Coker Diamonds or Firestone Deluxe Champions on 1978 XS400

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armyofda12mnkeys

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Trying to decide on what classic looking tire would fit my bike better (1978 XS400E)....
But its kinda confusing cause i see different sizes...

So i see in my Haynes/Clymer manuals different sizes:
Haynes:
front: 3.5in x 18in
Back: 3.5in x 18in

Clymer:
front: 3.25in x 18in
back: 3.5in x 18in

I think I've read on the forums here the older XS400's had 3.5x18's on both. So i trust that...


The wheelmags has this listed on the metal which Im guessing maybe this is the 'Section Width' that Coker store mentions?:
front: 1.85? x 18in
back: 2.15? x 18in

anddddd my current tires say on them in terms of the 'standard measurements' (example: 100/90 x 18) which i think is tire-tread-width/percentage-of-that-is-tire-height x overall inner diameter?:
front: 100mm/90% x 18in which to me equals... 3.94in(3.54in) x 18in
back: 110mm/90% x 18in which to me equals... 4.33in(3.9in) x 18in
Im guessing these are larger than stock? They seem fine to me riding though.

Just curious what I should get between the choices without running into clearance issues which I heard can happen. Here are my choices:

Coker Classic Diamond Tread Blackwall - 400-18
Cross section: 3.90"
Overall Diameter: 25.75
Recommended Rim Width: 2.15

Coker Classic Diamond Tread Clincher - 385x18
Cross section: 3.40"
Overall Diameter: 25.30
Recommended Rim Width: 1.85 - 2.00

Firestone Deluxe Champion Blackwall - 400-18
Section Width: 4.25
Overall Diameter: 26.57
Recommended Rim Width: 2.15

Firestone Deluxe Champion Blackwall - 350-18
Cross section: 4.05"
Overall Diameter: 26.44
Recommended Rim Width: 1.85 - 2.00


Thanks for any advice :),
Ari
 
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some guys on here have 130's (5in tread width) in the rear with no clearance issues so you should be good with any of these

i would go off what the rim says and dont go tubeless unless it is stamped on the rim
 
You have to post the pics man! Thread patterns, looks, that's what its about!
p4Mdn.jpg
 
Cool thanks Sesty. I'll probably settle with the Coker Diamonds ... classic look.
The Firestones are kinda cool too... but for some reason they seem more 1947-Indian Chief-like to me (but still pretty cool!).

Sorry i didn't have other pics guys :). Just was googling around and those tires seemed like most popular tires for 'classic' looks.
 
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I guess the only question for me is front clearance... would the 385x18 fit the front which is usually recommended to be 350x18 (and 1.85 rim width) ... still worried about clearance. was about to pull the trigger to buy, then got scared since shipping so expensive hehe.
 
measure the clearance?
delete front fender?

i ordered tires from places i knew had free shipping over a certain price like motorcycle superstore
 
is there a good way to check that, Im kinda new to checking things on the front end (but i replaced my engine and converted my bike to electric ignition so I do have some skills ;) , just need some instruction )...

I was measuring front end from the inner fork to inner fork below where the fender is which is where the wheel should fit (was about 4" i guess so 3.85 should fit that fine right? but 4" is pushing it).

and i wasnt sure how to measure if it will be fine under the fender without actually buying it. is there a good way to check that? maybe put on the current wheel on the fork and see how much space I have till it hits the top of fender from the top of the wheel.... then subtrack how much safety clearance it might need, then add that to the diameter of the current wheel to see how much total diameter the front can take?
 
Both of the tires you mention are for classic bikes, but they mean classics like the 20s through the 50s. If you want 70-80s classics, then you want Contis or Dunlop K70s. Conti ruled the motorcycle market in the seventies, and somehow lost their way by the 80s. So if period correct rather than just the word "classic" is your goal, there you go.

I think you'll find the tires you mention may look the look, but do not provide the ride, traction and handling you may want. Tires have come a very long way since the 90s, and the stuff that was cutting edge in the early seventies is horribly out of date and useful for appearance only. Go after the 20s look and you'll get 20s performance.
 
:thumbsup: Very true! When i was restoring my 79 it has the 70's style tires on it and it handled horrible. Looks are just that looks. It will go down the road but will have poor road feel compared to a new modern bike tire.
 
