Is this down to tyre choice

[D-Fuzz]

Nooooooo. Even if the tyre stays on you'll expose your rim lip /edge to damage. In my observations most knobblies sidewalls shroud the rim lip.

Good thing I ask these questions before doing something really dumb. :oops:  I guess my DR/KLR buddies will be getting some left over tires when I clean out the garage in the Spring.

Is there an advantage or disadvantage to running a 150 versus the OEM size 140 then?  I need to buy some new tires, so I want to be sure I get the proper size, rather than what is readily available.  I see Tourances and those Heidenau K60s are available in 140s, so I know there are options out there in that size.

[BruKen]

Girlies and most big dualie of recent years run 150 (that is 4 inch isn't it) so you'll have better choice in tyres. Slightly more rubber on the road, which is a good thing I suppose :D

[D-Fuzz]

But with the rear rim on the Steamers being a bit narrower than the Girlies, does the 150 seat properly on the rim?

[abruzzi]

What is the OEM size for the rear tire on a Steamer then?  I have seen references to 140 & 150 width.

140 / 80 R 17

My Tiger currently has a 150-width tire on the back.  It isn't OEM, so I assume it was put on as it is more common.  If 140 is standard, is there any reason I could run a 130/80/17 knobby tire on the rear?  It would only be for off-road use, no highway riding.

Actually, I'm almost positive I've run 130-80-17 TKCs on my steamer. Search this site for TKC 130 and see what comes up.

Geof

Edit:  here you go:

http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,5655

And aside from doing some off roading on those tires, I also did a 2000 mile blacktop only ride.

[D-Fuzz]

Yep, just finished reading that thread.  Sweet! :D   I have a set of Dunlop D606s in my garage, so I will be making use of the rear.  with all the moisture & snow we have got around here over the past year, it is going to be awhile before things dry up, so I was hoping to run some knobbies at least until June.  Maybe I will swap them out to something more street-biased for the summer when it is drier and warmer.

[D-Fuzz]

Scrap that.  I went and dug the tire out of the corner of the garage and their likely isn't enough tread left to make it worth my while levering it on.  It is good information though for when I go shopping.

[Colonel Nikolai]

I had a set of Dunlop Trailmax on the front and rear when I bought my Tiger. Don't bother looking for them they haven't been made in many years. Tiger easily locked up with these on not because they were bad tires, but because they were old. 7 years old when I got them to be exact. The rubber was almost as hard as a bowling ball.

Check how old these things are. I'd not run your bike on tires that are over 4 years old. It's not safe.[/b]

[D-Fuzz]

The Dunlops I have are only a couple years old, but they are worn more than I recalled them being.  I likely should have just tossed them when I took them off my other bike, but I guess I am cheap.

At any rate, I will have to bite the bullet and buy some new tires.  I would like to try some more aggressive tires on the Tiger to see how much difference it makes off-pavement.  I won't do much in the way of technical riding with it, as it is too heavy for that, so perhaps I can just get by with some Shinkos or Tourances.  I usually put on 3000-5000 miles / summer, so hopefully I can find something I can get 2-3 summers on.

[BruKen]

What is the OEM size for the rear tire on a Steamer then?  I have seen references to 140 & 150 width.

140 / 80 R 17

My Tiger currently has a 150-width tire on the back.  It isn't OEM, so I assume it was put on as it is more common.  If 140 is standard, is there any reason I could run a 130/80/17 knobby tire on the rear?  It would only be for off-road use, no highway riding.

Actually, I'm almost positive I've run 130-80-17 TKCs on my steamer. Search this site for TKC 130 and see what comes up.

Geof

Edit:  here you go:

http://tigertriple.com/forum/index.php/topic,5655

And aside from doing some off roading on those tires, I also did a 2000 mile blacktop only ride.

Your post indicates you have 140 on your bike Geoff while DFuzz is 150 which is two sizes wider that his 130 knobblies.  The .80 is quite critical in this equation as it denotes hight above rim and subsequently shape of the tyre. Riding on a misshapen tyre is foolhardy at best especially radials

[D-Fuzz]

The OEM size for my Steamer is 140, so the 150 that is on the bike isn't the proper size either.  It isn't the original tire, so was likely chose due to convenience.

[MIMbox]

Original Tiger is 140 width. Early Girlies were 150 ( and maybe other later ones too). My bike had a replacement rear wheel due to salt corrosion, and the Girly 150 fitted straight in, so it is OEM, and isn't OEM all at the same time, Simples....

[abruzzi]

As mentioned above, if you have the stock DID rims on a steamer, then they are sized for 140/80.  Some put a 150/70 on due partly to tire selection and availability.  Both end up having about the same profile since tall and narrow and short and wide get pushed into the same position when mounted on the same rim width.  130/80 is a smaller tire, but I wouldn't have done it if others hadn't tried it out before me.  Ultimately the difference wasnt enough to worry, and the difference in cost--$100 vs. $150--was.

I will say that TKCs are meant for heavy bikes, and I wouldn't have done this on tires not designed to carry a bike of this size, and I specifically checked the load rating before pulling the trigger.  I'll also mention that due to bad timing, I had to do a 2000 mile trip on pavement, in 115 degree heat, at speeds up to 90 mph on the TKCs with no real problems. This was loaded down with me and three 36l givi cases and a tand bag, so the tires were well stressed.

I did notice a small shudder when decelerating at around 20mph. They were noisier than tourances or anakees, and they wore much quicker (I think I got 5000 miles on mine.). But in loose sand they really bit well, and the bike had surprising stability off road.

Geof

[BruKen]

Well going through the motions I set the static sag on the rear according to Mustangs prescribed 1 inch. I had to remove the shock and spring to see how far I could safely tighten the preload rings. She's on the outer limit now .... Mustang? She had two inches to begin with as the manual simply states NOT PRESCRIBED BY MANUFACTURER. To get to 1 inch the preload went from half to full :(

While riding tomorrow I will fiddle with compression and rebound damping and see if her handling improves.

It worked BTW. The bike now inspires confidence in the corners. The whole geometry feels better with the front tucking into the corner instead of leading from the rear.

[D-Fuzz]

Well, let's see how these work.  I bought a set of those new Kenda Big Block tires for my Tiger.  Depending what reviews you read, they are the best thing since sliced bread or total crap.  For the price, I thought it was worth a try.

[BruKen]

Back in the 80s I put Kenda on my XT. I was a student and at the equivalent then of 4 pound and change per tyre I was happy that they had as much traction as the freshman girls after a bit of  tickle and slap. I mean 4 quid was 4 quid and the saving was a weekend of hard bingeing. Not withstanding the fact that drink driving was quite the norm in those days I do vividly recall having more than my quota of offs. The norm being about 5 a year significant enough to report to the police. On the upside tho, those were probably just cheap pairs and in no way reflect the significant ramp up gained from a further 25 odd years in experience, performance, quality, and competition they had against train wheel manufacturers. I'm sure you'll be fine, or at least, too pissed to care.

:D