What tires do you use?

[DiverRay]

With a Special, that is correct. You CAN fit the "next size up" rear tire with a blackwall. I have a 140/90 16 on the back of my 80LH. There is ALMOST room to stick a matchbook cover between the tire and swing arm on the left(driveshaft) side. The front you could go to a 110, but it IS a tight fit with the caliper mounts on the Special. I can put the 110 on the Standard, but NOT my Special.

[latexeses]

DiverRay,
Does that 190 ever flex against the swingarm or does it "grow" enough when you are on the road that it stays away from the side?
Rodger

[DiverRay]

Rodger,
Even two up, and that's over 450lbs combined weight, it will not rub! By myself, and going "quickly" into and out of corners, I have NO problems. It does look nice, as it's noticeably wider than the 130/17 on the standard.

[b.walker5]

My SG had Conti's on it when i bought it 10 years ago but I didnt like them. Found them a little hard and very slippery on our smooth asphalt roads. Changed them for Kenda Challengers and have never looked back. I used to run them on my 750 before that as well. They stick well in the wet and wear well. Only complaint might be that they can slip on hot roads if there's moisture present. I think that's why i have a broken leg at the moment. We had a quick rain shower in the middle of a 35+ degree (celcius) day and I leaned over a little far going round a roundabout intersection, but I think any road tire would have difficulty in that scenario. Our roads are made of tar and ashphalt and get sticky when hot, but add some rain to sticky tar and you get greasy oil until the tar sets again.

[latexeses]

Ray,
Thanks for that info. I figure the more meat back there the better. The bike I am trying to get together first is the SF frame.
Rodger

[barberad]

I am just coming out of hibernation, so forgive if I seem more hazy than usual. (as if that's possible)
Been playing with snowblowers as of late. Just got it running great, so it's obviosly time to look at the bike again.
Has anyone tried pirelli MT66's? seems like they are not a bad price($150 for the set, free shipping), but I am mostly looking at fitment issues anyone may have had with pirelli's. I know not all sizes are exactly the same. For my Maxim I was looking at 100/90-19 in the front and 130/90-16 in the back.

[justme1100]

140's on a XJ?

Anyone tell me if they will fit? I have a 130 on there now but a friend bought a couple of 140's and I wonder if they will fit on the XJ.

[trbig]

a friend bought a couple of 140's and I wonder if they will fit on the XJ.

Not unless there is a fluke from the factory and it was made on the really skinny side. There are even a few brands of tires that the 130's won't fit on the XJ without rubbing the shaft drive housing... ESPECIALLY if there's any raised white lettering.

Sorry.


Tod

[79XS11F]

I'm running Bridgstone Batlax BT45s on both my bikes.
Rob

[Dan Hodges]

Bridgestone Batlax 45 Tires

I have Batlax 45's on my Special in addition to the 17" Standard wheel on the rear. The Batlax 45 130 x 90 17" rear tire has a .3 inch wider tread and is 1 inch larger in diameter than the 130 x 90 Dunlop Qualifier combination I had been using. The 130/90-17" tire/wheel combination was used on many sport bikes in the 80's including the killer Susuki 1150 ES which was putting 101 hp to the ground and subsequently there are lot's of good compound combinations for this size. The Batlax 45's are a stickier compound than the Bridgestone Spitfire S-11's and will not last as long but they have more adhesion for the more aggressive rider.

[Dan Hodges]

Spacers For 17" Rear Wheel

I have Batlax 45's on my Special in addition to the 17" Standard wheel on the rear. The Batlax 45 130 x 90 17" rear tire has a .3 inch wider tread and is 1 inch larger in diameter than the 130 x 90 Dunlop Qualifier combination I had been using. The 130/90-17" tire/wheel combination was used on many sport bikes in the 80's including the killer Susuki 1150 ES which was putting 101 hp to the ground and subsequently there are lot's of good compound combinations for this size. The Batlax 45's are a stickier compound than the Bridgestone Spitfire S-11's and will not last as long but they have more adhesion for the more aggressive rider. This is a picture of the big 17 with proper spacers for the Special application.

[Dan Hodges]

110/90-19" front tire

I used a 110/90-19" Dunlop RWL Qualifier front tire on my Special for years before switching to my present 100/90-19" Batlax 45. I had no clearence problems but the tire always looked bogus because it was at 27" tall, almost a wagon wheel. The 100/90-19" Batlax is only 26.1 inches tall and matches the back perfectly which is 26.2 inches tall. My Batlax 17" rear tire at 5.3 inches wide is only .2 inches narrower than a Bridgestone 140/90-16 wheel/tire combination and I have lot's of room between the swing arm and the tire. I once tried a Dunlop Qualifier 140/90-16" rear tire which was 26.18 inches tall and 5.2 inches wide (same width as my present 17" tire) and it rubbed against the swing arm, bad. The carcas and tread width of these various tires will vary depending on the specific model tire and brand.

[GARTHXS]

me 2

I agree the bt45s are stickier but will get a nice flat on the rear quicker, I have them on my 78 end my 79f it also nice to be able to do a swap if you get a flat!

I have Batlax 45's on my Special in addition to the 17" Standard wheel on the rear. The Batlax 45 130 x 90 17" rear tire has a .3 inch wider tread and is 1 inch larger in diameter than the 130 x 90 Dunlop Qualifier combination I had been using. The 130/90-17" tire/wheel combination was used on many sport bikes in the 80's including the killer Susuki 1150 ES which was putting 101 hp to the ground and subsequently there are lot's of good compound combinations for this size. The Batlax 45's are a stickier compound than the Bridgestone Spitfire S-11's and will not last as long but they have more adhesion for the more aggressive rider.

[nightpilot]

I am running 130 880s on my xj which had 140 conti somethings on it and they rubbed. I could not get 140 880s on it. I love the stick and handling of the 880 but the edges of the tread come to a point and limit how far over I can get it. The contis were more rounded on the side but dont know how they would stick because they were so rotten I couldnt hammer it before i took them off.

[RS Thornton]

elite 3 rears, where ???

I just spent some time looking to buy a set of the Dunlop Elite 3 in 17" for the standard and having a real problem finding them. Can anyone tell me if the got them online where they got them from?
Thanks,
Scott