I'm purchasing a new front tire for my bike. My question is this............What width do I want to go with? Do I want the 3.00 or the 3.25? I decided to go with a set of Kenda K270's.
With either one you choose, finding your favorite tire pressure will be a bigger factor in how they handle, how long they last and what you think of them more than the size of the tire, itself, IMHO.
I don't think there is a best choice here and think the only way you'll notice a difference between the two tires is if you personally experience them both for comparison purposes.
The wider tire will inherently be a little "softer" than the narrow one and should be slightly larger in diameter.
I will admit that if they offered the Shinko 244 (same general tire category as your chosen K270) in a 3.25" size, I would probably throw one on at my next tire change just to see what it's like.
I wouldn't gnash my teeth much over the choice in the two sizes. I think this decision calls for nothing more than a coin flip.
A slight difference in handling, depending upon riding surface, may exist between 3.00 and 3.25, but . . . doubt the usual rider would detect it (opinion only, could be in error).
I went 3.25-21 front and 5.10-17 rear with Kenda K270s on both KLR650 and KLR250 (shimmed exhaust outboard for clearance on the latter). No complaints/problems.
Thanks! I went ahead and ordered the 3.00 width. Amazon has a vendor with a screaming deal on the Kenda K270 tires. I picked up a one up for $47.00 and free shipping. My stock front Dunlop is pretty much gone with a tad over 9,000 miles on it. I have a Kenda K731 on the back that isn't quite used up yet. When it wears down a little more I'll put a K270 on the rear also. The 731 is too much of a street tire for me. I want a good 50-50 tire.
An interesting thing I have just noticed about my front tire is that it will be worn out before the rear. I changed the tires to Distanzia's just before I moved to Oz. I am used to getting 2 rears to a front on other bikes. Obviously these KLR's have a much more balanced front / back weight ratio.
That seems kind of unusual for a KLR. I usually go through 3 rear tires to a front. I don't think that's normal either. 2 to 1 seems to be the "norm."
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