SuzukiSavage.com - Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?

botticelli

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Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
05/05/15 at 19:55:30

The ryca kit, and the ryca store specs a

Kenda Cruiser K671 130/70-18 Rear Tire
http://shop.rycamotors.com/rear_tire.html

Based on the chart Dave has passed around, attached.

The 130/70 is incorrectly sized??? Shocked

for the 2.5 inch wide 18 inch diameter rim the ryca kit provides.

Perhaps a 110/90 or 120/90 or 130/90 would be a better choice, and give a better tire profile when mounted.

I am exploring going with these from AVON, as my rear kenda has been used up...

http://www.avonmoto.com/products/street-bias/roadrider

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Dave

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Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
Reply #1 - 05/06/15 at 03:35:22

Absolutely....the common tire fitted to the back of the RYCA is too big for the rim. The 130 tire is supposed to be on a 3.50 inch rim.....and if you mount it on a 2.5 inch rim the beads are pulled together a full inch closer together than they are supposed to be. This results in a tread cross section that is too arched, and it rolls the tread over onto the sidewall where you can't ever hope to use it. When you squeeze the 130 tire onto a 2.5 inch rim the tire is only 116mm wide......while the 110 tire is 110mm wide on that same rim - you gain very little width when you squeeze the wider tire on the narrow rim, and you make a tread profile that violates what the tire was made to do. On my first tire the center tread wore out faster than I believe it should have....as the tread profile is just too arched.

You need to be a little bit careful with the "90" profile tires - as the diameter of the tire is getting a bit large for some of those sizes you listed. If you get much over a 635-640mm diameter you may have to clearance the swing arm. Pick a tire that has a 2.50 rim within the recommended width.....I believe the 110/80-18 tire is the proper sized rear tire for the Cafe' conversion to the Savage on the 2.50-18 rim.

Here is a post I made about a year ago....when I realized the 130 width tire squeezed onto a 2.5 inch rim just doesn't make sense. There is a photo of my bike cornering that shows how the tread is rolled up on the sidewall on the back tire....and you can try your hardest but you will never get a street bike leaned over far enough to use that tread that is now on the side of the tire.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1405961486/0

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« Last Edit: 05/06/15 at 05:40:49 by Dave »

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Dave

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Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
Reply #2 - 05/06/15 at 05:51:21

Here is a photo of my bike in a corner withe the 100/90-18 front tire and the 130/70-18 rear tire on the 2.50-18 rear rim. You can see the rear tire has the tread rolled over onto the sidewall where it cannot be used. The front tire "chicken strip" is only about 1/4 inch - while the rear tire has almost a full 1 inch of tread that is not being used. The tire tread profile in the back has too much radius as a result of being squeezed on too narrow of a rim. The 130/70 tire is supposed to be on a 3.50" wide rim....and is not recommended to be used on anything less than 3.00" in most tire fitment charts.

Does it work OK....Yes. Is it optimal....probably not. I believe the tire wore out the center of the tread faster than it should have.

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justin_o_guy2

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Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
Reply #3 - 05/06/15 at 08:01:36

The wear of the rear was THE Single biggest dissatisfaction I had.
I used the Dayton, wanna say 140/90, but rim stock. Chicken strips were nonexistent as far as I remember. The end cap on the pegs was so worn off I was afraid they were gonna fall off. I hadda stitch the rubber on my right peg because it was cut thru about 1/3rd of the way in from dragging. Baling wire held it.

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botticelli

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Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
Reply #4 - 05/06/15 at 13:46:27

Dave,

Here is the way I see it... What it really comes down to is the choice for the Rear rim width, and tire size.

The good thing about a 2.5 or 2.15 in the front is that both can run the correct sizes in question. The 90/90 18 and the 100/90 18.
If you really wanted more tire up front, most tire charts I have found state the a 110/80 and a 110/90 will be ok on both(2.15 and 2.5) of the front rim widths.

