Radial Street Tires

[omnivore]

My wife's new bike (01 ZZR 250) has some Korean junk tires on it. (100/80/17 front and 130/80/17 rear) They are mint and new, but I have no interest in her safety relying on a pair of "Sakura Street Shark" tires. I will sell them off.

I want to switch them out for a pair of Bridgestone 090's. These come on Yamaha's new WR250X supermotard, and get great reviews.

Rear size= 140/70R17 M/C 66H TL- it fits 3.5-4.5" rims, but is recommended for a 3.5" rim
Front size = 110/70R17 M/C 54H TL - it fits 2.75-3.5" rims but is reccommended for a 3.0" rim

Anyone tried this yet?

My only concern is that the stamping on the front wheel is 2.15" x 17". A little narrow.

Will an EX500 front wheel directly swap over onto a ZZR250?

[kkim]

I've used those exact tires in those exact sizes on my new gen. They worked great.

What's her riding level experience and intended use? The Pirelli Sport Demons are a great choice, too, for a sticky tire that works well on our bikes.

[Alex]

Rumor was the only 090's still being made for the US are now the tubed type, not the tubeless type. The replacement for the 090's for street-based bikes are the BT-003RS's.

[kkim]

as far as I know, they've always been labeled tubed type... at least the ones for the Yammie was. I used the tubed type tires w/o tubes and had no problems with them.

[omnivore]

Originally Posted by kkim

as far as I know, they've always been labeled tubed type... at least the ones for the Yammie was. I used the tubed type tires w/o tubes and had no problems with them.

Bridgestone lists both tubed and untubed on their site. The tubless rear is suggested for a half inch narrower rim than the tubed one. No idea why though.

I suspect the new gen has a slightly wider front rim than the ZZR does. It should be stamped into the casting. Anyone care to take a peek for me?

She is a beginner rider. I read alot about the sport demons but it is my understanding that they are bias construction. I would prefer to use a radial tire if possible. Don't want to use a tire as aggressive as the 003 RS, as it's construction isn't designed for good traction in the rain as the 090. I am considering having the front rim widened 3/4 of an inch to accomodate the 110/70 front tire better. Or maybe trying to stick an EX500 rim on, if I can find out if they are compatible.

[kkim]

No disrespect, but if your wife is just learning, perhaps a bias ply tires would be "better" for her. My bike came with bt45 bias ply tires stock and I loved those tires for how sure footed they made the bike feel. When I switched to the bt090 radials, I noticed how much faster/easier the bike "fell" into turns compared to the bt45s. The radials gives the bike a much different feel transitioning into a turn. Perhaps too easy for a person just learning to ride.

Only when pushed really hard did I start to feel the limits of the bt45s. I doubt your wife will be pushing the bike as hard I have with the 45s in the near future. I mentioned the SD due to them being even stickier than the bt45s, but still retaining a very stock feel. I know people that have installed SDs and are very happy with them up and down canyon roads.

[omnivore]

Biggest issue is rain use. There simply isn't a bias tire tire that clomes close to radials in the rain

She hopes to ride with me, and I don't fairweather ride. I will pack up bike and trailer and head for a 1800 mile weekend in the mountains, rgardless of what weather I may enconter.

[kkim]

Originally Posted by omnivore

Biggest issue is rain use. There simply isn't a bias tire tire that clomes close to radials in the rain

that's the first time I've heard that... interesting. I would think tread pattern and tire compound would have more of an effect on how well a tire does in the rain vs tire construction.

[omnivore]

radial tire carcasses are typically much more maleable so they conform to the road's surface better, giving larger cntact patch while still allowing long tire life.

Also because tire lifespan is greater, they often can use a softer and more silica rich compound to get equal lifespan to a harder compound bias tire. Similar lifespan, with greater comfort and ride, faster warmup and much better rain grip from soft silica compounds.

[kkim]

thanks, learn something new everyday.

perhaps you can install a front wheel from a new gen? the are listed at 2.75" in width.

Rim Size:
Front 17 × 2.75
Rear 17 × 3.50

[omnivore]

That's my hope. Or an EX500 is a 3.00 inch wide too, with identical brake rotor as the ZZR250 too.

