Street tires for a 2020 wr250r

Hi I want to put Street tires on my 2020 wr250r on the original rims. Which tires would you recommend? And do I need tubeless tires? I'm not sure. I saw shinko has street tires that would fit but it lost me when it said they're tubeless cause I'm not sure which to get tube or tubeless

If you still have the OEM spoked rims then it must be tubbed.

Tyres that are designated as "tubeless" have a special coating that prevents air from escaping through the carcass, which makes them suitable for tubeless applications. This does not mean that they have to be used as tubeless, one can use a tube with them without a problem.

Ok thank you. I'm having a hard time finding the right size tubed tires online. 120/80-18 rear 80/100-21 front. Does anyone happen to have a link they could send me for these specific tires. Street tires

Can I put tubeless tires on the original spoked rims if I put the tube on with them meaning as long as the tube is on there then the tubeless tires would work?

Yes, you can use tubeless tyres with a tube.

When you say "street tyres" you mean 100% street, like a Pirelli Corsa? As far as I know no one makes such a tyre for 21"/18" rims; if you want these kind of tyres you need to move to a supermotard setup with 17" wheels.

Thank you for answering my questions and Yes 100% Street. And Ok I'll move to a supermoto setup. Please walk me through that. Do I need a 17 inch rim for both front/rear? Also can I put the stock sprocket on the new rim or will I need a different size sprocket? I like the stock sprocket. I only ride my wr on roads by the way. No trails. Haven't had any problems with the sprocket

Yes, you will need to get 17" wheels for both front and back. Warp9 provides a complete setup, just choose the options you want from the drop down menus.

The front wheel will come with an oversized rotor, and a bracket so you can relocate the caliper. You will have to trim the plastic fork protectors because they will interfere with the front tyre; or you can simply buy the WRX fork protectors.

It is also a good idea to change the brake pads because old brake pads with new rotors don't mix very well.

You could put the old sprocket on the new hub, but you probably don't want to do that: since the rim is smaller, the old sprocket will give you too short of a gearing. I would suggest you go with what Warp9 recommends, or search the WRX sub-forum to see what kind of sprockets those guys prefer.

johnkol wrote:

Yes, you will need to get 17" wheels for both front and back. Warp9 provides a complete setup, just choose the options you want from the drop down menus.

The front wheel will come with an oversized rotor, and a bracket so you can relocate the caliper. You will have to trim the plastic fork protectors because they will interfere with the front tyre; or you can simply buy the WRX fork protectors.

It is also a good idea to change the brake pads because old brake pads with new rotors don't mix very well.

You could put the old sprocket on the new hub, but you probably don't want to do that: since the rim is smaller, the old sprocket will give you too short of a gearing. I would suggest you go with what Warp9 recommends, or search the WRX sub-forum to see what kind of sprockets those guys prefer.

This is the way to go. Check out used options as they can be pricey. Ebay, ThumperTalk, etc.

Ok I'll have all of those things adjusted like you said. I better have a professional do all this for me. Any idea how much this will cost me for both parts and labor? Even just a rough estimate

Depending on the options you select for the wheels, the hardware alone would be about $1,100. Maybe a shop will be able to install everything for about $1,300.

More importantly, do you have a shop you can trust?

I think so

The thing is, I don't really know who I can trust and who I can't because I've never taken my bike to any shops yet.

I hope I don't get screwed over with overpricing or even worse someone not putting the wheels/ tires on right and me getting killed

If you have never used them, how can you trust them?

I would not be that concerned about them installing the wheels correctly, but if they are not familiar with the bike I expect them to overcharge you as they rack up the hours trying to figure out how things fit together.

Most importantly, will they even accept you buying the wheels and bringing them for installation, or are they going to insist that they install the wheels they feel comfortable with?

BTW, since we got to this point, why do you want to run street tyres? What is it that you feel dual sport tyres cannot accomplish?

I want street tires cause I only ride my bike on pavement. I don't want knobby tires on pavement i want a smoother ride than that and better handling. I would've just bought a wr250x instead if I'd known about them before I bought my r. Too late for that now but don't get me wrong I love my r and I don't mind forking out the money for the new wheels and tires

I have a couple different people that I think I can trust. They're not at dealerships or shops they're individuals but they know bikes really well and wouldn't charge me too much for this and they both used to be bike mechanics

Dual sport tyres comes in many different shapes and forms: from extreme knobbies that would rattle your tooth fillings out, to something like the Pirelli MT90 that feels like a road tyre.

Be careful with the better handling you're looking for: the supermoto wheels will steepen the front geometry considerably, and together with the smaller front wheel they will make the bike feel very sensitive to input, almost twitchy. You may love it, or it may scare you, depends on where you're coming from.

If your friends can help you with the installation, that would be your best course of action.

When you say twitchy do you mean at the slightest turn of the handlebars like going into a turn or curve the bike over responds like almost too responsive? Also Is there any other detail you can think of on what to expect in the handling differences between the r with stock tires and x with Street tires this is really important to me cause this will be an expensive purchase. I just wanna make sure I 100% want them before buying them. Also, those pirelli tires are out of stock for the correct sizes for my bike I'll keep looking around on the net for them but I'm not finding any tires that I really want for my stock wheels the only ones I'm finding are all too knobby. And I'm not picky really it just seems I can't find any that are even remotely Street tires. They don't need to be slick tires but if I can find some with no knobs I'll probably get them

Those pirellis you showed me look like they would be fine for street use. I'll try some other sites maybe another website will have them in stock

ab1234567890 wrote:

When you say twitchy do you mean at the slightest turn of the handlebars like going into a turn or curve the bike over responds like almost too responsive?

Yes, exactly.

Bear in mind this is not an inherent problem with supermotards, it's just a different feel from what you're used to; if you have been riding 21"/18" wheels for a long time, it may take you some time to adjust to 17"/17"; if you're new to 21"/18", then you may find the 17"/17" a better fit for the feel you're looking for. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing how you will feel about them until you ride one.

ab1234567890 wrote:

Those pirellis you showed me look like they would be fine for street use. I'll try some other sites maybe another website will have them in stock

They are in stock at Cycle Gear, 90/90-21 54S TT for the front, and 120/80-18 62S TT for the rear. Maybe you were looking at different sizes?

My owners manual says the stock tires are 80/100-21 51P (front tire). Shouldnt I stick with that size front tire or will the 90/90-21 54S fit? I have a feeling you're gonna say the 90/90 will fit but I just want to make sure before I order

Also what does 54S and 62S mean?

Yes, the 90/90-21 will fit, and that's what most people run (and not just for the WRR); it is the same height as the 80/100-21, so the geometry doesn't change either.

The "54" in "54S" is the load rating, that is, how much weight the tyre can withstand at its rated maximum pressure; 54 = 467 lbs, 62 = 580 lbs.

The "S" is the speed rating, that is, the maximum speed this tyre can endure; S = 112 mph.