Can you go into further detail when you say the 100/90 is too tall? This just aesthetics? At 90mm it is really close to the height of the 110/80 at 88mm that I am considering up front.

To anyone changing from the factory 19 rim, I recommend changing to a 2.5-18 for the most tire option compatibility in the front.
As you mentioned, any new builders, may want to hold off on front fender fabrication until you find one of these front 4 tire sizes that works for you and your bike. (Although I now get wet, and the bike gets dirty, I'm planning on making my front fender once.)

Now onto the rear.... Dave I am interested in hearing your results in comparing the 130/70-18 tire on a 3.50-18 and the 110/80-18 on the 2.5-18.
Just a guess Shocked, but I think you will find enough tire for the bike with either choice. One may look better, or worse to different people,

Personally I like the narrow tire look front and back.
But, I am more interested, if your up for it, for you to try another combination.
Front: 100/80-18 on 2.5-18
Rear: 110/80-18 on 2.5-18

I'm curious and wondering about the possibility on running the same size front and back. 110/80-18 The Avon Road runner in this size is approved for both front and rear applications.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MQ6KRO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&c...

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Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
Reply #5 - 05/06/15 at 18:57:40

I believe the 100/90-18 is too tall of a tire for the front for aesthetic reasons....as the sidewalls look taller than the ones on the rear, and I also believe that running a 90/90 or 100/80 will make for less weight in the tire, and also drop the front end a bit and make for a tiny better fork angle. (It might look OK as a match to the 130 tire on the 3.50 rim). I also switched when I went to the Bridgestone Battlax BT45 tire as it is impossible to get the 100/90-18 tire in the US...even though it is a common size in the UK.

My current rear tire is a 110/80-18 tire....and it is a good match for either the 90/90-18 or the 100/80-18 on the front.

The combinations I will be able to try mixing and matching are a 90/90 and 100/80 front (on 2.15 rims), and a 110/80-18 rear on a 2.50 rim and a 130/70-18 on a 3.50 rim.

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botticelli Junior Member Offline Custom Savage Build Coming! Posts: 66 Boston	Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size? Reply #6 - 05/06/15 at 20:09:30 Thanks Dave, my ears will be pressed to the tarmac...
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Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size?
Reply #7 - 05/07/15 at 05:26:09

botticelli wrote on 05/06/15 at 13:46:27:

I'm curious and wondering about the possibility on running the same size front and back. 110/80-18 The Avon Road runner in this size is approved for both front and rear applications.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MQ6KRO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&c...

Last night I met some fellows for dinner and there were some really cool bikes there. A couple of modern Triumph Scramblers, 2 Ducati's, a BMW GS and an R90, a Kawasaki W650. On the way out I followed the BMW R90 that was built in the mid 70's, and I couldn't help but notice how skinny the rear tire looked in comparison to the more modern bikes. The BMW has a 4.00-18 rear tire....about what a 100/90 tire would be.

I feel the 110/80-18 is just a lot more tire than is needed on the front of the Savage, and even the 100/90-18 just looks too big on the front for my taste. It makes me think of the vintage Harleys/Indian Police bikes that folks would strip the fender offs and ride....or the current Harley 48 model. My 750 pound Honda ST1100 (almost 1,100 pounds with my wife and I riding double with 7 gallons of fuel) has a 110/80 front tire on it.....and that is just a whole lot more tire than the Savage Cafe' needs on the front. The larger tire will slow the steering down...however if that is the look you want it....I don't believe it will make the bike unsafe.

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botticelli Junior Member Offline Custom Savage Build Coming! Posts: 66 Boston	Re: Ryca Rear tire the wrong size? Reply #8 - 05/07/15 at 13:42:47 I think some experimenting of my own is in order up at the front end. I might get another front hub and lace it up to quickly be able to swap back and forth... Went ahead and got the 110/80 for the rear. Definitely should be an improvement over the incorrectly sized 130 kenda.
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