Thanks, Serobot; you're awesome

I assume you mean the lightness of the bike is an advantage.

Yeah, that rear tire has so much tread on it. I gather that those Metzlers are notorious for getting old and hard before they actually wear out. I am trying to get some use out of it before I finally have to break over and throw it away (what a shame). I am trying not to start a money pit. (I guess I had better not buy a Harley anytime soon , or any plastic-laden sportbike, for that matter. I have been considering a 140/90-15 for better highway performance or a 130/90-15 otherwise. Does the 140/90 have better handling, stability, or safety than the stock 140/80 size or is it worse because it is bigger? I don't mind changing the bolts on the sissy bar for clearance as I had to buy bolts for that thing already. Is clearance/rubbing going to be an issue, considering lumps, bumps, potholes, loading, shock settings, and mud in the fenders?

Thanks alot for the vent tube advice. That was helpful.

As far as the compressed air was concerned, I wasn't really a fan of the idea anyway--seemed a bit fruitless. I think he was going to do it with the fuel line off the carb, so the diaphragms wouldn't be involved. You may have a point about the tank seam, assuming he can even get a good enough seal on the tank using an old rag to actually break the tank. I doubt I'll let him do it anyway.

Thanks, Dave

I am wondering how the 140/90 actually handles compared to the 140/80. Do you have any experience with that? I am really interested in a little taller gearing for the highway; however, I have never actually taken it on the Interstate before, so I don't really need it yet. I do wonder about a little taller gearing like a taller tire or chain conversion combined with a custom made 5th gear. It'll do 70 no problem when its running right, and its not really uncomfortable, though the engine does start to whine a little going that fast. The thought of doing around 4700 rpm constantly on an engine that peaks around 5400 and redlines at 6500 has me wondering. I do wish that 4th and 5th were spaced a little farther apart.

On the other hand, if I make the overall gearing too much taller, I may have lugging issues going up steep hills/rough terrain at low speeds.

cheapnewb24 wrote on 11/03/15 at 14:35:02:


A custom fifth gear would be nice.....although most people would not be qualified or willing to remove and disassemble the engine just to change fifth gear.

Until you start doing a lot of 70+ mph traveling, you don't need to worry about gearing changes, and with gearing changes a bit of a HP increase is helpful as well.  If you ride less than 70 mph the stock gearing does just fine.

It is possible to use a Kawasaki pulley on the engine to bump up the gearing a bit - but it does take some machine work on the pulley.  It is also possible to use a Kawasaki rear pulley on the back for even more of a change.  However....this is something to explore later when you have a bike that actually runs reliably.

I currently run a 140/90 rear. There is no benefit except very slightly lower rpm at highway speed, the Savage is, like most cruisers, over-tired for looks from the factory
For comparison, my now sold XS1100, a 600lb bike with 95 HP, ran a 130/90/18, with no traction issues
that's 1 1/2 Savages, with 3x the power, on a narrower tire
Some riders, myself included, have noticed a LOSS of top end in hotter weather with the bigger tire. For me the clearance issue was slight, and cranking up the spring preload fixed it, and that's with saddlebag brackets on the rear
I plan on going to the 130/90 next, I need all the help I can get in the curves
(THEY CALL ME CAPTAIN SLOW  )
*also captain unintended capslock

The important thing about getting a tire, is to get one that fits the rim.  When you put a wide tire on that was not made to fit on a narrow rim, you pull the side walls in and make the tread cross section too round, and you wear out the center of the tread too soon and get a tire that feels like if "flops" over when you begin the turns.

Here is a link to my discussion on the "Too Wide" tire for a Cafe' conversion using the 18x2.50 rear rim.
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1435340395

For the stock 15x3.25 rim any of the tire sizes you mentioned are suitable to fit on the rim, and will work.  The 140/90-15 is obviously the biggest and heaviest and it will slow the bike down a bit as the mass makes it less willing to change speed or direction.  However....the actual changes aren't going to make a night and day difference to a new rider.....the bike will ride just fine with any of the tires and you most likely won't be able to tell the difference in a week or two after you adapt to the new tire.

Dirt bike use wide tires if they want to float on top of mud/sand, and narrow tires if they want to cut through the slop and get to the firm dirt underneath.  Any tire that you can buy that fits the Savage rim is going to be a pavement tire, and not so good on gravel or mud.  Cruiser tires tend to have a lot of rubber and a smooth design down the center to get good tire mileage and quiet running - and it will be slick in the mud.  For best traction in mud you need to get some tread down the center of the tire....however you are not going to find a tire for this bike that is going to be able to "dig in" to dirt/mud.  I still believe the 130/90-15 is the best tire size for you as it will help the tire to get through the slick mud on top and down into the dirt underneath, and it also gets you a wider selection of tires to choose from. There is very little to choose from in the 140/80 stock size, a better selection in the 130/90 size, and the largest selection in the 140/90 size.

Pirelli MT 66 is cheap, a good tire, and comes in 130/90 last I checked
A 100/90 would steer sharply indeed
I don't think tire size matters a spit in a hurricane so far as being blown around on the highway, that's more down to bike size / weight / design, and not really an issue anyway, since the bike will correct any blowing around itself if you let it

cheapnewb24 wrote on 11/04/15 at 09:56:58:


While logically I can see how you can justify this, but I don't think it's true.
If the tires are more responsive, then less control is required to keep it straight.
Beast feels like a precision tool compared to the stocker.  She goes exactly where pointed.
90/90-19 and 130/90-15 plus other things  

Here's an interesting link to the Rebel forum. http://www.rebel250.com/rebelforum/viewtopic.php?p=176629 From what I gather the rear rim size is the same on the Rebel, and the factory tire is 130/90-15.