18 inch rear tire in front ?

Has anyone put an 18 ich fat tire on the front of their WRR?? Seems like an interesting mid point between WRX and WRR.

The KLR folks do this to help the beast in soft sand and mud. Here is a link.
http://www.klr650.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70237&highlight=inch+wheel

http://www.klr650.net/forums/showthread.php?t=39199&highlight=club

The link leads to a message board that wants a registered member to log in.

What do they have for front tire choices?
Are they just mounting 18-inch rear tires?

19" will give you much better true front tyre options, but if your going to the effort, just keep the 21" on the r2

Yes they are just mounting a rear tire on the 18 inch rim. Like a 120/90 D606. Or the Shinko 244 rear. The idea is a fat boy up front.

Sorry, I did not know you had to be a member to see that. I will post some of the details if anyone has an interst.

The overall diamerter (height) of the tire is reported to be just 1/2 inch less than a 21 inch rim with a 90/90 21 front tire on there. So it may be pretty much the same height as the stock tire on the WRR since it is a low profile.


They get send off the front hub to Woody's Wheel Works in Denver or Buchanan's in California somewhere. I think maybe San Diago. Some folks order the rim and spokes from Buchanan's and lace it up themselves. They use either a 2.15 inch or 2.5 inch Excel Rim. THere is debate on which width rim is better to use. For some reason some indicate the spoke holes in the hub need to be drilled so they let Woody's or Buchanan's do the work. Not sure why. Going to heavier guage spokes maybe??? You have to measure the width of the tire you intend to use to make sure there is clearance between the forks.

That's about it. Not a cheap mod. But if you ride in a lot of loose sand it may be worth it. Pics of the bikes with the fat boy front tire look pretty nice.

Advantages that were stated:
- Carry one tire tube (both wheels are 18 inch) (not a KLR advantage. Rear is 17 inch)
- Much better in loose sand.
- Avoids pinch flats on the front due to the bigger tire.
- Can run really low presssures
- Really good on pavement especially in turns

Disadvantages
- More weight up front. Harder to loft the front
- Takes more force to turn the bike offroad due to larger foot print on the ground.


I was just wondering if anyone had done this to a WRR. They are doing it to 250 cc Kawasaki's as well.

I had a 19" made up for my '09X by Buchanan and have TK's on mine. Like you said trying to get a cross between an X and an R. (like the larger tire look coming from my Jeep background)

The rear is a 140/80 and is way two heavy. Its over 15 lbs plus tube. The bike is apart working bars, heated grips and electric misc.

Also just recieved some Mefo's to replace the TK's. Got the 100/90/19 front and will put a Tubliss on it. Got the 130/80 /17 for the rear and its only about 12 lbs.

I think this combo will work realy nice for me living in Los Angeles riding Super slab, Mulholland Dr, the mountains and desert (no mud). Can't waite to try the new Mefo's out.

with the drilling, you need to have the nipple seat angle drilled correctly so that the nipple will sit down flush in the rim for the angle the spokes pull on.