17" DS tires?

My buddy has a SM450 and he is talking about getting some knobbies so he can hit the dirt with me.
He says he can get 17" dirt tires for front and rear, is this true? The Husky site says it comes with a 16.5" front and 17" rear.
I saw the picture of the fat-tire WRR and it looks like he has a rear tire mounted on the front rim. Any input is appreciated.

The fat tire'd bike is mine , and it's an X, not an R. So yeah, that's what I did, I put two "rear" Pirelli MT21's on my 17" rims. 130-90-17 on the rear, and 120-90-17 up front. Been working great.

That's about the only option for us with 17" wheels. That or going with Distanzias, which offer some offroad ability...no mud with these though.

Pirelli also makes a MT60, I believe the sumo compound is called "Corsa", which is a nice tire, but the rear only comes in a 160 width. Which is a bummer. The front will fit, it comes in a 120. I suppose you could throw the MT60 on the front and a Distanzia on the rear.... and it might be a nice combo with some traction.

Here is a pic of the MT60



And the Distanzia



They are both no contest to a knobby though...here is a pic of the MT21's I run:

I have the Diztanzia's for my X, I have not put them on yet though.

how about a 19" front rim and a 17" rear, then raising the forks in the triple to compensate for the taller rim?

a 19" front would open up the options for dual sport tires closer to the stock aspect ratios and widths.

I emailed wheeling cycle supply to see how much just a front 19" rim would be.

WeaveR wrote:

how about a 19" front rim and a 17" rear, then raising the forks in the triple to compensate for the taller rim?

a 19" front would open up the options for dual sport tires closer to the stock aspect ratios and widths.

I emailed wheeling cycle supply to see how much just a front 19" rim would be.

I contacted Woody's Wheel Works about that very thing a few months ago and they quoted me from around $375 to $400 for a custom 19" wheel, that price is with me sending them my front hub off my X. I would however, like to keep my stock hub on my 17 to be able to swap wheels when I wanted to.

Not sure about Wheeling though. Never asked.

I asked Wheeling Cycle:

can you do just a front 19" rim for a 2008 WR250X??
if so, about how much would the one rim be?

thanks


here's Wheeling Cycle's reply:

"Sorry, but the rims I use have bigger holes to accept the larger nipples,
your stock ones would not fit."


I'm confused, but since I'm a couple of weeks away from even laying rubber down, I'll pursue the 19" rim later

Anyone priced a WRR front rim for off road use? I like the idea of running a rear tyre on the front though.

Would like to post a couple of things here.

I have done front wheel business w/ Woody's Wheel Works. I would & will do business w/ them again. 1st class work all the way. They can actually make a wheel (cast) w/ better that factory specs.
Ask for Chris, Woody's son, doing a quaility job. Sorry I don't have their web site.


Anyone have a lead on where to buy that MT-21 that is 120/90-17 which was put on the front wheel of the above X.
Some of the local sellers say it is not a size they handle.
Suggested they start, but got no where.

Thanks

PonchoV wrote:

Anyone have a lead on where to buy that MT-21 that is 120/90-17 which was put on the front wheel of the above X.

http://www.bikebandit.com

They have lots of cool stuff.

Thanks, will give they a look over.

Just an update on the knobbies for our X bike.
Took D1EHARD's advise & shopped bikebandit. They have Kenda 270 for both front & rear delivered to you for 117 USD. Best delivered price I found at this time.
Have used this tire on an A-10 KLR & they worked well on both street & dirt. Milage lasting was almost to long, maybe I wasn't hard enough on these tires.
Just got these tires delivered yesterday, for my X. Fast service on the Kenda. Ordered MT-21 for another X riding bud & they won't get here for another week. No delay notice from Bandit. I had to email them for a 'what's up'.
I asked if both sets of tires were in stock, when I ordered & the phone contact said yes. I think someone at Bikebandit was fibbing. We wanted to change tires together & do a long off road ride this week. It just ain't going to happen.

BTW, the cost of the MT-21s were about 70 USD more than the Kenda 270s.
Both sets of tires were shopped for the best cost & if they were in stock at the time of ordering. I guess there is something else that should have been asked.....

PonchoV wrote:

Just an update on the knobbies for our X bike.
Took D1EHARD's advise & shopped bikebandit. They have Kenda 270 for both front & rear delivered to you for 117 USD. Best delivered price I found at this time.
Have used this tire on an A-10 KLR & they worked well on both street & dirt. Milage lasting was almost to long, maybe I wasn't hard enough on these tires.
Just got these tires delivered yesterday, for my X. Fast service on the Kenda. Ordered MT-21 for another X riding bud & they won't get here for another week. No delay notice from Bandit. I had to email them for a 'what's up'.
I asked if both sets of tires were in stock, when I ordered & the phone contact said yes. I think someone at Bikebandit was fibbing. We wanted to change tires together & do a long off road ride this week. It just ain't going to happen.

BTW, the cost of the MT-21s were about 70 USD more than the Kenda 270s.
Both sets of tires were shopped for the best cost & if they were in stock at the time of ordering. I guess there is something else that should have been asked.....

What size Kenda's did ya get Poncho?

I only ask because the Pirelli MT21's run a tad small, so the front is just small enough to fit. That's why I went with them. Have you put the Kenda's on yet? I'm wondering how the front is going to fit.

