[johnsr]

140/80-17

150/60-17

150/70-17

160/60-17

90/90-21

80/90-21

I've read many many tire threads that talked about "which tires should i buy?" and types and brands, but haven't seen many that give a lot of info about tire sizes.

noticed these different tire sizes when looking for tires. whats the difference in these compared to the stock size tires? what is the largest size front and rear that i can install without any clearance issues?

most of my riding is on pavement. most of the off road riding is on sandy dirt roads. i was wondering if going larger would help in the sand. i'm leaning toward the Avon Distanzia or Gripster

 

[dougly]

The first number is tire width in mm, the second is the aspect ratio (80 80% of width) and the last is the rim size. Not sure what maximum size will fit on the KLR, but there are people that use pretty wide rear tires up front with the 18" conversion...Doug

 

[BikerDave]

I run Gripsters on mine, I'm pretty happy with the way the work on both the paved and gravel roads around here. They stick really well in the twisties too!!!

 

[Tumbleweed]

Add 130/90-17 to your list, this is the Dunlop 606 Tire that fits on the rear. It is a bit taller than stock for sure, with the Eagle raising links and this tire, my centerstand would no longer lift the rear.

As for you tire choice, I have run the Anakee with good results, it squared off at about 6K but I was doing a lot of commuting. It did fine off tarmac on Fire roads and such, even did a deep sand creek bed. (Talk about a steep learning curve!)

The Distanza gets high marks from the folks I've talked to. The Gripsters have a nickname of Slipsters....must be some truth to that somewhere...but no tire works in all conditions.

I've got a Duro HF 904 on the rear, I'm not real comfortable on it for some reason. Still breaking it in with less than 400 miles on it, so maybe it will come around, so far no cracking aound the knobs, but it's not anywhere near the Anakee in terms of grip and confidence and I may just put my 606s back on if this thing keeps feeling squirely on me.

TW

 

[tomatocity]

Add the 130/80-17 (stock) to your list. These vary in size with manufacturer. When my KLR is on the center stand and using the Eagle RL-2 links , the 130/80-17 rear Gripster and 90/90-21 front Gripster tires do not leave the ground. Also the 90/90-21 front Gripster tire would not clear my SRC fork brace. I sold the SRC and bought a Happy Trails K-9 fork brace with sufficient clearance. Also the taller tire helps correct the speedometer.

 

[joeinthesnow]

Tire clearance isn't what you should be worrying about but more matching you tire to the rim. If you use a super wide tire, you'll be losing contact area because it pinches it up and changes the tire's profile thus reducing your footprint. For most applications, this is not a good thing. I've found that the 140 works just dandy for the rear KLR rim. Note that I also run low pressures on the street. If I were going to run the high pressures that a lot of folks use, I'd prefer a 130 in the back. If you are riding in deep sand with very low tire pressures, a 150 or 160 If you can make it fit, will do quite well but you'll have real problems on the street.

Percentages mean nothing (90/10, 50/50, etc.) If you ride 99% of the time on pavement and the 1% you ride offroad is in deep sloshy mud, a 90 street/ 10 offroad simply wont cut it. You need a tire that will handle the worst terrain you encounter.

If it's a very light covering of sand on hardpack, a more aggressive tread pattern will be your best bet. In deep sand the idea is to float on top but sand on hardpack is like grease. You need to cut through the grease to get to something solid. A wider tire will make you float more and reduce your traction. Sand is a bit like snow. If it's deep, traction is good but if it's just a light coat on top of something hard, it's pretty darn slippery. That is about where the similarity ends btw. For what you've described, I don't think a wider footprint will be much use. Contrary to what you may have been lead to believe, wider isn't always better.

 

[tomatocity]

I run Gripsters on mine, I'm pretty happy with the way the work on both the paved and gravel roads around here. They stick really well in the twisties too!!!

Dave what tire pressures to you use?

 

[BikerDave]

I run Gripsters on mine, I'm pretty happy with the way the work on both the paved and gravel roads around here. They stick really well in the twisties too!!!

Dave what tire pressures to you use?

For most of my on-road riding I run the front at 36psi , rear at 38psi.........solo, with light luggage.

 

[tomatocity]

I run Gripsters on mine, I'm pretty happy with the way the work on both the paved and gravel roads around here. They stick really well in the twisties too!!!

Dave what tire pressures to you use?

For most of my on-road riding I run the front at 36psi , rear at 38psi.........solo, with light luggage.

I have been running 30-32 front and 34-36 rear. Also I have Eagle RL-2 links which allow my 200+ lbs a** to run the rear shock on the 1 setting without load and 2 setting with a full Alpha bag, Pelican 1500, tool bag (too many tools), Explorer Lite tank bag, plus a tube-pump-can of Loctite etc. If I had hard bags and a box + tools I would change teh setting to 3.

My Gripsters are excellent under these conditions though I am not sure what to do for wet conditions. Tire pressure Up or Down? I do know I will stay away from downtown until the oils, dirt and sand are washed off the roads. On my commute route I counted the metal manhole covers this morning. Four of them are in my line during a turn (make mental note). There are seven other manhole covers in the lanes I ride (make mental note to change lanes). Nothing I can do about painted lines.

 

[johnsr]

thanks for the info , i think i'll stick with the stock size for now. mine is getting kinda slick.

 

[tomatocity]

thanks for the info , i think i'll stick with the stock size for now. mine is getting kinda slick.

You will think you have a new KLR when you change tires.