Dualsport tire sizing

[Vroom4]

So I'm looking to purchase a set of dual-sport tires to get more of that scrambler look... I will be doing mostly street with occasional light dirt for fun. The idea is to be able to roll through anything that comes my way within reason

My current tire sizes are 90/90-18 front and 110/90-18 in the rear.

I liked the shinko 705's. Cheap and good reviews. Also the kenda k761's.

Here is where I need help:
- My xs has the alloy wheels which are 18inch front and rear.
- I'm having a hard time finding the correct sizing to fit the bike and get the look I want.
- I would like to have the front wheel be smaller than the rear.
- Most tires I'm looking at would have to use the rear wheel in the front.
- Im kinda confused on the different sizing units of the tires(example: 120/80-18 vs 4.10-18) How do I translate these?

Any help or suggestions would be great. Cheers

 

[Vroom4]

Oh, I should also note that my understanding is that we shouldnt go bigger than 120 in the rear... but I also dont have the chain guard on and have slightly taller shocks.

 

[phate]

I can't really help you with the tire logistics(i.e. using a rear tire for front) as my bike is the 80 special having a 16in rim capable of taking a 130 tire but I can help you with the measurments. A 120/80-18 is a metric measurment where the 120 is the width of the tire and the 80 is the aspect ratio both mesured in mm. The second measurment is that of inch designation in which the 4.10 is the width of the tire in inches. The 18 in both measurments is the rim diameter in inches. A good website for conversions and more info is: http://www.kgmotorcycletires.com/size_conversion_charts.htm

 

[Vroom4]

Currently looking at these... Just trying to figure out the size.

http://www.bikebandit.com/shinko-244-motorcycle-tire

http://www.bikebandit.com/kenda-k761-dual-sport-tire

Would 3.5-18 front and 4.10-18 rear be the right sizes?

 

[Vroom4]

Or maybe 3.0-18 front and 3.5-18 rear? That looks closer using the conversion page(Thanks phate).

 

[wolf1954]

Stock size for the 18 inch mag wheels is 3.00-18 in front and 3.73-18 in the rear.

 

[Jake2670]

how hard is it to change the wheel size on these bikes, anyone have a interchange ref or just have to take your wheel with to the yard

 

[TOUGEFC]

3.00 front will fit fine i believe the max front is 3.50 then bigger than that it wont fit under the fender

 

[lemonhead]

This is what I used to match sizing when I bought my rear:

http://dropbears.com/u/utilities/tyrerim.htm

Here is another:

http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/tire_rim.htm

I was going to go with shinko 705's, but decided I wouldn't be doing much offroad, so I got a Bridgestone s11 instead.

 

[Jake2670]

ok, thanks guys,

 

[WelderDave]

I also was looking at the shinko 705’s and I’d love to get them front and back but it appears they don’t have the tubeless in my tire size, any recommendations to another dual sport that would actually fit? I’d need a set. I’ve got the mag wheels as well 18x1.85 front with 3” wheel, and 18x2.15 rear with 3.5” wheel. I’ve been searching but I can’t seem to find any.

 

[WelderDave]

Nvm, I just went with shinko 712’s road tires.
120/90 in back and 100/90 in front. Running no chain guard and no front fender, so based on all I found in the forums, they should fit, and $100 about to my door.

 

[Petew]

Nvm, I just went with shinko 712’s road tires.
120/90 in back and 100/90 in front. Running no chain guard and no front fender, so based on all I found in the forums, they should fit, and $100 about to my door.

Dave, I just noticed that you are running no front fender. I recommend either using a stock fender, which you could cut down, or installing a good fork brace. This will prevent some handling issues that are noticeable right away if you compare. Good luck with your build!