| Author | Message | ||
     Danger_dave |
Why can't we get decent off road tyres for this bike in the correct size yet? Can we do anything - lobby, write, whatever? The Pirellis are good road biased rubber, but I wanted to take my Uly on an Adventure ride this weekend down the West Coast of the North Island - we're doing a Kiwi Rider magazine Adv bike Jaunt and I'm photographing it. I was keen to put the Uly in the comparo - untill the weather forecast turned diabolical - heavy showers and gale winds - on mud. It's not going to be intense off roading, but heavily treaded road tyres are not up to the job - so I've borrowed a Triumph Scrambler for the ride - simply because I can get knobbies for it. I love the scrambler too - so It's no biggie - but thats 6 pages of good local press that the Uly is missing out on cause I can't get no steenkin' knobbies. WUWT, rant over for now. dd | ||
| L_je |
Yeah, don't go into the mud without knobbies. I did that test point, and it didn't turn out well. Though, from the looks of the mud that I hit, it seems that others, even with knobbies, suffered a similar fate. D_D, you're the moto-journalist, so I think that makes you our defacto lobbyist. Now, keep in mind that if you should ever come state-side, you'll probably need to register as a "lobbyist", and maybe even a "foreign national lobbyist". Further more, any person of prominance with whom you associate, runs the risk of being brought down by scandal. The headlines would probably read "So-and-So School Board Candidate Seen with Foreign Lobbyist". At which point, all of those wheelie photos are then going to start to look wheelie wheelie bad sprawled across the front page of the NY Times. So, to avert an international scandal, would someone please get cracking on a 180mm knobbie? -j | ||
| Captain_nartman |
Can Only Imagine Mud... Bad Enough in Central Oz Sand.... Actually Crap.. but the 17" Rim dont Help none. N x | ||
| Danger_dave |
I say we get some pitchforks and torches and march. Reminds me - Why do they always put the stupid guy at the front of a protest march. What do we want? When do we want it? What do we want? When do we want it? (Message edited by danger_dave on June 21, 2007) | ||
| Bertotti |
How about these? http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres &method=showspecs&id=21 | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>but the 17" Rim dont Help none. << I'm OK ith it because of the trade off - with the 90% road riding I do on the thing - but the option would be good. Does anyone know anything about how tyres are made - is it a huge issue to add 20mm?? | ||
| Danger_dave |
Re Avons - thanks. And there are others too - but they are only 160 wide. Probably work better than a 180 on dirt too - but the look bugs me. I see a rubber band on a golf ball. PS - I just had a closer look - I need more meat than they have too. I'll post a pic of what I want. (Message edited by danger_dave on June 21, 2007) | ||
| Bertotti |
A lot of places still build tires on molds by hand. That isn't the problem though. The problem is the time and investment to do a bigger tire and have it tested and approved. A larger tire will show up only when one of the manufactures sees a benefit to adding it to their line. $$$$$ always seem to come first. I have limited new tire knowledge as far as the actual process of building them. I do have some tractor trailer knowledge but that isn't a big help here. I work for Bandag and we just got bought out by Bridgestone so I have been trying to put a bug in some ears about this tire size need. I am just a field tech though so I wouldn't hold my breath. | ||
| Danger_dave |
I want to be able to set it up something like this - Happily took these anywhere:  | ||
| Khelton |
..am considering getting a tire groover and doubling the size of the clean out area l grooves on the Pirelli's..still woildn't actually be knobbies but may help some | ||
| Dgunther |
The Distanizas are not so great, and as DD says, not really wide enough. Even on gravel FS roads around here, I would say they are only nominally better than the 616s on my Uly. I've got them on my KLR courtesy of the PO and will be happy to exchange them for knobbies. I put them on my motard in hopes that they would last longer than the 1500 miles I got out of the MT-60s (sold it before I found out how they'd perform). | ||
| Khelton |
Isn't it Tomahawk who makes the one off, even colored, SM tires ? Wonder if they would make a small batch of 17 inch knobbies , low speed type things... | ||
| Chadhargis |
Instead of doing a write up about the Uly in the dirt (which it wasn't really designed for), challenge your adventure bike riding friends to a track day and do a write up on how you leave them for dead in the twists and turns. Be sure to spoon on a set of full racing slicks before you hit the track. Offer them the rubber too, and they laugh when it won't fit.  I'd be happy to volunteer to participate. LOL! | ||
| Aussiexbox |
hey guys we just had a write up here on a Italjet 650 dual purpose bike,it supposedly was fitted with Pirelli MT60Corsa's,now if thats true we may have good chance of a more dual purpose tyre,have a looka around in the States ans see if this is true as if it is I will buy some from over there and ship to Australia myself as they are what I want to try here. hope they are right as I only thought they made em in a 160 profile,not a 180? | ||
| Dr_greg |
I just ordered a set of Avon Azaro "Pro-Xtreme" Supermoto rain tires: 120/70-17 and 180/55-17. Yeah, they probably won't last long but I'm curious.  | ||
| Khelton |
Those Avon's look good but like you say, probably won't last long. I had some on an SM, stuck great but only lasted a few days on the street.... | ||
| Aeholton |
Dr_Greg - Please post a report w/ pictures when you've got a few miles on them. I've looked at them before, but I picked up some Azaro's cheap. Wouldn't mind trying them next time. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Chad - I disagree about 'not designed for' - Buell just flew me to Aus so I could ride it on a variety of dirt roads. If the tyres were better (knobby) it would be very good, rather than 'utility' that it is now. And sorry - not into track days. If I've got a test sports bike I'll take it for a flogging, but as recreation, nah, I'd rather go somewhere or explore something than go round in circles. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nice work Dr Greg - please keep us appraised. |
