Rix
100 TW
quite a difference in foot print GC, Running a 2.5 or 3.0 x 26 would show a little bit closer in foot print with your tires. I take your studded tire is for the snow, how does it work for you?
Rick
Rick
19" Motorcycle Wheels vs 26" Bicycle Wheels (rim and tires)
- Thread starter GCinDC
- Start date
Rix
100 TW
Observator said:
Missed this. if you were running a 10t or 12t mack, you could run a 19x1.4 with a either the SR241 and or 244 2.75x19 with out any drama. THat being said the faster wound 8t, I would look at a 17x1.4 running a 2.75 SR241. This is about 1 pound lighter than the 19x2.75 option, but the big gain would come from decreased diameter of only about 23.2 inches OD, that would more than make up for the increased rotational weight/mass you will gain from an MC option. In theory, I know I am right with this suggestion, however, I don't have any real world experience with an 8t mac, only 10 and 12t. If you do go the MC route with your 8t, I would really like to hear what your findings are.
Rick
johnrobholmes
10 MW
I have two 7t MAC motors in 17" rims right now. Both on the front of really heavy trikes. Stellar combination for mid 20s speed on 36v and gobs of torque. I would agree that a 17 is a better choice than a 19 for an 8t MAC, but with a skinny moped tire the 19 could be light as well.
Rix
100 TW
johnrobholmes said:
That's makes sense. And running true moped tires on a 19 in 2.5 widths would bring the weight down. I got a couple of 19x2.5 M23 Bridgestones. They are the lightest 19 MC tire I have tried at just under 5 pounds. The aggressive knobbies kick ass on loose dirt but not very good on anything else. I have tried so many tires now I quite counting after trying the 16th. I keep going back to the SR241s. Some day, I am going to build me a lightweight long range explorer bike running 12s 32Ah Lipo using a MAC 10 with a 17x1.4 rim running a 2.75x17 SR241 and a 24MTB on the front. Just got to find the time and money.
///edit/// Can you post a pic of one of your MACs laced to the 17?Rick
Observator
10 W
Thank you for your input, i do understand the benefit of a lower rotational due to the limited power spectrum of my motor. However i don't want to change my front wheel aswell, mainly due to cost. Since my front is a 26" running crazy bob's from Schwalbe its a rather tall tire. And i fear the bikes geometry would be suffering from the steering angle altercation going to such a small tire as 17" on the back. An other reason for wanting the downgrade in circumference to be as little as possible, while still not exceeding the 24" size swingarm can accept. Is i don't want to change my battery setup, and my topspeed now running 12s is right around 50km/h. I don't need higher top speed, but I'm not to keen on lowering it either. I see that you both suggested going to a 17", is there any particular reason 18" isn't mentioned?
Regarding the 17" 7t MAC's i am to very interested in seeing pictures. If possible with a 26" MTB wheel for size comparison would be great! I'm also curious if you had to do anything special to the MAC's spoke flange in order for it to accept MC wheel spokes?
Regarding the 17" 7t MAC's i am to very interested in seeing pictures. If possible with a 26" MTB wheel for size comparison would be great! I'm also curious if you had to do anything special to the MAC's spoke flange in order for it to accept MC wheel spokes?
Rix
100 TW
Observator said:
Here is what a 17x1.4 and 19x1.4 rim looks like with the 24MTB and a 3.00 x 24 Duro Razorback (25.5" OD) on the front. The 17 is mounted with the 2.75SR241 (23.3" OD) and the 19 running the Bridgestone M23 (24.9" OD). Keep in that your 26MTB with crazy Bobs on the front are probably about 1 inch bigger diameter than the Razor back.
Rick
Attachments
Observator
10 W
Thank you for the pictures, ascetically it doesn't look bad.
johnrobholmes
10 MW
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=756579217705205&id=517937571569372&set=a.608604802502648.1073741827.517937571569372&source=43
Rix
100 TW
Observator said:
Yah, I didn't think it looked to bad either. I saw a 17mc with a 26MTB, it was a little off because of the size difference, but, looked like a hill climb drag racer, tough. But yah, with the 24MTB it looks quite a bit better. There was a guy on the Phasor thread, he has a 17mc rear and a 19mc front, for a build with two different size tires, that looked one of the best. Well, my next future build will have Holmes Hobbies aluminum 18 x1.4 with a 24MTB on the front. Should be an interesting build. We shall see.
JRH, thanks for posting that link to the trike. That 7T Mac with the 17MC rim looks sweet! I saw a build a while bike with an AWD Mac front and rear. Don't know what the turns were on the stator, but with 5KW and oil cooling, it would climb 45 Degree stuff with 26MTB tires/rims. Makes a guy wonder how much better it would be with 17 MC rim and tires front and rear?
Rick
Ch00paKabrA
10 kW
Dennis Kirk sells a tire with the same tread pattern as the 244 but it weighs a few pounds less. The reason its weight is lower is that it is a 2 ply where-as the Shinko is a 4 ply.
It is the IRC Rear GP-1 Dual Sport 2.75-19 Tire. https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/rear-gp-1-dual-sport-2-75-19-tire.p540955.prd/540955.sku
it is 5.43 lbs as opposed the over 8 lbs for the Shinko. It is a bit pricier though at $45.
