So.. I rode around with the monster 140's on the back.. the bike steered like a truck.. oversteer in front, understeer in back.. was driving me crazy.. Ive bought 3 sets of tires so far.. and I am back to the stock 605's ... I love the way they steer.. so.. yea.. I admit.. you were right.

 

Oh boy, now you did it, We'll never hear the end of it from him.
He will probably get Deej to make this thread into a sticky.
Dan

 

HAHA yea.. I know it was bugging him because he was right when we kept arguing over which tire size was best..

 

Hey Tiger...the discussions about tire sizes or anything else we talk about here is fun and interesting. More times than not, there's no one absolute way that is always 100% correct for everybody, but sometimes there are some patterns that become clear after awhile. You seemed pretty clear on wanting to run the huge tire, so it's not up to me or anyone else to drag out the discussion.

This tire size issue is often debated, and like I said, it's not always set in concrete as to what works. I'm watching the Dallas Supercross coverage as I type this, and though those guys in the 450 class are running 19" rears, they are only 120/80. The WR450 uses a 110/100-18. I have lots of near professional level friends who race motocross and enduros. None of them use huge tires. It's funny too how if you look at the big desert racing trucks and buggies, they've gone down a bit in overall tire size to a skinnier, taller tire over the years. Like I said, I'm no expert, but I've just noticed this over time and heard what these guys say. They're the experts, not me.

And Dan...don't worry...I'll have plenty of time to show how many times I can be wrong...again...and again...LOL!

 

You and me both brother.


When I had the Dunlop D606 130/90 on I didn't notice a difference good or bad. I will say that a lot of times I don't notice a subtle difference in things. That's probably not good
The two things that brought me to buy the 130 were: #1 I thought/ think the big fat knobbies looks cool, and #2 I'm pretty sure the wider tire will do better in the mud ( maybe sand too, but I am never in the sand). In the end the wider tire didn't seem to benefit me and at $15-$20 more than the 120 it wasn't worth it.
Dan

 

i did, but i have also been threw like 10 rear tires. 130 is like adding a tooth to the cs, makes the back tire seam like a tw200, and tighten ups the steering (aka less rake, more nibble but also unstable at speed). i use a 120 cus i think a 110 is to small for the extra weight of the bike vs a true dirt bike. also 110s seam to drop into ruts more, good for mx, not so good for trail riding and single track.

one question though does over steer in the front and under steer in the back mean the front washes out and the back cant even brake loose? normally, under/over steer means the bike/car as a whole.

 

theres alot of sand here in long island.. when you can find a fire road to ride, most of it is deep sand here.. the 140 rear tire was wonderful.. got right up on top and you could just sail through the stuff.. problem is on the dirt.. a narrow tire will cut in and give you better traction around corners, ripping trails, etc.. where the fat tire will spin on the surface of packed dirt.

On the street, when leaning into corners, the front tire will want to turn early, making it feel like its going to turn without your permission.. this is un-nerving at high speeds.. to lean a bike down nice, in a turn, on the street, I think you need similar at least tire widths.. the 140 is more than twice the width as a 90/90 front. so, I will give up the sand advantage for better all-around tires.. 110 max rear for me from now on..

 

oh yea, the gearing ratio thing too.. the dunlop 606 and metzeler 140's were so tall... it was like running a 15 tooth sprocket in front... I lost 5-6 mph off my top speed because the gearing was just too high to realize the full potential of my top end... sitting straight up on the bike, it does 90 indicated with the 100's in the rear, and would only do 85 indicated with the taller tires. Also, with 100's in rear, I can do 2nd gear wheelies.. not with the taller rear tire. How much of this is gearing and how much of the power loss is just weight of the massive tire?

 

The more massive your rear tire is also acts a bit like adding a larger flywheel to the bike. The differences is small but it takes away from your overall power ot spin a more massive rear tire.

 

Well just for the record, the 606 is the best tire! OH NO HE DI'INT!!!