Road Tires for Off-road Bikes (Yamaha BWS)

Life Cars & Motorcycles
1

I use Sheng-Shin tires on my BWS. Ups and downs. They are cheap(750NT per tire), they work well on trails and off road. They are OK, but not great on pavement; I can not lean the bike very much while being safe. They wear out quickly(3000KM) on pavement, and the wear is uneven which makes the tires extremely noisy by the time about half of the crampons are worn out. (2000KM) Not to mention that by then leaning the bike is hardly an option anymore.

For summer, I wouldn’t want anything else because I enjoy riding trails, beach, etc. But in the winter my scooter is used mostly on pavement so I would like to find street tires as opposed to off-road tires. They would last longer, and I think they would also be safer with added friction and better handling for day to day riding around the city.

Last winter I tried to find street tires, but I had no luck. I figured that they just don’t make street tires to fit my scooter. Yesterday I was waiting at a red light and a BWS pulled next to me. I didn’t have time to read what kind of tires buddy had on his scooter, but they were definitely street tires. They looked nice, too.

The dimension for the tires I need are:

Rear: 130x90x10

Front: 120x90x10 (The tires can’t be much smaller than 90 otherwise I will lose too much top speed and the bike will cost more gas. 10 is the rim size and 120-130 is the width. I can go with something a bit more narrow, but mind me the tires I saw yesterday were just as wide as the mud tires. That would be ideal.

I’m not bothered with made in Taiwan tires. I don’t want to spend a fortune, but I would really like to find average street tires to fit these dimensions. I’d be willing to order them online or have some shipped from Taipei if need be.

Can anyone offer help with this? Do you know any online sources for what I’m looking for? Do you know a store that sells them?

Any info would be appreciated.

2

Maxxis make great all road tires for scooters and since they’re made locally they don’t cost the earth… for 10" they should be a shade under NT$2k a set… they grip like sportsbikes tires and the profile allows nice precise steering… to be honest these tires out perform my scooter’s chassis… :smiley:

Click here: although the info is a bit limited on Maxxis’s English website

M6029 is probably what you’re after… available from any scooter shop island wide that knows Maxxis’s phone number (Zheng Shin) in the following sizes…

3.00 - 10
3.50 - 10
90 / 90 - 10
100 / 80 -10
100 / 90 - 10
110 / 80 - 10
120 / 70 - 10
120 / 90 - 10
130 / 70 - 10
130 / 90 - 10
110 / 70 - 12
120 / 70 - 12
130 / 70 - 12
140 / 70 - 12

3

That might be dodgy in standing water, but winter months should be fine. If your going to do wet weather riding, go for the M6002 instead.
I’ve also had good results with Maxxis in the past. Like plasmatron says, you’ll find the limits of the chassis / suspension before the limits of those tires. No point in buying imports.

4

[quote=“plasmatron”]Maxxis make great all road tires for scooters and since they’re made locally they don’t cost the earth… for 10" they should be a shade under NT$2k a set… they grip like sportsbikes tires and the profile allows nice precise steering… to be honest these tires out perform my scooter’s chassis… :smiley:[/quote]I’ve got Maxxis on my BWS. Plasmatron found them to be pretty grippy. I never really push them very hard but they seem fine to me.

5

[quote=“plasmatron”]Maxxis make great all road tires for scooters and since they’re made locally they don’t cost the earth… for 10" they should be a shade under NT$2k a set… they grip like sportsbikes tires and the profile allows nice precise steering… to be honest these tires out perform my scooter’s chassis… :smiley:

Click here: although the info is a bit limited on Maxxis’s English website

M6029 is probably what you’re after… available from any scooter shop island wide that knows Maxxis’s phone number (Zheng Shin) in the following sizes…

3.00 - 10
3.50 - 10
90 / 90 - 10
100 / 80 -10
100 / 90 - 10
110 / 80 - 10
120 / 70 - 10
120 / 90 - 10
130 / 70 - 10
130 / 90 - 10
110 / 70 - 12
120 / 70 - 12
130 / 70 - 12
140 / 70 - 12[/quote]

Bolded above are the two sizes I would need. On the website you provided, I can’t find these sizes. Not with the 6029’s, and not with any of the road tires. It appears that the 6029 is only available with the following dimensions: 130-70-10

Am I missing something on the website? If they really do make them in that size, then that’s my ticket.

I’m not sure the 130-70-10 would work well for me. I would anticipate a rougher ride on the bumps. The tires hold about 10 PSI more than what I use now, too. But mostly, the size is too small. Going from 90 to 70, I lose 40mm in wheel diameter. I did that once on a FZR 600, and at 100 km/hr in sixth gear, the RPM was up by about 900RPM. Same bike, same speed but higher rev by nearly 20%. A smaller tire will cost me too much gas, and I will lose too much on top speed. It changes the ratio drastically. I’m sure I would enjoy the added acceleration, but all in all, I don’t need more acceleration than what I have now. I would prefer maintaining the bike as is. I wouldn’t be surprised having to compensate by changing the tranny weight rollers to avoid a resulting curve in the acceleration. The 130-70-90 would be too low, too. I think I would have to remove the double stand. I haved heard, and felt the double stand scrape the ground on this scooter with mud tires quite a few times, mostly when hitting a bump while cornering at low speed. Lowering the chassis is not a good idea, I think.

