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 Two Up Tire?

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waltermitty
Fiftygrit
mcdoudlehopper
7 posters
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Feb 28, 2015 2:54 pm

My '09 WR250R is almost ready for new tires.  It's the only street bike I've ever owned, so I can certainly learn from other people's experience and knowledge when it comes to improvements.

My bike is on the original Bridgestone Trail Wings (Death Wings as so many of you like to call them- HaHa) in the stock sizes of 80/100-21 front and 120/80-18.
I like them OK, except on the highway, which is fine because the bike is so light I just avoid the interstate most of the time. In the mud & dirt, the front washes out some, but that also isn't where I ride often.
I've had one rear flat from picking up a piece of wire between the knobbies, but otherwise, the wear has been good, noise tolerable, and general handling acceptable. I like the knobbies, too- strictly on looks.
My riding breakdown:  Secondary streets (80%), gravel roads (10%), Dirt/Mud (5%), and Interstate (5%).  I would call my ride style cautious and generally ride speeds below 60mph.

This is where I think my situation is different than most of the other tire threads that I have been reading:
I ride two up (or is it 2 up?) with my girlfriend on the back at least 25% of the time. She goes about a buck and a quarter, maybe 135, and she knows how to ride and be a passenger. I'm 210 lbs.
The ride really smooths out with a passenger, especially on gravel. About the only time she has to dismount is when we find some serious ruts or have to cross larger trees going across the trail.

With so much time riding two up, do you have any recommendations for tires AND tubes? Any tires to definitely AVOID because of the two up situation? Do I need HD tubes?

(Note: Please be specific with tire sizes, because it gets confusing with tire sizing between manufacturer to manufacturer. Also, I prefer to keep the front & rear tires from the same manufacturer - call it OCD)

I really appreciate any help or guidance you can give.
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mcdoudlehopper

mcdoudlehopper



Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Feb 28, 2015 6:04 pm

If changing the tubes, I would go HD for sure. I sure hope you have upgraded the seat. Just riding as a driver in a pain in the @$$ cant imagine being a passenger.
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Fiftygrit

Fiftygrit



Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Feb 28, 2015 6:49 pm

Im not trying to be an a$$ but maybe his girl friend likes a buzzy seat, just saying. I know my wife will not ride on my WRR she didnt mind the lazyboy Harley bagger seat though. cheer`s
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mcdoudlehopper

mcdoudlehopper



Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Feb 28, 2015 10:46 pm

Purchasing the seat concepts this year. Im not even comfy sittin for half hour to camp on the HWY. Usually have to stretch after 20 min.
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Fiftygrit

Fiftygrit



Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Feb 28, 2015 10:52 pm

I have the seat concept cover the lower profile one, way more comfortable, real good on my old butt.
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySun Mar 01, 2015 2:39 pm

mcdoudlehopper wrote:
If changing the tubes, I would go HD for sure. I sure hope you have upgraded the seat. Just riding as a driver in a pain in the @$$ cant imagine being a passenger.
I got in on the Seat Concepts group buy a while back. Definitely an improvement, but WRR's are a bit buzzy regardless of the seat, so we try and mix in plenty of hiking with our riding. Not to mention when we are just sight seeing on our camping trips we go pretty slow (35-45mph) which keeps the buz and resulting numbness to a minimum.

If HD tubes are a good idea please let me know which ones have worked/ been an improvement for you.
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waltermitty





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySun Mar 01, 2015 5:57 pm

HD tubes can help if pinch flats are a problem. For the most part I can't think of any HD tubes that will stop something that has already gone through a tire. HD tubes are much more expensive and much harder to work with. Because they are so much heavier they degrade the handling of the bike by adding unsprung weight.
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyWed Mar 11, 2015 9:32 am

I'm guessing from the responses (or general lack thereof) that no one has a whole lot of opinion/experience on a special tire for two-up.
I guess any tire would do the trick and maybe HD tubes for a little safety margin. Is there a particular HD tube that y'all like over the others?
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morgan9283





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyThu Mar 12, 2015 12:44 pm

scgmc wrote:
I'm guessing from the responses (or general lack thereof) that no one has a whole lot of opinion/experience on a special tire for two-up.
I guess any tire would do the trick and maybe HD tubes for a little safety margin. Is there a particular HD tube that y'all like over the others?

You might be the only person that does significant miles on the WRR two-up.  I've done many thousands of two-up miles on more two-up friendly bikes and the WRR, though very capable for its size is not a great two-up bike.

Speaking for my other bikes I don't know that there is such thing as a good two-up tire.  With the WRR you should also consider how much on vs offroad you want to do as there are some very good street biased tires that will last longer than an offroad biased tire.

