Bigger rear tire for the 250r?

[NinjaFLYBY]

does anybody know what is the biggest sized tires i can purchase for my 250 without modding the rims/bike/ect? Ive seen some dunlop 150/70/17 on the web and they seem alright, but is there any bigger ones out there?

[Live2ride]

I wouldn't go over 150. Just remember that putting a larger sized tire on the stock rim will effect handling. If you put anything larger than a 150 I think it would effect the handling drastically...in a bad way of course.

[DEXSPEED]

150 is the max

[choneofakind]

Slightly ignorant question here:

why are there so many riders on newgens that want the biggest rear tire possible, even when many of the 150 width tires pinch in the rim and cause a funky, non-uniform profile? That's going to make the contact patch even smaller on some lean angles right? My bike still has 130 width tires and I've never had any problem with lean angles. Is this for vanity or is there some kind of benefit I'm not seeing? I mean if it allows you to use a radial instead of a bias-ply I can see that maybe helping some, but wouldn't a sticky tire in the size that doesn't pinch be the best option for grip+contact patch? From what I've read, a 140 doesn't pinch at all. Maybe you should look into a 140 instead of a 150?

[NinjaFLYBY]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Slightly ignorant question here:

why are there so many riders on newgens that want the biggest rear tire possible, even when many of the 150 width tires pinch in the rim and cause a funky, non-uniform profile? That's going to make the contact patch even smaller on some lean angles right? My bike still has 130 width tires and I've never had any problem with lean angles. Is this for vanity or is there some kind of benefit I'm not seeing? I mean if it allows you to use a radial instead of a bias-ply I can see that maybe helping some, but wouldn't a sticky tire in the size that doesn't pinch be the best option for grip+contact patch? From what I've read, a 140 doesn't pinch at all. Maybe you should look into a 140 instead of a 150?

Thanks for your input, but when people get into new hobbies such as i, People are in need of information that they don't know. So people who know more about this help guys out like me after viewing ignorant threads like mine lol. I just read 150 would be the max..and thats all i needed to know to justify my question.

[Cab305]

It's strictly cosmetic. The factory 130 looks like it came off a bicycle.

There are some things you can do that help. I found that adding contrasting rim tape - white in my case. Going with the 140 tire also helps. Sportisi, Ztrack is getting some rims that will fit a 150 without pinching it. But you can't go bigger with out a swing arm conversion, thats a lot of money to look cool. (won't help handling)

[NinjaFLYBY]

Originally Posted by Cab305

It's strictly cosmetic. The factory 130 looks like it came off a bicycle.

There are some things you can do that help. I found that adding contrasting rim tape - white in my case. Going with the 140 tire also helps. Sportisi, Ztrack is getting some rims that will fit a 150 without pinching it. But you can't go bigger with out a swing arm conversion, thats a lot of money to look cool. (won't help handling)

your absolutely right bro..its all for looks. OEM rims? Where?

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Cab305

It's strictly cosmetic. The factory 130 looks like it came off a bicycle.

Right, but the wider and heavier tire actually makes it harder to turn in, and that takes away from one of the best parts of the 250; the ability to flick it around through turns.

[setasai]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Right, but the wider and heavier tire actually makes it harder to turn in, and that takes away from one of the best parts of the 250; the ability to flick it around through turns.

True but to each their own. As far as riding it's harder, but for safety, 150 is the largest and that's the answer. I believe this has been covered several times, a simple search probably would yield even more details since the topic has been discussed a few times as it is and there isnt much more to be said. Still though, be sure to have fun.

[choneofakind]

but if you ABSOLUTELY must go with a 150, a lot of guys like the Bridgestone Bt-016. It's relatively narrow for a 150.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...light=150+rear

and if you're looking for information, there's a search bar (sorry. couldn't resist being a smart-@$$)

[sherjay]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Slightly ignorant question here:
I mean if it allows you to use a radial instead of a bias-ply I can see that maybe helping some

How is radial tires more beneficial than bias-ply? Honest question here.

[choneofakind]

They flex more and allow better contact with the ground IIRC from what I've read on tires

[Alex]

/moved to newgen tech

[speedgsx98]

You really should stick with the stock width size tire. A 150mm rear tire when mounted on the stock narrow rim will put the tread at nearly a 90 degree angle. It will make for a very poor handling bike that has unpredictable and dangerously small footprint at certain lean angles.