Joesax, any chance you could look up the tires sizes on your BWS, front and rear? And what’s your top speed on that hair dryer of yours? I can do 100 going downhill, and 95 on a flat road with no wind on my BWS. I’m proud of that. I bet it beats yours. :blush: :wink: Seriously, I’m just wondering of your bike is as fast with the Maxxis, and not harder on fuel.

Thank you, gents.

6

That’s odd. I swear the sizes plasmatron posted were on the site when I checked this afternoon. :idunno:
Just ask at your bike shop if they can get them.

7

Like I said, the info on the website in limited, but it’s the English/US website of a Taiwanese company, so you cant expect much… they do make them in all the sizes I posted…
Just ask your grease monkey to order them in the size you want… The ones on my Maj aren’t on the website either, but they’re on my scoot… ergo… :wink:

Also due to the profile, tread pattern and I guess compound to some extent, you’ll notice a much lower rolling resistance with those 6029’s… may be worth a tiny fuel saving / speed increase, especially if your old tires are worn out offroad style Nylon radials…

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[quote=“redwagon”]That’s odd. I swear the sizes plasmatron posted were on the site when I checked this afternoon. :idunno:
Just ask at your bike shop if they can get them.[/quote] :eh: Copy and pasted from the web page about the 6029, only three sizes showing.[quote=“Maxxis website”]
120/70-12 58P TL >>
130/70-10 59J TL
130/70-13 57P TL[/quote]:idunno:

[quote=“plasma”]The ones on my Maj aren’t on the website either, but they’re on my scoot… ergo… :wink: [/quote]Sounds good to me. :slight_smile: I take your word for it. [quote=“plasma”]Also due to the profile, tread pattern and I guess compound to some extent, you’ll notice a much lower rolling resistance with those 6029’s… may be worth a tiny fuel saving / speed increase, especially if your old tires are worn out offroad style Nylon radials…[/quote]I didn’t think about that, but yes, if I can get them the same size as my mud tires(offroad nylon radials), I think the bike would pull itself with a bit more ease. I’m excited about this. I think this will enhance my day to day riding a lot; better handling, a bit faster, probably a tad cheaper on gas and mostly a lot safer for street riding.

I will try to order a set this afternoon. I will let you guys know how it works for me. If all goes well, I’ll be posting the results in a day or two depending how long it takes for the shop to get the tires.

Very helpful!

Thanks again. :notworthy:

9

I printed the maxxis web page you provided, plasmatron, and I went to a wholesaler yesterday. They had no stock on the tires as for most shop they supply in Kaohsiung, I presume, knowing my past experiences trying to find street tires for my scooter. But they knew where to order the tires so I ordered a set. 1150$ for the front, and 1250$ for the rear. They are coming from Taipei and I was told to pick them up on November 8. Sizes are: 130-90-10 and 120-90-10, just like I want. :slight_smile:

I’m stoked! It’s a bit more money, but I’m sure the tires will last twice longer, so in the end it’s actually cheaper. I was tempted with the M6002, but considering that we had rain for the first time in a month yesterday, I went with the M6029. Winters are very dry in Kaohsiung.

I will post sometimes next week to let you know how they work for me.

Thanks again!

10

Sorry I didn’t have time to check out the sizes on my scooter. Anyway, good to know that you’ve found something.

You should definitely notice improvements in handling and acceleration when using decent road tyres as opposed to off-road ones.

11

I know I’m not halucinating and those sizes were there first time I looked. I’m sure they were there. I’m fine thank you doctor, I don’t need another shot! :wink:

Yes, the paucity of rain in winter is one of my true joys in life. On the odd occasion that wet stuff does fall from the sky, just take it easy. Those tires should be sticky (compound) but they aren’t designed to channel water away from the contact patch and will aquaplane easily in deeper water. Thankfully, even when it does rain in winter, it’s usually not very heavy.
Come next rainy season however you will want something a bit more effective in the wet.

12

[quote=“redwagon”]I know I’m not halucinating and those sizes were there first time I looked. I’m sure they were there. I’m fine thank you doctor, I don’t need another shot! :wink:[/quote]:lol:

[quote]Come next rainy season however you will want something a bit more effective in the wet.[/quote]I agree. Mud tires do not last the whole winter on my scooter, especially the rear tire. I’m hoping the Maxxis will take me all the way to next rainy season and then I will get a different set that is more suitable for wet roads. I’ve got it all figured out. :sunglasses:

Depending on how much I like the road tires, I might get the 6002 for summer and stick to dry trails if I go off road. Beach riding will be out of the question, though. We’ll see…

13

Have you ever seen specific purpose sand tires for trucks? They’re just wide, with a few longditudinal grooves in them for directional stability. You don’t need lugs really, just width to spread the load so the tire doesn’t sink.

