look at my rotors and they are actually rotating the wrong way too, so is it ok if I just take off the front wheel assembly and just flip it around???

 

If it was my new bike purchase I would flip it around the right way along with your brake pads so they keep their matching grooves with the rotors.