Your Favorite Tires for PreGen

[coondog]

Originally Posted by kchava

Great! Thanks for your input. I spoke to the local shop and they say they charge $40 per tire on the bike and $20 off. I was quoted for OEM Dunlop 630 tires, Front - $70 and Rear - $90. Does this seem fair to you guys? How does that brand last?

Those tires are just rim protectors. Get the best for less, Pirelli MT75's. They're one of I think two sizes of actual motorcycle tires that are sized for this bike. 120/80-16 and 100/80-16. they have a soft enough compound for a great commute and are inexpensive enough to not have to worry about mileage. I do recommend checking air pressure quite regularly and personally I've never put under 32lbs. in any tire. Lots of folks seem to go 28psi up front, even on commuters (high speeds).

[JeffM]

If you are on a budget, The Pirelli Diablo Scooter tires are pretty good. They come in the stock sizes. I have them and like them a lot. They are better on the freeway as they do not follow the grooves in the road.

Here is my post at ninja250.org about installing them - link

And my initial ride report with the Pirelli tires.

[FrugalNinja250]

Originally Posted by Alex

That's some incredible mileage! What does the front look like after 23,000 miles?

As soon as the ice and snow melts I'll post a picture. Here's what it looked like at 21k just after I got back from Georgia last fall:



Put two plugs in at 16k, holding up fine. About the only issue is cupping, it makes the handling a little odd sometimes and it doesn't track as straight as when they were new. No biggie, small price to pay to not have to spend $200 o tires every 5-8K miles.

[kchava]

I checked out Pirelli on Amazon. There are some cheaper tires on there.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...+mt+75&x=0&y=0

Do the front and rear wheels have to be the same size?

[sombo]

Yes and no. They are both on 16" rims but are different in width. The rear tire is wider then the front.

[darrell85]

I put on perelli diablo scooter tires this past summer, after wearing out the oem's and I love them. the comperison to the oem tires is like night and day. You will be very happy if you dont go back to the stock tires. I notice a huge difference expecially on windy days, they grip the road soo much better.

[LilBrat]

I know this is an older post, but I want to thank you for the info. on the Kenda tires. Since this posting, have you replaced them with the same? I picked up a 2002 Ninja earlier this year with only 1,200 original miles. The original Dunlops look new but I know they need to be replaced ASAP. I use this bike around town and to commute to work (16 miles/day). I LOVE this bike!

[hazelberg]

Just bought my 06 Ninja 250 and I'm new to the whole motorcycle scene. I need to buy a new set of tires and need some suggestions on the best for the money

[sombo]

Pirelli sport demons.

[greg737]

A Pirelli Sport Demon on the front and a Pirelli Diablo Scooter on the back is my favorite setup so far.

[Skippii]

Shinko 712 on the rear. I've got 11,000 miles on mine, and that includes riding Deals Gap/The dragon a bunch of times and other high-rubber-consumption activities.

It's not the best tire, or the grippiest, and definately not the best in the rain, but it's decent at everything and a solid all-rounder that lasts a very long time...aka best for the money.

Front...Pirelli MT75. And the rear MT75 is probably a close second to the Shinko. Slightly cheaper, slightly grippier, but half the mileage.


One important consideration: If you only ride 3,000 miles a year or so, your tires will probably rot before you wear out the tread. Buy the MT75s.

[FrugalNinja250]

I run Kenda K671s front and rear. Tend to get well over 20K on the front and nearly 20K on the rear. Traction is good wet or dry. I primarily commute and don't race, so have yet to reach the traction limits of my Kendas. My last pair I got for $110 shipped more or less.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Skippii

Shinko 712 on the rear. I've got 11,000 miles on mine, and that includes riding Deals Gap/The dragon a bunch of times and other high-rubber-consumption activities.

I've gotten about 11k+ on my SD's. Had to replace the rear when it got 2 screws in it, otherwise it would still be on the bike. The front SD has been on for nearly 14k at least and still has tread life in her.

[Dragone]

One important consideration: If you only ride 3,000 miles a year or so, your tires will probably rot before you wear out the tread. Buy the MT75s.

That is an important consideration for sure. Traction is also degraded as time goes by.

Since I either track or ride fairly aggressively, I prefer to replace the tires every year with around 5000 miles on them or so. The best bang for the buck for my riding expectations are with the pirelli sport demons.

[choneofakind]

I like my BT45's. They stick like glue in the dry or wet, and I have about 6k on them, and they still have plenty of tread. Only complaint is that the front tire seems to be scalloping. Might want to go Pirelli Sport Demon front and BT45 rear.