No I have not yet mounted the Kenda 270s.
The front tire is 4.60-17 = 120-17
" rear tire is 5.10-17 = 130-17
The metric #s are very close.
These Kendas come w/ in inch size not metric.

I've used Kenda 270 on an older KLR650 & was very pleasantly surprised how well they were both on & off the pavement.
Best of all was the long milage, about twice what I earned off the Mt-21. But the fMT-21 would be my first choice if I were only riding in the sand, dirt, swamps, loose shale, gravel, hard uneven rock surfaces. The next tire to the Mt-21 has to be the Dunlop 606. Nearly look the same but smoother on the street.
I do my own mounting, just like to get things done right.
sorry, I think I over answered your question.

i followed diehard's example & got the mt21's from bikebandit. They came yesterday, & i got them on today. I'm riding friday so i can give a report on how they handle.



The back tire is about 1 1/2 higher, but the front is about 3". I raised the fork to compensate for the taller tire.

MY GOD your bike looks like a meet tenderizer for an elephant size steak.
So when do we hook up & go where no X has gone before?

HEY rydnseek,
what is that flat baclk strip on your front plastic under the tank area?

rydnseek wrote:

i followed diehard's example & got the mt21's from bikebandit. They came yesterday, & i got them on today. I'm riding friday so i can give a report on how they handle.

Holy crap....you can't call that an "X" model anymore.

If I saw that parked at a dealership I would have bought that thang w/o all the cost fighting.

Plus I really like the back ground...is that a painting?

For some reason I keep going back to that pix......does your X have a sister?

PonchoV wrote:

HEY rydnseek,
what is that flat baclk strip on your front plastic under the tank area?

That is a velcro strip to secure some tank bags. I carried them as panniers on my drz, but they don't work as well with the wr. I ran them about empty, & was not happy with them on the tank... so back to a tank bag & the smaller panniers on the back somehow.

I have to admit i was really looking for an R when i began shopping for a bike. But this one came up, & i knew the dirt tires could be put on 17" rims, so i thought i'd give it a shot. I don't ride real hard, & i try to avoid really nasty terrain, but it seems like it looks for me so i want to be prepared. Big ol' knobbies are a part of that preperation.

I'm optomistic that this setup will go wherever my drz could go, & a bit lighter & lower. Later this month i'm planning a trip into n. az & utah, so i'll see how the wr is as an adventure bike. Fuel is the big pain.

Someone else was running kendas.. how have they worked?

The front tire went on very easily.. it seems like a smaller width tire could have worked here.. anyone try a narrower tire on the x rims?

I like lots of tire on the ground, so the biggest tire that will fit is what i like. I put over 12k miles on terraflexes on my drz.

The 'background' in the picture is in front of my house.. Sedona, Az is red rock country.. not as much as s. utah, but still very scenic. Lots of great year round riding here.

Motokid: Probably few people will think this is an sm, anymore. But those in the know will see the black frame, the big disk (i said DISK.. talking about the bike, not me ), & the smaller wheels.

scotty

Have done a good bit of off pavement riding & have found that the right tires for the whatever ride are cheap insurance. The right tires can save your butt from injuries not to mention helps keep your bike looking less crashed. All depends on how you ride, but don't ever NOT see yourself going places & doing things that later you'd wish you had tried & didn't just cause you didn't have the tires to give you a little more confindence.
Enjoy those knobs, they can take you there & back.
Just don't wake up w/ 3 strangers over you calling your name.

You are going to have a blast.

rydnseek wrote:

i followed diehard's example & got the mt21's from bikebandit. They came yesterday, & i got them on today. I'm riding friday so i can give a report on how they handle.



The back tire is about 1 1/2 higher, but the front is about 3". I raised the fork to compensate for the taller tire.

Nice!!! My bike's got a twin! Getting used to the knobbies were the biggest difference. The hum, the ride, etc... but man I love it. I don't think the MT21's will last too long though, especially doing a lot of highway miles. Mine are showing considerable wear and I don't even have 800 miles on them. Wouldn't trade them for anything though.

Here is a recent pic of mine:



I need a skid plate!

Maybe we should call ours WR250ADVX.....

D1EHARD wrote:

...
Mine are showing considerable wear and I don't even have 800 miles on them. Wouldn't trade them for anything though.
...

Whoa!!! 800miles in 7 months?!?
Better slow down there.

Either you need a better job, or a better climate, or a better woman so you can get more riding in.

This page is very inspiring. Think I need more coffee

ZED wrote:

D1EHARD wrote:

...
Mine are showing considerable wear and I don't even have 800 miles on them. Wouldn't trade them for anything though.
...

Whoa!!! 800miles in 7 months?!?
Better slow down there.

Either you need a better job, or a better climate, or a better woman so you can get more riding in.

Not really....I have a great job, a fantastic wife and wonderful little girl. All my riding is done locally, within a 25 mile radius. Mostly on camping trips. Hell, I bought a brand new Jeep Wrangler in 2007 and only have 6,000 miles on it....and it is my daily driver.... And that's including a vacation trip to Florida! I'm just not one to rack up the miles. I have lots of hobbies.

Cool.
I get the hobbies thing. Some people say we have too many. I say I'm not dead yet so surely there's something else interesting that I haven't tried yet.