| Author | Message | ||
     Hotreels10 |
I know this has probably been discussed before. But I was looking for an offroad/dual sport type tire for my Blast. I like the look of them. Any suggestions? I want to use the factory rims. Bridgestone makes the slightly larger 16" TW40, but it is a tube type tire. Has anybody tried these on a Blast? Any other suggestions for a similar tire? Thanks! | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
There’s so limited space on the rear swing arm for anything bigger than stock and it’s almost impossible to find a small dual sport tire in a 16”. Unless you modify the swing arm. Tubes should be fine to use. | ||
| Missionbolts |
I'm running Shinko SR244 dual-sport tires this entire summer. These are the OEM tread as used on early 80's Honda XL's & probably all the other dual-sports. They seem to handle pretty good, as I'm constantly scrubbing the footpegs on pavement. Hydroplaning issues will no longer apply. I already know from years past that they will do ok in snow provided you take some extra caution(slower). The rear is just starting to wear down, but I'm planning on rotating the tires seeing as they are both the same size. I got 3-16, front & rear. Clearance on the rear swingarm is not a problem. The tire is just a little bigger. I did not use tubes, just simply slapped them on. Didn't bother balancing them either. I can hear a whine from the treadCan't tell if the tires are out of balance up to 85, but the engine does shake somewhat.... | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
Well thanks! Last time I looked I couldn’t find anything in 16” that would fit. FWIW: unless you are actually riding dirt, I wouldn’t settle for anything less than the best tire you can get on the front. The Blast front brake coupled with a less than stellar front tire has taken many riders down. You’ve been warned!! | ||
| Missionbolts |
I've already had the front end washout several times! 1st time was the very day I got the bike running for it's test ride. Still had the street racer tires and both wheels went out from under me at the same time while taking it easy on the grass in my backyard. That's when I started looking at tires. I had a list of tires that fit, can't find right now. But I recall there were about 5 choices I thought would clear the swingarm. One-finger braking when I'm out on the forest roads, and I try to get on the rear brake first. I've tested the Shinko's while doing 15~20 on dirt. And I can slide the front tire without losing control, thanks to how well the bike handles. It's still not as nice as my old Yamaha 250 Big Wheel. I could do controlled washouts on demand while powering out of tight corners at WOT, because of how the super fatty tires stay under you while leaned over | ||
| Hotreels10 |
Thanks for the response. I am aware of the change in performance when you venture away form the OEM tire set up. I mostly do fair weather riding these days staying out of the rain and not much night riding. Most of the time it's morning and afternoon riding on country roads, the beach strip and I'd like to start hitting a few fire roads(part of the reason for the dual sport tire). Did you put the tires on yourself or have someone do it for you? I've replaced smaller tires in the past and they can be a headache when you're only working with tire spoons and a garage floor. I'm going to give the Shinko's a try. Thanks for the heads up on them. | ||
| Gearheaderiko |
If you talking OEM Dunlop’s, anything is better than those. OEM Pirrellis are the best. And it’s not merely ‘watching out for poor performance’ in the front tire. It can be deadly-I know. So in that respect, getting a better front tire for dirt is a must. Blast tires are easy to change. | ||
| Apotheon |
I'm thinking of going dual-sport with my Blast, only for very light offroad use -- for starters, at least (dirt roads, short gravel areas, very slow/easy offroad trails to get to campsites and nice vantage points to take pictures). It sounds like the Shinko SR244 3-16 might be what I want for the back. Should I bother changing the front for that use pattern? Would swapping the front cause problems for on-road handling? Are there hidden gotchas with the dual-sport on the drive wheel? Any info would be appreciated. | ||
| Missionbolts |
I've been running the Shinko 244 front, on both front & rear. No issues with on-pavement handling. My foot pegs are getting shaved into flat-bottomed triangles from grinding them on pavement, more so on the left for some reason I never cease to be amazed at how sticky the Shinko 244 is! They make some humming noise from the huge air pockets, sounds like bad wheel bearings It's a tube type tire on a tubeless rim, no problems running without a tube. Plus tire plugs are a better way to get around out in the forest. Less messing around if you catch a nail I wouldn't dare trying to use the street tire up front. When the front end washes out from under you, you either go down instantly if you went way past the limit, or you'll be putting your foot down on the ground hard enough to scare you & maybe have a bruised heel for a week. I've done both more than once Try doing 50 to pass a car on a twisty back road only to discover the rear tire was flat. Put my right foot down on pavement to keep the bike up while getting off the gas. Almost getting rear-ended by the car I had just passed. Then put my left foot down in the gravel, trying to stay out of the ditch But front end washouts on a Yamaha Big Wheel are not so bad. Those extra-wide balloon tires don't drop out from under you when they lean over hard | ||
| Apotheon |
Thanks. That sounds like good advice. I'll look into it. You said you use the Shinko "front" tire on both front and rear. Is there a difference between 3-16 "front" and "rear" tires, or is the 3-16 size just considered a "front" tire? | ||
| Missionbolts |
Shinko considers the 3-16 a front tire. They have a wider 244-series in different rim sizes that the OEM's used for their rear dual-sport tires. It's what I had on both a XL250 & XL600 | ||
| Apotheon |
Does anything special need to be done to use it without a tube, other than just not installing the tube? I don't recall (knowingly) being around tires with tubes since the early '80s, so I'm not sure how that'd work. | ||
| Missionbolts |
All I did was clean the rim. The tubeless rim design has ribs on the inside to catch the bead of the tire and help lock it into place. I used the stock valve stems. I also didn't balance the tires. The quality control at Shinko is perfectly adequate. I've been running the bike up to 90 with no tire balance issues. I use a pair of bike tire spoons to do the change, with a little glycerin-based hair conditioner to help the tire slip into place. Last time I changed the rear tire was just a week ago. I scrubbed the new tire down with old style ivory soap, put on bone dry then buffed off with a cotton rag. That seemed to work just as well | ||
| Apotheon |
This is great information. Thanks. I might try changing my own tires for the first time when I get a new set. | ||
| Missionbolts |
There's always a chance I was just lucky with tire balance If you think you would like to balance your tires, it's really easy to do a basic static balance, which is much better than what I'm doing! https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=diy+motorcycl e+wheel+balancing&&view=detail&mid=BAA5D49422C47B4 E2960BAA5D49422C47B4E2960&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideo s%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Ddiy%2Bmotorcycle%2Bwheel%2Bbalanc ing%26FORM%3DHDRSC3 |