FWIW, I plan on going to Pirelli Diablo scooter tires next time I get new tires. I'm not considerably worried about longevity since I don't ride tons of miles per season, and the Diablo rear costs a little over half what the BT45 rear costs

[Skippii]

Sport demons are great tires as well. The only reason I don't like them is because they're big and heavy. Slower acceleration was the most noticable thing due to diameter. Of course, I'm on gearing #5 now, so I'm picky about these things.
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[choneofakind]

That's the same conclusion that I came to. They feel slow-ish in a straight line, but sticky and quick in turns, so I went 14/47 today with my new chain and sprockets, and I plan to get tires that have a 130/80-16 in the rear instead of a 130/90-16

[JLinde1339]

Originally Posted by Skippii

Sport demons are great tires as well. The only reason I don't like them is because they're big and heavy. Slower acceleration was the most noticable thing due to diameter. Of course, I'm on gearing #5 now, so I'm picky about these things.
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That's the reason I went with the MT75's. Got em 120/80 for the rear. Slightly smaller than what the bike came with and the recommended specs for the rim. I'll report back once I have em on and ridden them a bit. Little cold now...
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[Skippii]

Originally Posted by JLinde1339

That's the reason I went with the MT75's. Got em 120/80 for the rear. Slightly smaller than what the bike came with and the recommended specs for the rim. I'll report back once I have em on and ridden them a bit. Little cold now...
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I believe the bike originally shipped with 120/80-16 on the rear. They changed the tire a quite a few years ago, but the rim is the same--they designed the rim with the 120 width tire intended, though either size is equally safe on the rim.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Skippii

I believe the bike originally shipped with 120/80-16 on the rear. They changed the tire a quite a few years ago, but the rim is the same--they designed the rim with the 120 width tire intended, though either size is equally safe on the rim.

No, it's always been a 130/80-16.

[JLinde1339]

I forget if I read that here or the 250 wiki, but the rims were designed for a 120. Kawi decided somewhere, sometime to shoehorn a 130 on there. I didn't see what they shipped with, or when they stopped coming with 120s as stock, but it was the weight and handling that steered me (pun intended, haha, hah.... :| )to the 120s.
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[Skippii]

Originally Posted by sombo

No, it's always been a 130/80-16.

Really?
Hm. I really thought it originally came with 120.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Skippii

Really?
Hm. I really thought it originally came with 120.

When I first started looking at them the new (pre-gen) ones on the show room floor had 130's. And all I can find on them is them having 130's while the E model before it had the 120's.

[Skippii]

Originally Posted by sombo

When I first started looking at them the new (pre-gen) ones on the show room floor had 130's. And all I can find on them is them having 130's while the E model before it had the 120's.

Yeah, that's what I was saying--the EX250E and EX250F use the same rims.

[JLinde1339]

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Do_120-...on_the_rear%3F

There it is. I knew I read it somewhere...
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[sombo]

Originally Posted by Skippii

Yeah, that's what I was saying--the EX250E and EX250F use the same rims.

Well the E model is not the same bike we all call the pre-gen. That bike was part of the previous generation which ended in 88 when they came out with the F model that had quite a few differences, including having a 130 rear tire from the start.

[sombo]

Was just looking at tires online and I have to say good luck trying to get a 100/80-16 front with a matching 120/80-16 rear. I found one set in those sizes, the Dunlop K330's. Otherwise, you will have to mix tires in order to get those sizes. The stock oem tires from Dunlop are 100/80-16 front and 130/80-16 rear. Besides, those tires are not that good for grip.

[JLinde1339]

I got the MT75s and those were the only ones I could find a matching set of 100/80 front and 120/80 rear. Motorcycle Superstore.
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[n4mwd]

Pirelli sport scooters are good tires for learning because they are pretty sticky. The down side is that they wear out quick. I had to change mine after 7K miles. Now I'm running Pirelli Sport Demons. So far they seem pretty good. I haven't tried them in the rain yet, but dry they work great. Most folks I have heard say they should last 20K.

[Alex]

FWIW, I never got more than 5k miles out of the Sport Demons on a pre-gen or new-gen ninjette, so mileage estimates vary widely depending on use. Still find them great-handling, more than grippy enough, and they wear evenly.

[n4mwd]

Sport demons are about twice the price of sport scooters. If they only last about the same, next time I'll go with the scooters again. I paid about $80 for the set of scooters and $200 for the set of demons.

[Skippii]

Originally Posted by sombo

Well the E model is not the same bike we all call the pre-gen. That bike was part of the previous generation which ended in 88 when they came out with the F model that had quite a few differences, including having a 130 rear tire from the start.

