I always intended to upgrade the tires on the 250R even before purchasing my bike back in March 08, so this has been a long time coming. The bike came with Bridgestone BT45 tires which have served me well... in fact I highly endorse them as a great street tire for all around use.
I had been looking for a set of BT 090 tires for months which are DOT legal race compound radials in sizes that would fit our bikes. The fronts are the same as stock, 110-70x17, but the smallest they make are a 140-70x17, which is fractionally taller than the stock tire. The good thing is, the 140 width size is still within the approved 3.5"rear wheel on the new gen 250Rs.
Amazingly, the new Yamaha WR-250X uses the same tires, so getting a set is as easy as ordering through your nearest Yamaha dealer if you are looking for a set. Our Yami dealer here sucks, so I ended up ordering this set through newenough.com as a special order. Let me say that if you ever need a great online source of parts, you owe it you yourself to check them out. Nate and crew at newenough provide the best customer service I have ever experienced at very reasonable prices. I've long learned that once you find a good online dealer, it's always better to pay a bit more to insure a smooth, hassle free transaction, including returns. Newenough has always been there for me and I feel I needed to pass on my good fortune with the rest of you.
Here's my version of changing tires on the 250R... only the front will be shown as the rear is the same as far as removing and installing the tire.
Few weeks ago I get these in the mail... I was surprised how light they were to carry.
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Okay, a few weeks later with 1600 miles on the odometer, I decide to change tires... it took me that long, cause I was dreading the chore. I will be spooning the tires on by hand instead of taking the wheels off and taking them to a shop to install. I trust no one but myself to screw up my bike. I know, pretty stupid and anal... tell me something I don't already know.
Get the bike up on stands and begin with taking the speedometer cable off
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remove cotter pin...
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...then the axle nut. 22mm nut, 17mm axle head bolt size.
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slide axle out
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and the wheel assembly should drop to the ground
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at this point, I highly suggest you stick a spacer of some sort between the brake pads in the caliper. If you don't, some kid, gf, buddy, friend, idiot will come along and squeeze the front brake lever on your bike while you work and potentially cause you a major brake caliper headache.
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remove speedometer drive assembly from one side...
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...and spacer from the other side of the wheel.
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Continued on next post... see you on the other side.