14

There should be some kind of James Bond attachment available where you press a button and lugs emerge out of your regular road tyres. And a propellor comes out of the back for use in water. And a beautiful girl appears on the pillion seat.

Ummm… back on topic, do you really need separate rain and dry tyres? My tyres have a few, curvy grooves in them but are otherwise slick. They look like those hugely expensive all-purpose touring bike tyres. They’re alright in the wet, though I never push things very far.

15

[quote=“joesax”]There should be some kind of James Bond attachment available where you press a button and lugs emerge out of your regular road tyres. And a propellor comes out of the back for use in water. And a beautiful girl appears on the pillion seat.[/quote]It doesn’t hurt to dream. :wink:

[quote]Ummm… back on topic, do you really need separate rain and dry tyres? My tyres have a few, curvy grooves in them but are otherwise slick. They look like those hugely expensive all-purpose touring bike tyres. They’re alright in the wet, though I never push things very far.[/quote]I agree. The M6029 and the M6002 are very similar except the 6002 has a more aggressive pattern to repel the water. Point is, if I have to change tires before the summer or before the winter, I might as well get the more adequate tires for the weather. If the wet season comes in and the dry tires are not worn out yet, then so be it. Same goes if the dry season comes in and the wet tires are still good. I wouldn’t change them just to be picky. Like you, I never push it too far anyways.

[quote]Have you ever seen specific purpose sand tires for trucks? They’re just wide, with a few longditudinal grooves in them for directional stability. You don’t need lugs really, just width to spread the load so the tire doesn’t sink.[/quote]I’m not familiar. Seeing that the tires I ordered are just as fat as the off road tires, I might be OK then. Wet muddy trails however, I’d be careful without lugs.

16

[quote=“bobepine”]Seeing that the tires I ordered are just as fat as the off road tires, I might be OK then. Wet muddy trails however, I’d be careful without lugs.[/quote]That’s what I was thinking. Of course you’re not going to have great traction in turns, but I don’t really see you carving berms on a scooter. :wink:
Wet mud you will sit and spin, but you buy tires for what you do most of the time.

17

Bad news for me, turns out the 130-90-10 isn’t available after all. :frowning: The biggest I can get is the 120 which is the size I need for the front tire.

My scooter is fitted with 130 rear and 120 front. Since I can’t get the 130, and since the 120 is as close to what I’m after as I have been able to find, I decided to get two 120-90-10. Both front and rear will have the same size.

Please someone tell me this is not a mistake… I think it should be fine, the 120 looks quite fat. One was delivered yesterday, and the other one will be in tomorrow.

Can someone explain what differences I should expect having a 120 on both wheels as opposed to 130 rear and 120 front? My guess is that the bike will handle fine, still much better than mud tires on paved roads, I’m hoping.

Getting the tires installed tomorrow. I’ll post my findings.

18

It’s a tiny difference. If you weren’t sure before, the sizes of the tires are explained as follows:
120 refers to the section width in millimeters, how wide the tread block of the tire is. Different manufacturers calculate this in different ways, so they aren’t usually exactly the same width, even when this specification is the same.
/90 is the aspect ratio of the tire. In this case it is 0.9 of the width, so the tire is (120 x 0.9) 108mm high.
-10 is the rim diameter the tire can be mounted to, in inches.

So, in your case you are making a change of 10mm in tire width, but that will vary according to the manufacturers and also the type of tire. Off-road tires are usually a little narrower than the specs say, so you are probably in the ballpark here. Not that this matters a whole lot, since you are going to a much stickier tire and won’t notice any lack of traction for that 10mm.
The tire height will in theory drop from (130 x 0.9) 117mm to 108mm, a loss of rolling radius of 4.5mm. If you think about how high the tread blocks are on your original tire, it’s like the difference between brand new and half worn. You’ll get a slight improvement in acceleration due to the smaller rolling radius you’re driving through, and a slight decrease in theoretical top speed.

IOW, don’t worry about it.

19

Thanks Redwagon. You sound spot on. The 120 from Maxxis indeed looks just as fat as the 130 mud tire. So in reality, I will not really have a smaller rear tire, but a bigger front tire. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I wasn’t 100% certain.

The Maxxis has a pretty soft compound to the touch. I’m thinking they will stick really well, but they may wear out faster than I anticipated due to the softer rubber. The compound sure is softer than the average made in Taiwan Dunlop for example.

More about this tomorrow, once I’ve actually try the tires.

Cheers!

20

About the wear. You have more rubber (area) on the road than with your knobblies, so it may well balance out.