Need 2nd Front to Rear 021 maybe 016

Need some help/advice choosing a BT-O_ _ for the front.
I currently have 021 front and rear. At 9K I only have a few more hundred before need for a new front - The rear is still going strong I'm guessing another 3-4K.
The 21's have not caused me much "pucker"; I'm older and wiser (and getting slower and slower) so don't test the limits as much but there are those occasions when the lean angle needs to be!
I've been reading about the 016's and the extra grip makes me more comfortable (mentally) when there is a physical I "need" to get through. A little sacrifice on milage is OK.
My thinking is if I go w/016 front it will wear out about same time as what's left on the rear 021. Then a fresh set of probably 016's. I'm not looking to change brands.
Appreciate any comments.
Thanks,

I came to the 16's from the stock 20's (I realize you've got 21's, but just for reference), and I've got about 4k on them now. One thing I can tell you is that the 16's wear out MUCH faster than the 20's (duh...like that's some insight, huh?).

I got 10k out of my 20's and said when I replaced them with the 16's that I would be happy to get 6k out of them. I'm not sure I'm going to make it, honestly. I typically do a lot of commuting, so I wear the center out pretty good, but this year has been so wet here that I haven't commuted hardly at all. Most of my riding has been "weekend warrior" stuff...hitting the twisties 200-300 miles at a time. So you would think with the dual compound front and triple compound rear I wouldn't wear them out as fast...wrong. The center of my rear is nearly to the wear bars. I'd say I've got another 1k miles before I'll need to start looking at ordering replacements.

I'm not complaining, by any means. The 16's STICK in the corners, no doubt about that. I haven't had any slippage...not even once. But I'm starting to think about what tire to try next year when I replace the 16's over the winter. Michelin Pilot Road 2's have been recommended, but I'm going to have to do some reading first.

The 16 is a GREAT tire. Just expect to get about half the life (or maybe a bit more) out of them as the stock 20's.

Go with the 016s if you can spare the incremental expense...small price to pay...cheap insurance, right?

Got my last set for $228 SHIPPED to SF frow SWmoto. CycleSector also has good deals.

Enjoy

Do NOT mix tires.
Before my last set I mixed tires with no worries, and never though twice about it. Then, I finally bought a set together since so many members kept advising against it.
The bike turns better, handles "right," and wet weather performance is much improved. Honestly, it's not worth it.
Especially when mixing intended purpose. A sticky BT016 in front with a hard BT021 in the rear will not handle predictably and may cause you to lose control of the bike. It's not as bad when mixing touring-oriented tires with other touring tires, but sport and touring, you're asking for trouble.