Is a newgen speedo driven off the front wheel or countersahft sprocket sensor?

[Alex]

Driven off of the front wheel.

[dale-j]

Originally Posted by omnivore

I suspect the new gen has a slightly wider front rim than the ZZR does. It should be stamped into the casting. Anyone care to take a peek for me?

The ZZR250 has a 2.15 front rim with a 100/80-17 tire and a 3.50 rear rim with a 140/70

The new gen 250r has a 2.75 front rim with a 110/70 and a 3.50 rear rim with a 130/70.

I too wonder as to whether a 110/70 is acceptable on a 2.15 in the front, as the only tire stocked locally (Vancouver, BC) in 100/80 is the AM26 and I'd prefer something stickier.

[omnivore]

Been a while since I have been on here:
But after a couple Deals Gap trips this yr, I have some insight from a fellow rider.
His name is Keith and has come to deals Gap with me three times, for a week each trip.
Last yr he had a Ninja 650 on PR2s....but it was his forrst trip on genuinely twisty roads. He improved alot over the course of the week.
Back home his wife dropped the 650, and since they only have 1 car, either he or his wife have to ride the bike to work. She insisted the bike was too heavy and refused to ride it. So they had to either buy a second car or a smaller bike...not both. They can only have 2 vehicles int heir household for financial reasons....so Keith had to concede and buy a smaller bike if he wanted to continue being able to ride.
He traded the 650 for a 2010 250R, and immediately tossed the IRC tires. He did some research before buying. He asked what I thought, and I advised him on 090s or 016s......but he ended up buying Sport Demons.

Of our group of 6 bikes at Deals Gap in Oct, Keith was the one who was always right behind me as I led. Funny, since some of the riders in our group have been riding for a long time, and Keith is only in his 2nd yr. There was a BAndit 1250, a COncours 1400, a GSXR 750, and a ZX6, as well as my KTM 950 supermoto on Bridgestone 023 touring tires.

On our 2nd last day, Keith was chasing me thru the Dragon and lowsided, undramatically, and was able to pick up the rashed bike and keep riding. However, it was what I like to call and "honest crash". He simply ran out of tire. Not hanging off the bike definitely contributed to his crash, but I also think the stiff bias ply carcass had something to do with his sudden loss of traction.

[CynicalC]

You're trying way too hard to blame the tires here.

[Skippii]

a bike using suspension designed for bias tires will handle better than the same bike with radial tires. It's not a matter of radial tires being better than bias ply. It's a matter of using tires that work best for your bike.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by omnivore

it was what I like to call and "honest crash". He simply ran out of tire. Not hanging off the bike definitely contributed to his crash, but I also think the stiff bias ply carcass had something to do with his sudden loss of traction.

bikes don't crash themselves. if you are trying to take a hard corner, are not leaning off the bike, and lowside because you slam the side of the bike into the ground and high-center it on the peg or exhaust, i would say thats a classic new rider mistake. not an "honest crash". if you want to ride over your limits, you should do it in an environment that is safe for you to screw up in. a track.

if you want to blame anything, blame the rider not using his leg as a measuring stick. blame the rider not leaning off his bike. blame the rider trying to learn in an environment unsuitable for training.

i'm not trying to be a dick. but i hate when people blame tires or their bike for a crash. tires dont crash a bike. bikes dont even crash bikes. riders crash bikes.


theres also nothing wrong with sport demons, or IRC tires if you respect what they are.

[TnNinjaGirl]

Do MotoGP bikes use radial or bias-ply tires?

[omnivore]

There simply isn't a bia ply tire made that is on par performance wise, to it's radial counterpart.

When Keith crashed (no I am not blaming tires....he was over-riding) I think he may have had more traction left in reserve for screw-ups, had been on better rubber.

No one races modern bikes on bias ply tires..I wonder why?

[Skippii]

Because modern bikes are designed to run best on radial tires. The shock, the forks, and even the frame are designed to work with the way radial tires handle. If you can dig up motorcycle magazines from 10-15 years ago, they'll have all the track tests and expert interviews and manufacturer recommendations when people first questioned this. After a few years, most people got bored of explaining this and stopped talking about it. That doesn't mean the question hasn't been answered.
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[Skippii]