• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

1971 r60/5 rear tire replacement

Y

yappo

Guest
the bike is hauling a sidecar.i would like to replace the rear tire with something designed for hack use.can any sidecarista's reccomend a good brand.the bike never is used off road.:buds
 
Over the years there have been special "sidecar" tires with a square profile, in both 18" and 19". The idea is that the square profile will wear better. I currently have a Metzeler "Block K" 4.00 x 18 on my R100 rig. But I'm running a Kenda 19" on the front. It's an oval profile, so it's lower than a 3:25 x 19.

My experience with sidecar tires is that they are old technology, bias ply, and very flexible due to the tall sidewalls. The tire flex doesn't help handling. And the old tire compounds don't necessarily provide better mileage than a contemporary bike tire.

I suggest finding some cheap 4.00 x 18 or preferably 120/80 x 18 tires, and investing in some tire tools.

pmdave
 
There is also the evil of running a car tire on the rear. :whistle

The hack tire on my rig is interchangeable w/ the front tire of the bike.
A rolling spare if you will...
I'm currently running a block tire on the hack. It won't fit under the fender so that option is gone for a bit.
I have a motorcycle tire currently on the rear of the bike. I'm looking to renew the car tire on the rear prior to the rally.
I have two rear rims. One w/ a bike tire the other w/ a car tire for when the tub is off I switch.
 
...I suggest finding some cheap 4.00 x 18 or preferably 120/80 x 18 tires, and investing in some tire tools.

First... Sorry for the hijack...
I would follow this advice from Dave.

I'm thinking of going to a 17"X5.5" RS rear wheel so I can get into some dualsport tires for winter travel...
 
There may be limited clearance for a wider tire. And there are lots of knobbies in 18" sizes. For my "dual sport" R100/Ural, I have alloy rims laced with heavy guage ss spokes, 18" front and rear. I run an 18" "rear" tire backwards on the front. I reserve the serious knobbies for excursions on technical roads, although knobs wear much better on pavement than I would have predicted.

I also prefer a round or preferably oval section tire on the front. A flat profile tire, especially a car tire, causes steering problems. When the side of the flat tread contacts the side of a groove or pavement "rut" it suddenly steers the wheel in that direction. IMHO the maximum width of a front tire, even with trail reduction, is 135.

See you at the rally in Redmond.

pmdave
 
I also prefer a round or preferably oval section tire on the front.
A flat profile tire, especially a car tire, causes steering problems.
When the side of the flat tread contacts the side of a groove or pavement "rut" it suddenly steers the wheel in that direction.

How does that translate to the Can-Am?
Would m/c tires improve handling of one?
 
Interesting question...

I use an 18" block K on the front for a good long run and I find they handle just fine for my machine and style - and most any cheap 18" standard tread design on the rear - (six ply if I can find one). Reason: The rear tire gets ground off fairly rapidly due to extra weight, side loading forces and power. I have a $45.00 Cheng Shin MN120/90 on the back now. Looks like an old Continental tread design. I've had good luck with them going 4 or 5K. I have a set of Metzler Sahara EnduroÔÇÖs mounted on spare wheels for mud and snow. The chair tire is round section and happens to be a Bridgestone Spitfire.
 
I use an 18" block K on the front for a good long run and I find they handle just fine for my machine and style - and most any cheap 18" standard tread design on the rear - (six ply if I can find one). Reason: The rear tire gets ground off fairly rapidly due to extra weight, side loading forces and power. I have a $45.00 Cheng Shin MN120/90 on the back now. Looks like an old Continental tread design. I've had good luck with them going 4 or 5K. I have a set of Metzler Sahara EnduroÔÇÖs mounted on spare wheels for mud and snow. The chair tire is round section and happens to be a Bridgestone Spitfire.

My front goes first due to toe in. Scuffs the hell outa them. Rear is a car tire. Nice having a 40k mile tire. More so in the snow.
Reading the above makes me think that the rear gets trashed so easily because "any cheap 18" standard tread design on the rear" would be a prime suspect.
Can you find a car tire for the rear?
 
My front goes first due to toe in. Scuffs the hell outa them.
My rear tire went first because I ran the piss out of my hack. I quit buying any old 'expensive' rear tires when I realized (a friend pointed out) that wheel slip under load with a heavy throttle hand and a powerful motor ‘hooked up’ just spins the rubber right off the carcass of expensive tires as fast as it does cheap ones. I thought about car tires years ago (in the 70’s) but really never needed to nor did I want to involve myself in the added complexity. A hack is no longer a motorcycle which is precisely why car tires probably make sense I would guess. They are not generally subject to the tire requirements of a solo bike.

BMW and KS photo taken in this past decade I believe - follow this link
http://www.torpedo-emscher.de/wr/union/rakete/img/sc_mlt_ks750r12l.jpg

This is not mine. Nice old Indian outfit. Gespanne USA
 
Last edited:
I have two rear wheel rims. One w/ car tire and one w/ M/C tire.
Car tire makes a heckuva difference in the snow and fire roads w/ loose gravel.

It's my opinion that a m/c tire is a waste on a sidecar rig's rear since they are so sticky/soft for obvious reasons. Not to mention less contact patch.
I will not ride my car tire on a motorcycle sans hack.
Side walls aren't designed for those kind of stresses.

Neat rig... Thanks for sharing.
 
How does that translate to the Can-Am?
Would m/c tires improve handling of one?

Sudden unplanned swerves are less of a problem for Sparky and the 2F 1R configuration. As with an auto, the two front wheels are connected via tie rods, so one wheel counteracts what the other is trying to do.

Secondly, Spyders have power steering, which gives the Spyder Dryver some additional steering force.

pmdave
 
the bike is hauling a sidecar.i would like to replace the rear tire with something designed for hack use.can any sidecarista's reccomend a good brand.the bike never is used off road.:buds

One of the joys of hacking is being able to drift down a gravel road at speed. Some knobs are helpful--except for grated bridge decks.

When I rigged up my R100/Ural for desert duty, I installed some Italian rubber with a tread pattern for about 60% dirt/40% street. It could have used more aggressive knobbies for the dirt.

Eventually I decided to run the dual sport tires on the street to wear off the remaining rubber. I was amazed that the semi-knobby wore about as well on the street as a conventional "street" tire. Now I'm less conservative, and have a genuine dirt knobby mounted on one of my wheels. It wouldn't bother me to run it on pavement once in a while.

I knew some Australians who shipped their R1150 GSs to BC and traveled to Alaska, Colorado, etc. A couple of the machines had serious knobbies, and at the end of the trip there was still acceptable rubber left.

pmdave
 
Ymmv...

I bought an R80 G/S back in 81 and saved two rear tires from it to mount on the sidecar motorcycle front and rear (both 18") with a round profile street tire on the sidecar. I was impressed with the handling in what little rain came down in NM and AZ and I expected good results in the dirt of course but the street handling was excellent. I got a good number of miles from the remaining tread. I used up several sets of 18" Enduro style tires in that manner.

From my sketch book...
 
Last edited:
Back
Top