There are exceptions. Back in the 80's, Dunlop made a special 160mm tire that was specially molded to fit on a vfr700 with a 3.5" rear rim. It had a really flared sidewall and so the profile was not messed up. But in your case, no such luck =(

[maxwellca21]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

but if you ABSOLUTELY must go with a 150, a lot of guys like the Bridgestone Bt-016. It's relatively narrow for a 150.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...light=150+rear

and if you're looking for information, there's a search bar (sorry. couldn't resist being a smart-@$$)

why are you posting on a newgen section? you got a 1999

[AMMOCAN]

Originally Posted by maxwellca21

why are you posting on a newgen section? you got a 1999

I am not sure, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think that what is listed under 'Motorcycle(s)' on the left hand side of a member's post has any significance to his/her knowledge, as knowledge can be gained in several different ways. Also, maybe he is like one of many, who contribute on here even though they no longer have the 250 they once had, wether it be Pre-2008 or Post-2008.

Regardless, I don't remember there being a rule about one not being able to be helpful and contribute to the forum if the thread pertains to a specific make, model, and year motorcycle for which one no longer owns or has not ever owned.

[choneofakind]

I read through every topic of the forum I can, as many things discussed in the newgen forums are applicable to a pregen bike as well. For example, pregens originally had a 120 width rear tire. Then Kawasaki put on a 130 width. Anything over 130 on a pregen stock rim would likely pinch. That sounds like the same discussion here, only with a different size of tire involved.

Besides, tires are universal to all motorcycles. Just because my bike was made in 1999 doesn't mean that the tires on my bike behave any differently on my rim than your tires do. I was simply telling the OP that I thought his decision to go with the biggest baddest tire around to make it look more like a 600 was possibly not beneficial to the handling of the bike. That being said, there are many members of the board who've had good luck with the BT-016 in a 150 size, so I gave the OP a link to that thread.

[kkim]

Chris,

good of you for staying calm with your answer. I don't own a pregen, yet I'm always on that side of the fence answering threads.

[choneofakind]

and your help has been greatly appreciated

[KawiRider]

I bought a set of Michelin Pilot Power tires 110/70 and 150/60 combo, and I will tell you...IT WAS NOT FOR COSMETICS. I often put my Ninjette through it's paces, almost as hard as the bike can go without losing grip. The IRC's were the first thing to go. Michelin does not make a high performance 130/70. The smallest you can get s a 150/60 Pilot power, after that you are in Sport-Touring class tires, which are sometimes as surprising (such is the case with the Pilot Road 2s), but most generally aren't as grippy. My Pilot Powers have the chicken strips as most with a pinched 150 do, but I have no loss of grip at full lean, while hanging off the bike. I can drag my fingers on the road! I do it to show the bigger bikes they ain't $#!+! My friend says the only way he can lose me with his '06 R6 is on the straights, and I start catching him as soon as he hits any twisties... on a 150, mind you..

It also comes down to physics as well. If you have even a slightly bigger contact patch, like the 150 over the 130 , then the weight of the bike is distibuted a little more on the tires offering more stability in corners and stopping (which I know takes some flickability away from our Ninjettes). Please do not confuse this with coefficient of friction! A wider tire alone will not stop you faster than OEM. The materials in the tire are responsible for grabbing the road surface, so the the coefficient of friction is the same if the 150 and 130 tires are made of the same compounds, even with different sized contact patches.

When it comes down to it, we all know the stock IRC tires are not the best ones on the market (bias ply vs. radials arguement), which is why I see almost all of us who are more than commuters upgrading to a grippier stock sized radial set or bigger. If we started a new thread called those who have upgraded from 130 rear tire, it would probably get alot of posts, very quickly, with many testimonials.

All that being said, if you want to reach the shoulder of the tire, don't go higher than a 140. If you want a 150, then for your own @$$, get one with good rubber!

[NinjaFLYBY]

[setasai]

KawiRider, well said. I think that makes this thread closed.

[warlord]

I thought that only the orientation of the contact patch is changed by changing the size of the tires. In order to change the size of the contact patch you need to adjust the weight applied to the tire and/or the amount of air pressure within it...

