Has anyone ever used the portawalls ??? As I’ve read online that the ends fray and even some will wrinkle or like start to lift from the tire itself

Anyone ever used em to say how they are or work pr anything about em ??

ThumperPaul wrote on Yesterday at 14:18:39:

Here's a picture that attempts to explain this issue.
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2F45mm-tires-o...

Notice that the TALLER aspect ratio, with more sidewall material, can better adapt to a narrower rim width than can a lower aspect ratio.  This is reflected on the chart Dave posted.

We've had discussion of tire sizes and rim widths, but nobody has said what Rim Width the factory put on our Savages and S40s.  Can anybody state the factory rim sizes for the benefit of the group?  

https://youtu.be/NhqgtP_GOik?si=FJw2kKL5Q4YQs4WM

ThumperPaul wrote on Yesterday at 19:23:53:


There is more than one chart out there.  I would consult the manufacturer's recommendations for each SPECIFIC tire that I was considering.  Also, as just discussed rim width depends on sidewall height, so stating 180 - 190 presents an incomplete picture.

Each manufacturer decides, possibly for each product, exactly what dimensions the product will have.  Even numbers like width and diameter are only nominal.  Every size has its own mold.  Somebody might well find that a 150/80-15 fits on their bike, but somebody using another make/model of tire might find it won't fit on theirs.  

For example, as you can see on the last chart at this location, a Mettzler 880 in 180/70-15 can be mounted on a 4.75 - 5.5 wide rim, while the 180/70-R16 is supposed to be mounted to 5.0-6.0  
http://kawatriple.com/tire_rim.htm

The Tubed / Tubeless aspect is a whole different issue.  Tires for mounting on tubeless rims and the rims themselves, have different geometry at the point where the rubber meets the rim than do Tubed tires / rims.  Here's a picture that depicts differences in the two representative geometries.
https://cdn.wheel-size.com/filer_public/9e/2f/9e2fe841-b218-4106-a710-9ca1015602
97/tube-tubeless.jpg    But there are not just two different rim geometries either, there are various different geometries for steel vs. cast rims.  This can get quite complicated, and it seems that folks frequently ignore the letter of the law and test their luck with mix and match combinations.

A tire that shifts on the rim and tears off a valve stem, or one that shimmies off the rim under duress is a serious wake up call.  Personally, unless the bike will only be ridden on and off its trailer at the show venue, I'll stay with manufacturer's recommendations.

Any tire can be a white wall.  https://www.amazon.com/Anvil-White-Wall-Tire-Paint/dp/B0798VVCD3    It's 100% an appearance issue, not worth a lot of time and effort in my view, but if I was going to spend time and dollars, it would be in rebuilding my wheel with a 16" rim.  Sourcing 15" tires is a pain, regardless of width.

ThumperPaul wrote on Today at 06:42:04:

The chart that Dave posted looks generic, probably adapted from one or more manufacturer's charts.

You didn't tell us,
 What Kawasaki model you are talking about.
 What tire you want to talk about.

I see "Dunlop" on the tire in the image you posted, and you told us the size.
The Dunlop 160/60-17 I've linked to, calls for the recommended rim as being 4.50, with the alternate being 5.00   https://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com/tire-line/sportmax-roadsmart-iv/

Other manufacturers presumably have manufactured their 160/60 to fit other rim widths, such that these alternatives biased the generic chart larger, and different rim diameters, even of the same manufacturer's tire design, might prefer different rim widths.  Dave's chart doesn't account for rim diameter.

I'd find myself another chart if I had a good reason to disagree with the one I was looking at.

And, I'd suggest a better question, overall, as well as for this forum, is why Suzuki chose to use a 2.75 wide rear rim for the Savage?

It appears to me that when Suzuki specified tire part number 65100-24B02 on the first bikes in 1986, it was an IRC "Grand Speed" GS-18 sized 140/80-15.
https://ircmoto.com/products/grand-high-speed-gs-18

IRC recommends that this tire will fit best on a MT3.50.   So, why did Suzuki build these machines with a rim that was two sizes smaller?

It seems odd that my Suzuki GZ250, which came from the factory with a 130/90-15, came with a 15- 3.00 rear rim.  Seems like this is the rim that Suzuki should have been putting on S40s.

I'm thinking to switch to a 130/90, or 140/90, something that will handle the narrow rim more gracefully.

The model of my bike is pretty irrelevant, but Vulcan S 650.

So we disagree somewhat on what you are now describing as a generic chart.  We can just leave it at that.  There’s evidence to support whatever we want to believe if we’re going to call it generic.

Dave wisely steered me to a 140/90-15 for my old S40.  And it was terrific.

I don’t want to continue going off the topic of white walls.  A 150/90-15 will fit the rim if that’s the closest white wall size available.  Yes, it’s a big tire for the rim, but it’s been done.

Peter Fonda wrote on Today at 10:32:31:

If you are wanting to use the Shinko SR777, like the guys in the UTube videos that were pasted on this thread, Shinko states the allowable rim width range for the 150/90-B15 is 3.0 to 4.25.
https://shinkotireusa.com/product/white-wall-sr777-sr777-hd-tire/267698

As has been discussed, mounting on a narrower than manufacturer allowed rim means, compromising tire stability and handling.  And running a tubeless tire with a tube, on a rim designed for inner tube tires, means compromising the tire's speed rating, and possibly flirting with tire slippage, tearing off an inner tube stem, or spontaneous dis-mounting a tire.   Only you can decide how much you are willing to risk, or pay, to get the look you want.

And, clearance issues may creep up on you.  As Shinko suggests, "Always allow for some tire growth, as all tires will increase in size after they have been inflated and ridden on for a few hundred miles."

Have you considered rebuilding the rear wheel with a 16" rim, and using something like a Shinko 240?
https://shinkotireusa.com/product/classic-240-tire/211907

ThumperPaul wrote on Today at 10:36:37:


Here's the source of the chart that Dave posted:
https://www.scribd.com/document/360153906/rear-tire-motorcycle-rim-width-and-...

The chart is labeled, with the following text "This chart has been compiled from a number of tire manufacturers charts to give an overview of fitments possible, for more specific information contact your tire manufacturer."    Call it whatever you want, it's explicitly telling you to get reliable information.  And that chart doesn't list ANY 180 width tires, while the only 190 listed is a very low aspect ratio 50%, which of course requires a wider rim.

You should take the advice of the chart, which is the same advice I gave previously, and look up the specific tire make/model that you want to use, and verify it will work on the rim you want to mount it on.