[Tom Schmitz]

This sounds like double bassakwardness, sort of like a double negative except it doesn't make it right.

Usually, the arrow on the rear is in the proper direction and we talk about the front tire being mounted opposite the directional arrow.

This is the case with the Kenda K761, a tire I am familiar with.

My first thought is that your mechanic's heart is in the right place but he's a bit confused. We had a thread on this not too long ago.

I'm not familiar with the 705 (intimately enough to know if the arrow is backward, though this would be the first I've heard of it) so I'll defer further comment to @pdwestman.

 

[Tom Schmitz]

To my way of thinking, these are properly mounted rear tires with chevrons:

And these are properly mounted front tires with chevrons:

The tires on the KLR are Kenda K761 and the tires on the BMW are Michelin Pilot Road.

 

[Tom Schmitz]

On the RMATV site there is a customer gallery showing four different bikes with 705smounted. One of them, a CB500, appears to have the tire mounted backward. The rest are what I would call correct, e.g.:

 

[Tom Schmitz]

The rotation arrow would seem to support its being mounted in what is conventionally considered the correct direction:

 

[Tom Schmitz]

Paul, in the photo above the rotation arrow is labeled "Rear". On the tire in your stock with the arrows labeled "Front" and "Rear", are they on opposite sides of the tire?