I agree on the friction point though, it can be confusing but it's certainly spot on.

[KawiRider]

Given the scenario where the tires are the same pressure, the 150 would have a bigger contact patch.. Pressure, humidity, temperature... We know these things all make differences in the size and/or friction of the contact patch. You can see those differences in any race, say when the sun fades in the middle of it.

[Alex]

It's not that straightforward. The size of the contact patch would depend on the angle of lean, in addition to the pressure/static & dynamic weight, etc. In some cases it might be more, in others, it might be less. The more warped the tire profile when placed on the rim, the less likely the tire will behave as designed, and the less likely the contact patch will be predictable. The wider the tire, the more warped it becomes when put on a narrow rim it wasn't designed for. Some 150's seem to fit OK. Others, not so much.

There are unending numbers of "can I put a wide tire on my ninjette?" threads here, and they all end the same way. There is no new ground here.

[warlord]

All things being equal the only things that will change the contact patch is inflation pressure and weight (not considering tread pattern). I know I said "I thought" but I'm not unsure about this; I was basically saying that's not correct nicely.

[KawiRider]

to Alex. I forgot to include tire flex and G-forces on the bike. Pressure and weight are not the only things that change the contact patch either.. What about the torque flex on the tire from the engine? Heat buildup changes the pressure (expands) during a race as well, thus changing the area that touches the pavement and melting your tires. At any given moment here are more factors than just pressure and wieght. The thread could go on and on.. My post was to initially to put that theory of '150 rear tire for cosmetics' to rest. I gotta tell you, I would say that most of us don't replace the stockers JUST to look better. I was not trying to turn " when rubber meets the road" into a debate with Stephen Hawking. Generally, when you have a wider tire, you have a wider contact patch.

If you don't beleive me, get your 130 wet and run it in a straight line..then get your 150 (with the same pressure as th 130) wet and run it in a line.. I will bet 99.9999 percent of the time that the wet print of the 150 will be wider, and wider = bigger contact patch. It isn't rocket science!

[choneofakind]

You're right. It would have a bigger contact patch in a straight line. But the OP wants it for cosmetics.

Originally Posted by NinjaFLYBY

your absolutely right bro..its all for looks

That's why I brought up the profile and turn-in into the discussion; to show that doing this as a cosmetic mod *might* have some side effects that were not originally being taken into account, like reduced turn-in and non-uniform profile from being pinched

[warlord]

Originally Posted by KawiRider

If you don't beleive me, get your 130 wet and run it in a straight line..then get your 150 (with the same pressure as th 130) wet and run it in a line.. I will bet 99.9999 percent of the time that the wet print of the 150 will be wider, and wider = bigger contact patch. It isn't rocket science!

Yes, bigger tire equals wider contact patch vs narrower contact patch on a smaller tire. It's a wider contact patch due to a change in the contact patch shape/orientation it's not a change in the actual contact patch size (area).

You stated the real benefits yourself already, better tire choices and compounds in the 150 size vs the 130. I'm thinking I may want a 150 when the time comes for better reasons than the way the tire looks.

[KawiRider]

If you do get a 150 and want to maintain most of the nimbleness, get a 150/60.. The 150 /70 Metzeler on my girl's ninjette feels alot more sluggish than mine on turn in. My bike runs on rails. I love it!

[wvninja]

Originally Posted by NinjaFLYBY

Thanks for your input, but when people get into new hobbies such as i, People are in need of information that they don't know. So people who know more about this help guys out like me after viewing ignorant threads like mine lol. I just read 150 would be the max..and thats all i needed to know to justify my question.

Search button works ...... sigh

but at any rate why get a bigger tire if you cant use the one you have? If you have nothing but a chicken strip your doing it wrong.

Originally Posted by choneofakind

but if you ABSOLUTELY must go with a 150, a lot of guys like the Bridgestone Bt-016. It's relatively narrow for a 150.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...light=150+rear

and if you're looking for information, there's a search bar (sorry. couldn't resist being a smart-@$$)

X2 LOL

[backinthesaddleagain]

good answer to tire size questions by Trevitt (sp?) in this month's SportRider mag.