whats the difference between a radial and a bias ply tire?


Obviously, from the name you can assume that they're constructed different, but what are the pros and cons of each type of tire?  And why would you never want to mix the two types?

The pro of the bias-ply tire is that our bike was designed to use it. Engineering a bike around bias-ply tires means that if you throw radial rubber on it, it will not do the things that it should do as far as handling.

There was an awsome article around a while back about the Honda engineers throwing radial rubber on a GL1000. They said that it changed the recovery from high speed wobble to the point that it would be completely unsafe. Of course, they were slapping the handlebars as hard as they could at 50mph. With bias-ply tires (which that '70s era bike was designed to use) the rider regained control without even touching the bars. With the radials he ate it at 50mph after much tank slapping fun.

The bottom line is that if your bike was designed to use bias-ply, you should use bias-ply.

How do you design a bike differently around bias-ply tires than you would radial? What is done to make it "more" bias-ply compatible?

From what I've heard, all the racers here use radial rubber and won't go back. I also hear that anyone who HAS switched to radial tires on the GS also won't go back.

can some one answer why you'd never want to mix the two between say a front and rear?

GsJack had made a very good statement about why not to mix, but also had stated wht was acceptable.  I go search now.

Searched 'bias radial mixing' with username GSJack: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=5142.msg41798#msg41798

Quote from: TragicImage on May 02, 2006, 10:41:41 AM
can some one answer why you'd never want to mix the two between say a front and rear?

Different heat cycles combined with varying traction and handling characteristics of different tires can make the bike handle unpredictably with mis-matched tires - especially if you're mixing radial with bias ply.

yes dont mixs the two . a bis-ply falls diffrent then  a radial .