I'd read the tire threads and pick the tire that's right for your riding.  Also--if you haven't done suspension work I'd suggest it--the WRR is not set up for that kind of weight.

edit: I tried and liked the MT21/D606 combo and liked them until the mt21s wore unevenly and the bike developed a death wobble above 70mph.  I'm currently trying a pair off T63s which I like a little better but only have a few hundred miles on them.  I use my bike as a plated dirt bike so look for a 90/10 tire.  The t63s are respectable on the street.  The stock tires are 50/50 tires fwiw.

I use ultra heavy duty tubes exclusively and have had good experiences with Michelin and Bridgestone.  For a lot of street use I'd worry about balance though I've ridden stretches of 70mph hightway with no trouble.

-morgan
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyThu Mar 12, 2015 1:13 pm

Thanks for the opinions Morgan.  I'll look into the tubes you mentioned.

I don't have any other street bike to compare my two-up experience with but I have no issue with doubling up on my bike, even with our combined weight. With my GF on the back it smooths the rough roads right on out.  For the little (but numerous) trips we do, we both enjoy it a lot. A bigger bike or a twin cylinder would probably be more comfortable, but the WRR is light enough I can carry it on the front of my truck and haul my truck camper at the same time. It works great for exploring. Anything bigger and I would have to pull a trailer and I really don't want to do that.

Two Up Tire? <a href=Two Up Tire? Bike_r14" />
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rarepartbuilder

rarepartbuilder



Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyThu Mar 12, 2015 6:26 pm

what morgan said. +1 a lot of good advice there.

the T63 is what alot of folks migrate to before going for a more agressive tread.

 Good to see you investigating up front thumb

saves wanting to ever  rewind a bad day to somehow get a different outcome.
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morgan9283





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyFri Mar 13, 2015 12:47 pm

rarepartbuilder wrote:
what morgan said. +1 a lot of good advice there.

the T63 is what alot of folks migrate to before going for a more agressive tread.

 Good to see you investigating up front thumb

saves wanting to ever  rewind a bad day to somehow get a different outcome.

I'm surprised the t63 isn't discussed more in dual sport circles--it's a great tire.

-morgan
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morgan9283





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyFri Mar 13, 2015 12:59 pm

scgmc wrote:
Thanks for the opinions Morgan.  I'll look into the tubes you mentioned.

I don't have any other street bike to compare my two-up experience with but I have no issue with doubling up on my bike, even with our combined weight. With my GF on the back it smooths the rough roads right on out.  For the little (but numerous) trips we do, we both enjoy it a lot. A bigger bike or a twin cylinder would probably be more comfortable, but the WRR is light enough I can carry it on the front of my truck and haul my truck camper at the same time. It works great for exploring. Anything bigger and I would have to pull a trailer and I really don't want to do that.

Two Up Tire? <a href=Two Up Tire? Bike_r14" />

That's a great setup with the WRR mounted on the front.

If it's working for you, go with it. I toured for many years two-up on a 660 single and everyone thought I was crazy. That bike is down for some extended maintenance and is an orphan so parts are getting hard to get but I imagine we'll continue to travel on it a bit when I get it back together.

-morgan
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyFri Mar 13, 2015 4:33 pm

Thanks, I built everything myself including the dual front receiver using all factory bolt holes in the frame. The carrier itself is all TIG work.
Unlike the single carrier that I used to use on the rear hitch, it's really stable, I can keep an eye on it, and it doesn't block the back door on the camper.
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Hog86r





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptyFri Mar 13, 2015 9:51 pm

Don't want to steal your thread, but could you post a few more pix of your carrier? Maybe a view from the side of the truck to show how high the carrier is off the ground,
also, what about lighting at night? I assume adequate air gets to the radiator on the truck.

thanks in advance.
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Mar 14, 2015 9:26 am

Two Up Tire? Bike_r19
Two Up Tire? Bike_r18

No clearance issues. The lowest part is at the same height as the factory bumper air dam/spoiler.
On my GMC there is a notch in the factory air dam and that is where I have the receiver tubes. With the carrier off, you barely see it at all.
Plenty of air gets in. My truck is a diesel and doesn't seem to have any overheating issues even driving in the mountains in the middle of summer.
Five of the six lights (including the fog lights) shine through fine. One is pretty much completely blocked by the muffler.
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Hog86r





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySat Mar 14, 2015 9:13 pm

Thanks. had a similar idea to take two bikes, one on the back and one on the front.
I assume the Po Po's never gave you any hassle about covering up lights or blinkers, right?
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scgmc





Two Up Tire? Empty
PostSubject: Re: Two Up Tire?   Two Up Tire? EmptySun Mar 15, 2015 8:17 am

Never had an issue. Hopefully I won't.
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