That depends on how much you want to spend:wink2: You can put any tire you want on your bike, it's yours:wink2: If you want to rip around with it like a cafe should than a modern sport tire is what I would get.
 
Continental and Michelin have suitable sizes.

Don't by cruiser tires, they are not expected to provide handling, just longevity. (who corners hard with footboards?) I ran Contis on my XS650 and SR500. They were very well suited to the bike's abilities. I'd expect the 400 to do well with them also.

The ones I used are no longer offered, but seem to have been replaced by the Conti Go! Silly name, but Continental makes good stuff.
 
Looking at the possibilities for my 79 XS seems the choices are Conti's, Avons, Mickymans, with a possibility of Pirelli's in the 18"..Looking at the Conti site they sure do offer a lot of tires..My main interest is corner carving or grinding cases and mufflers without leaving the road involuntarily due to tire lose of traction:yikes:. What you say Yamaha guy, Conti Go sounds funny, but the tires sure look good:bike:...Spad
 
Thanks Spad... I looked over all those tire companies to try to find a safer tire that would work for me (and also some also recommendations from threads here like Shinko SR241 [maybe a little too dual-sporty] or 'Maxxis 350 x 18 Universal Tyre C180' [not here in the US]).

The ContiGos look a bit too modern for me ... I realized my back tire is a Conti, a TKV12... The Conti TKV11 is the matching front version. That TKV11 actually looks kinda cool and old school (kinda like a Coker Diamond)... The back tire though looks relatively too modern for my tastes (but Im sure its safe ;) ).
Guess I could swing for that TKV12 since it seems safer combo if the the Dunlop-ish tires below don't work out.

I heard the Dunlop K81 (4x18 rear)/Dunlop K82 (3.5x18 front) is a good combo and has that same thread look as the older bikes and are safer and tested tires. The K82/Maxxis(Dunlop K82 lookalike) tires look really cool on drewp's bike: http://www.xs400.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49199&postcount=2

but they are hard tires to find in the U.S.A. ...
I saw this similar combo might be a possibility to easily order here in the USA:
Dunlop E70s(4x18 rear)/Coker E70P (3.50-18 front)
Just curious do these tires work out for XS400 bikes:
http://www.cokertire.com/phoenix-e70p-350-18.html
"Phoenix bias ply motorcycle tires are an affordable option for Japanese and European motorcycles from the '60s and '70s. These tires are DOT and ECE approved and feature a classic tread pattern and sizing for many bikes such as Honda, BMW, Truimph, Kawasaki and more. The 3.50-18 sizing features an S speed rating."
Click to expand...

I wasn't sure if a 'bias ply' tire would be fine on the XS400. I didn't find much about that on the forum other than talk about radial tires, but Im not familiar with types of tires.

Sorry for beating around the bush with so many questions just for the simple purchase of a tire. But... a really cool tire... thats relatively safe would be great with relatively no regards to price is hard to find (I'll order the K82 if the E70P isn't a good front-tire option).


EDIT: already ordered the K70/E70P pair (and some tire tubes). Guessing my bike is a 'Bias' type tire since Radials seem to come in weirder sizes (at least on Bridgestone's site i only see 110/90x18 and 100/90x18 in the Bias section). Will see how they work out. PS the Bridgestone AC (ACCOLADE) and G&L tires looked pretty good too and seem safe.
 
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I have the ContiGos but kinda regret the style.. but they were cheap so thats nice. Then again, ugly kinda fits my xs.
 
Willem, the question is how are the Conti Gos, do they handle OK:shrug:, and what about cornering:eek:? What size to you have? What do you mean ugley, guess I will have to look at your posts and see if you have a picture...Spad
 
they look like this

conti_go_uv-data.gif


Handling is good I think, but this is my first bike so I can't really tell the difference just yet. But they don't have too much thread on them so when I rode on the beach last week they went all over the place. No problems on tarmac though, only lost grip once in a turn on one of those tar repair lines (see image) when it was 90 degrees out. Still, it caught its grip again straight away so I didn't crash. So I'm happy with them, but that may not say much since I've not tried any other ones.

TarOnRoad.jpg


Not entirely sure which size I got, let me check that
Edit: can't find the size, I had a guy buy them and put them on for me.
 

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