The E and the F model use the same service manual, though there's a supplement to cover the changes on the F model. To me, that indicates that kawasaki does not consider them unrelated models. I'm not claiming they are identical or interchangeable, I'm just saying that...um...wow. Are we really arguing over what bikes the Internet, as a whole, should refer to with the slang term "pregen"? This suddenly seems very pointless, and the '86 has a lot more in common with the other pregen models than my bike has.
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[sombo]

Originally Posted by Skippii

The E and the F model use the same service manual, though there's a supplement to cover the changes on the F model. To me, that indicates that kawasaki does not consider them unrelated models. I'm not claiming they are identical or interchangeable, I'm just saying that...um...wow. Are we really arguing over what bikes the Internet, as a whole, should refer to with the slang term "pregen"? This suddenly seems very pointless, and the '86 has a lot more in common with the other pregen models than my bike has.

Well this should help a little on what the differences are:

For the 1988 model year, there were both cosmetic changes and changes in engine tuning. While the bore and stroke, and other major engine components, were unchanged, minor tuning adjustments were made. The carburetor diameters were reduced 2 mm to 30 mm (1.2 in), the cylinder compression ratio was increased from 12.0:1 to 12.4:1, ignition timing advance was increased, and the rear sprocket was increased by three teeth to 45. Reviewers reported that this made the engine more free-revving, reaching the high 14,000 redline more quickly, and the tested top speed increased by a few miles per hour. The new, more fully enclosed bodywork was complimented for being stylish, at the time, and easily mistaken for the larger Ninja 750.

The third generation of production of the Ninja 250 encompassed three models:

EX250-F - The most widespread EX250 variant, the E model was completely revamped and sold as the F model between 1988 and 2007 in the United States. Canada received the model between 1988 and 1999, and it was available elsewhere as the GPX-250R as early as 1987.

EX250-G - Sold only in its home market of Japan, this version was known as the GPX-250R-II. It featured dual front brakes and a wider wheel and tire (110/80-16). All other parts were identical to the -F model. It was sold after 1988.

EX250-H - This model came to Canada as the Ninja 250R between 2000 and 2002, after which it received a new name: ZZR-250, in line with the -H model's name elsewhere in the world, where it had existed since 1992. This motorcycle has few parts in common with the -F model, though it shares the same engine, albeit with different casings. It sports a lateral aluminum frame, a different fairing (designed to make it look sportier), larger 17-inch wheels, an adjustable rear shock absorber, adjustable brake and clutch levers, a smaller drive sprocket, computer-controlled timing advance, and a revised electrical system.

Yes, they have more in common from the second to the third then from third to fourth, but there were still quite a number of differences. The second gen looks a little more like the 500 in the way the body looks.

The EX250-E:



The EX250-F:



The EX250-H:



The EX250-J:




From what I have found out from Kawasaki mechanics, the only real difference between your 2005 and my 1994 is the electrical system due to them changing the ignition system in 1995. So I can't use your electrical systems, but other than that everything else is swappable. However, there is less that is swappable with the E model.

[Alex]

Holy crap people. This is a which tires should I buy thread. I prescribe 100 miles of twisties to you both. Go!

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Alex

Holy crap people. This is a which tires should I buy thread. I prescribe 100 miles of twisties to you both. Go!

Ummm yah, I live in central Florida, twisties.... not so much.

[Alex]

I see the problem.

[n4mwd]

There's a road down here that has a succession of roundabouts. That's about as twisty as it gets here. I've got a road trip planned for deals gap this spring. That should do it.

[Skippii]

From what I have found out from Kawasaki mechanics, the only real difference between your 2005 and my 1994 is the electrical system due to them changing the ignition system in 1995. So I can't use your electrical systems, but other than that everything else is swappable.

My bike has 37mm forks, 17" front rim, different shock, different brake rotor size and calipers, luggage racks that are welded to the frame, etc. That's what I meant. Also, my front brakes don't work very well right now, so I really shouldn't be doing any twisties until Iget a new rotor. I did do 150 yesterday using only the rear brake.
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[jasle]

We have some IRC RoadWinners on our 09. We have done some track days with them and they are quite sticky even in the cold. One day was about 40ºF outside and after one warmup lap they were nice and sticky. With about 3k miles on them a ton of meat left. probably 1/4 used.
If you are not a serious tracker I would Highly recommend them. Price point is pretty good also.

[sombo]

Originally Posted by Skippii

My bike has 37mm forks, 17" front rim, different shock, different brake rotor size and calipers, luggage racks that are welded to the frame, etc. That's what I meant. Also, my front brakes don't work very well right now, so I really shouldn't be doing any twisties until Iget a new rotor. I did do 150 yesterday using only the rear brake.
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Oh, lol. Didn't know you had made that many modifications to your pregen hehehe. Now it makes a little more sense.