What Did You Do to Your RX3 Today?

woodlandsprite · 05-21-2018, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2LZ

That looks like a vast improvement. If I road more at night, which I rarely do, I'd definitely upgrade. Since I'm a fair weather, day time rider now I think the little LED strips in the older headlight are kind of cool in an "80's" sort of way. ;-)

LOL! I'm also a fair weather day time rider but I'm pretty much wanting anything that increases my visibility to other drivers.

sqwert · 05-22-2018, 02:49 PM

Anybody not strong enough to steer a 180/80 front tire needs physical therapy to build strength, or simply needs to learn to ride a motorcycle. The skinny tires are faster on a MX track, and wheelie easier when booking down trails, so they have their places on certain types of motorcycles in certain conditions, when chasing trophies, or pretending to, when the only time the front tire is on the ground is when sliding to a berm. It's the quality of the berm that then determines a bike's cornering ability, not the size of the tire.

I started with fat fronts when I rode flat trackers 50 years ago. My SL and XL350s loved gravel roads with a Barum ISDT 4.50-18 6PR on both ends. Huge difference. Even used the same combination for enduros, hare-and-hounds, and other cross country stuff with big loops because berms were scarce. Stuck with the stock front wheel and 2.75-21 knobbies for motocross, scrambles, and other shorter track events with good berms.

However, skinny tires can be deadly for most of us most of the time. My experience over the years has resulted in refusing to ride with anyone with a skinny front tire outside racing type riding, because if I do ride with such fools, one will break a bone and ruin my day since I'm usually the only one with sufficient all-around knowledge of how to rectify such situations to figure out what to tell all the specialists (EMTs, truckers, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, ratchet jaws, etc.) what each needs to be doing as part of a team working to rectify the situation.

Here are the problems with skinny tires I see:

1. Rapid wear. Not much rubber on the ground means high loads which results in rapid wear. Usually the more aggressive the tread the more rapid the wear. Rapid wear multiplies the low traction tendencies because, well, the tires are almost always worn out.

2. Low carrying capacity. Results in higher temperatures on the highway and rapid wear. Add #1.

3. Less traction. Less rubber in contact with the road. Type of road doesn't matter. Great if there are berms to bounce off of, but when a TW200 with a stock engine can keep up on a sort of maintained twisty dirt road with no berms with a 500 Husky under a rider with many years desert racing experience ..., well, that's the proof tire size matters. Period.

4. Less control. Bikes with skinny front tires are typically the ones that run into rocks and off cliffs alongside gravel roads with no berms. TWs and such are often ridden up and down the cliffs to check on the crash victims. More proof. Maybe all that skidding around gives you a hormonal high? Do you really need everyone's attention so badly you have to injure yourself? Really, most of us outgrew that stage when we learned to slap on our own bandaids.

5. Lack of plane/flotation. Ever see what happens on a moderately course, loose surface, with any depth, when a front tire loses its plane, digs in, and cocks the forks against the steering lock? Guess where the term "Flying W" comes from. OUCH! Deaths from Flying Ws are not uncommon in such conditions. Even the Paris/Dakar GS riders lost a few just this way. A few riders across North America do this on dunes every year and never wake up.

6. Adrenaline provides all the extra strength one needs when a wheelie is really necessary, even with a heavy front tire and an adventure load spread along the length of the bike to keep weight distribution reasonable. On several occasions unexpected hazards have seen my TW with a 6-ply rated 120/90-18 at speed stand straight up when a hazard pops up. Twice high enough to wipe out the stock taillight.

So, it is plain to see that the 100/90, equivalent to a 3.25/3.50, is about a minimum for a 250cc motorcycle for adventure riding. If skinnier there is an increase in risk. If you really need a skinny tire for your riding style, either slow down to legal speeds or get yourself a more appropriate motorcycle for the type of riding you enjoy.

05-22-2018, 02:49 PM	#2
sqwert Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 382	Anybody not strong enough to steer a 180/80 front tire needs physical therapy to build strength, or simply needs to learn to ride a motorcycle. The skinny tires are faster on a MX track, and wheelie easier when booking down trails, so they have their places on certain types of motorcycles in certain conditions, when chasing trophies, or pretending to, when the only time the front tire is on the ground is when sliding to a berm. It's the quality of the berm that then determines a bike's cornering ability, not the size of the tire. I started with fat fronts when I rode flat trackers 50 years ago. My SL and XL350s loved gravel roads with a Barum ISDT 4.50-18 6PR on both ends. Huge difference. Even used the same combination for enduros, hare-and-hounds, and other cross country stuff with big loops because berms were scarce. Stuck with the stock front wheel and 2.75-21 knobbies for motocross, scrambles, and other shorter track events with good berms. However, skinny tires can be deadly for most of us most of the time. My experience over the years has resulted in refusing to ride with anyone with a skinny front tire outside racing type riding, because if I do ride with such fools, one will break a bone and ruin my day since I'm usually the only one with sufficient all-around knowledge of how to rectify such situations to figure out what to tell all the specialists (EMTs, truckers, mechanics, lawyers, doctors, ratchet jaws, etc.) what each needs to be doing as part of a team working to rectify the situation. Here are the problems with skinny tires I see: 1. Rapid wear. Not much rubber on the ground means high loads which results in rapid wear. Usually the more aggressive the tread the more rapid the wear. Rapid wear multiplies the low traction tendencies because, well, the tires are almost always worn out. 2. Low carrying capacity. Results in higher temperatures on the highway and rapid wear. Add #1. 3. Less traction. Less rubber in contact with the road. Type of road doesn't matter. Great if there are berms to bounce off of, but when a TW200 with a stock engine can keep up on a sort of maintained twisty dirt road with no berms with a 500 Husky under a rider with many years desert racing experience ..., well, that's the proof tire size matters. Period. 4. Less control. Bikes with skinny front tires are typically the ones that run into rocks and off cliffs alongside gravel roads with no berms. TWs and such are often ridden up and down the cliffs to check on the crash victims. More proof. Maybe all that skidding around gives you a hormonal high? Do you really need everyone's attention so badly you have to injure yourself? Really, most of us outgrew that stage when we learned to slap on our own bandaids. 5. Lack of plane/flotation. Ever see what happens on a moderately course, loose surface, with any depth, when a front tire loses its plane, digs in, and cocks the forks against the steering lock? Guess where the term "Flying W" comes from. OUCH! Deaths from Flying Ws are not uncommon in such conditions. Even the Paris/Dakar GS riders lost a few just this way. A few riders across North America do this on dunes every year and never wake up. 6. Adrenaline provides all the extra strength one needs when a wheelie is really necessary, even with a heavy front tire and an adventure load spread along the length of the bike to keep weight distribution reasonable. On several occasions unexpected hazards have seen my TW with a 6-ply rated 120/90-18 at speed stand straight up when a hazard pops up. Twice high enough to wipe out the stock taillight. So, it is plain to see that the 100/90, equivalent to a 3.25/3.50, is about a minimum for a 250cc motorcycle for adventure riding. If skinnier there is an increase in risk. If you really need a skinny tire for your riding style, either slow down to legal speeds or get yourself a more appropriate motorcycle for the type of riding you enjoy.
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