Hard to find pirelli diablo rosso
I recently changed my rear and had the pdr tire but could not find it in stock so wound up getting dunlop scootsmart. Horrible tire. No comparison. Will go back to the diablo next change

I have had both front and rear diablo so they exist

 

Is this just the website trying to help me

This is the case -- both front and rear should be same model tire, but sizes are usually different.

 

Putting a rear tire on the front is kind of acceptable to most but you must turn the rotation direct backwards. The tires are designed for WET braking and the tread is designed to push water out. Makes no sense to me but that is how it was explained to me.
Now a front tire has a lower weight rating due to not as much weight up front. Most of your body weight is on the rear tire so it has a higher rating.

Best suggestion is pick a different vendor. They may too lazy to stock all needed sizes.

Now as far as mixing types and brands, all wifestails. Many new bikes come from the factory with a Bias ply on front and a Radial on the rear, FACTORY. This is the same as the often spread but total unfounded wifestails about using PREMIUM fuel being better on an engine designed for REGULAR..... I'll call BS every time, SORRY.

 

There are several differences and there are good reasons.
Tyres do come mixed bias/radial but that is also done for a reason when that frame/setup needs the characteristics it causes and is designed for that mix.

Front v back -
Crown profiles are different, tread is reversed, max weight is calculated differently (rear tyre is putting down engine power as well as weight), construction is different and any seams are laid down in the opposite direction because braking force is mostly on front and acceleration force mostly on rear and the two things act in opposite directions.

Fronts lean slightly more than rears and react slightly differently to cornering forces so that is taken into account when designing for front or rear.
Matched pairs of tyres will generally give best handling. Some unmatched pairs will react badly to each other causing wobbles and unpredictable or outright dangerous handling.


A matched pair can have one bias and one radial but it is rare. If that isnt part of your question you can ignore the next bit.

With bias and radials, they behave differently. You can run into severe problems by mixing them.
Generally it is much worse by far to have the radials on the front than on the back.

Bias and radials flex and deviate differently under load, radials flex more and bias are stiff and they follow the road differently. So they can get out of step with each other. It also determines things like the stiffness of the suspension required or each type.

This is because bias tyres are fairly rigid all over and will force the tread into the road contours.
Good in some ways but causes it to transmit shocks - so softer suspension, relaxed geometry and a flexible frame are used to compensate.

Radials are a bit like caterpillar tracks, the tread is stiffer and lays down pretty much in the direction it is going and conforms less. This allows/requires soft sidewalls that soak up shocks and distortion.
Good for a soft ride and directional stability but reduces control - so a stiff suspension, aggressive geometry and stiff frame are used to compensate.

Belted bias fall between the two - but as far as I'm aware they are all towards the bias end of things.

When it comes to mixing them, the bias requires a gentle control input, the radial requires a strong control input.
So if one tyre thinks you are asking for all out Hollywood car chase action and the other end thinks you are asking for a gentle barely noticeable waft ..... they sometimes get into a fight about it and go there separate ways.

 

you are buying them ahead of time, so, you got time to search around and find what is supposed to be there, ,, if you just need to spend some money,,, i could use some refreshing beberages, or maybe as a poor second choice, your wifey might like something shiney, like a new socket set with matching screwdrivers.

 

Thanks guys. Found 'em both at bikebandit (both are bias ply, for what it's worth) and ordered. They arrived yesterday, and good thing too since my rear is looking pretty bald! I'll be replacing the rear for sure this weekend but contemplating doing the front even though it still has tread, just so the tires match.

I got a little over 6k on that rear (1100 miles on it when i got it plus 5k of my own), hoping for a little more out of the new ones but new tires once or twice a year is a small price to pay for the enjoyment I get out of the bike!

 

I purchased a new-to-me 2008 Burgman 400 this past summer and put a few thousand miles on it. I am starting to think about having tires on hand so I don't have any down-time when its time to replace them.thanks!

I recently purchased a 2008 Burgman 400 with only 2600 miles on it. The tires are in great shape, but are 11 years old! Am replacing them before I do any riding (it's winter, anyway).

 

also, the front tires are faster than the rear tires, if you put a front on the back it will try to pass the rest of the bike

 

This must be true. Wherever you go, the front tire ALWAYS gets there first.*

That's just science! :grin


*unless you're pushing the bike backwards, in which case you're not really going anywhere yet so it doesn't count.