Tire marking question

[keithg78]

I just bought a new front tire for my girlfriends 2008 ninja 250r and am confused by the markings on the tire. It is a Bridgestone Battlax BT-45 110/70/17. There is a yellow dot on the sidewall which i have always thought meant the lightest spot on the tire (some manufacturers use a red dot instead), but then on the other side of the tire and completely 90 degrees opposite from the yellow dot there is a white dot on the sidewall with a very faint small chalk red line on the bead of the tire (the small red line rubs off very easily with my finger). Does anyone know what the markings mean (does the white dot represent the heaviest spot)? I have not seen this with the Michelin or Dunlop tires i mount on my Buell XB9SX. They usually just have one dot on the sidewall.

 

[RdrChRy]

I have never seen a tire with 2 dots on it, only 1 and was under the impression that the single dot should be lined up with the valve stem. Have seen this single dot in yellow or white. I have also seen tires with no marks whatsoever.

 

[keithg78]

Yes, that's why I am confused by which dot to go by. I wish the tire manufacturers did a better job of explaining their marking system. I sent Bridgestone an email so hopefully they will get back to me with an answer. Worst case scenario I will just have to mount the tire and see how it balances out and go back and remount it if it is way off.

 

[cb750]

http://www.tireteam.com/blog/view/what-are-these-red-and-yellow-dots-on-my-tires-1

Is any of the marks waxy like crayon? I work in a car tire factory and there are a few marks put on tires. Actually now that I think about it, I don't know all that much about why they are on there. There is the harmonic dot (we use several different colors so we know which machine it came from) which is sprayed, and another which comes after the balancer and is basically a crayon mark. I'll have to ask around next time I go in what exactly everything is for. All our marks are on the same side though.

 

[anrkizm95]

yellow dot at valve stem