On the FZ6 so far, I've bought a rear when I had a good front, a front when I had a good rear, and finally swapped both together. Even if you're slow, the rears wear at twice the rate that the fronts do, but I still think it makes more sense to always buy in pairs. First, the belt and rubber integrity of the front is much more important safety-wise, so a replacement ahead of schedule is not a complete waste in that sense. Second, the front tire's profile has a huge impact on handling. So keeping the old one on for a second rear tire will make that second rear tire's life less fun. Third, the front is cheaper, so the increased cost of swapping it every time is not doubling the total cost. Arguments against this are many, but installation costs, environmentalism, tight budgets and those who commute a lot and know their tire profiles will never be great come to mind.
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