It is the IRC Rear GP-1 Dual Sport 2.75-19 Tire. https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/rear-gp-1-dual-sport-2-75-19-tire.p540955.prd/540955.sku
it is 5.43 lbs as opposed the over 8 lbs for the Shinko. It is a bit pricier though at $45.
GCinDC
100 MW
nice find!
I must be one of the only people running 21's front and rear. OD is only 2mm larger than my old 26 x 2.4 downhill tires. Weight is up big time but I did not measure it back to back.
Running Kenda downhill tires my tire life was only 150 to 200km and I was always worried about pinch flats. So far I have about 450km on the motorcycletires and I really like them. Solid and safe at 80kph. I will try some 2ply tires in future to get the weight down.
Running Kenda downhill tires my tire life was only 150 to 200km and I was always worried about pinch flats. So far I have about 450km on the motorcycletires and I really like them. Solid and safe at 80kph. I will try some 2ply tires in future to get the weight down.
Rix
100 TW
kdee122 said:I must be one of the only people running 21's front and rear. OD is only 2mm larger than my old 26 x 2.4 downhill tires. Weight is up big time but I did not measure it back to back.
Running Kenda downhill tires my tire life was only 150 to 200km and I was always worried about pinch flats. So far I have about 450km on the motorcycletires and I really like them. Solid and safe at 80kph. I will try some 2ply tires in future to get the weight down.
Outstanding build there. Got any pics with the 21MC on it? Yah, unless you are running a tall 21" trials tire, the 21MC will come out close to a large 26MTB, which would be right around the 27" OD mark give or take a little. I used to have a Beta Evo 250. I ran a 3x21 Trials tire on the front of that bike. That tire measured almost 28" and was huge! But most 21MC tires are not that tall. That tire would be much to big and heavy for an ebike. But damn it would roll over anything that could be rolled over.
Rick
Rix
100 TW
DAMN Kdee122, very very tough looking machine!!!!! That looks great with the 21s. Who makes 2 ply 21" MC tires? I can only find 4 ply, but my knowledge and ability to search for stuff on the net is way way limited. By chance, do you have a build ? A close look reveals tons and tons of machined parts. Very trick ride you have. Whats its weight and what are you running for battery? Thanks for chiming in, wouldn't have seen your build else wise.
Rick
Rick
I dont have very detailed build log. You can see some of the build on my post http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=50795&p=873172#p873172 here. I have not weighted is but it is around 100 lbs. Its a lot more than I initially planed for but it rides very well. As the components got stronger and stronger to support the Cromotor's weight and power for real off-road you the weight climbed a bit more than I wanted. Right now i am just testing with a A123 packs. The pack in the bike now is "just 16s" but i have used up to 32s of A123 pouch cells and I will at some point design some 18650 packs if i can get them to pass the vibe testing.
Rix
100 TW
Kdee, just watched your cobblestone vid, now I know why you do vibration testing. Seems appropriate for the terrain you get to ride. Good stuff indeed, that one great build.
Rick
Rick
Ch00paKabrA
10 kW
Rix said:
The front IRC GP1 tires are 2.75 x 21 inches and are 2 ply. The weight is 6.18 lbs
but they are still a rather expensive tire compared to the Shinkos at $55.00 (but many bicycle tires are more expensive).
Here's a link: https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/front-gp-1-dual-sport-2-75-21-tire.p540956.prd/540956.sku
Hope it helps.
'Cal
Rix
100 TW
Ch00paKabrA said:
It sure does help, thank you. my 3.00 x 21 SR241 Shinko weighed about 12 pounds
For this reason I wouldn't even think of considering them for an ebike. However, a 21MC tire on the front and an 18 or 19MC on the rear, could be a really sweet set up. Crap, you hear that noise, that the sound of more money that I need to spend to find out. It wont be happening any time soon. KDee, what are you running for tires?
Rick
2007blueprius
100 W
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2013
- Messages
- 258
I got a few questions for the coneseurs,
21" is about the bigest spoked MC rim available? I saw some up to 26 but all were bilet.
tire sizes, I am not familiar and most sites ask for a make and model and they will tell you what to order, well guess what. it's a custom build now what?
are there diferent rim withs available? how about tread pattern, say I was looking to do a road bike, I am looking to mach a 29er wheel as close as possible in height, as wide as I can get it, I read a trials tire is bigger, it would be nice to find something with a decent road thread, like an enduro I guess.
Last but not least, money is an object, I am not looking for something outrageous, stock options I guess, something afordable.
any imput, sources one can recomend?
http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/mpo/4399835350.html here's what craigslist yelded
so I looked around it appears 21*1.60 36h is the most common
21" is about the bigest spoked MC rim available? I saw some up to 26 but all were bilet.
tire sizes, I am not familiar and most sites ask for a make and model and they will tell you what to order, well guess what. it's a custom build now what?
are there diferent rim withs available? how about tread pattern, say I was looking to do a road bike, I am looking to mach a 29er wheel as close as possible in height, as wide as I can get it, I read a trials tire is bigger, it would be nice to find something with a decent road thread, like an enduro I guess.
Last but not least, money is an object, I am not looking for something outrageous, stock options I guess, something afordable.
any imput, sources one can recomend?
http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/mpo/4399835350.html here's what craigslist yelded
so I looked around it appears 21*1.60 36h is the most common
Im running a bridgestone TW301 3 inch x 21 front tire. My rear is a Metzeler Karoo 2 90mm x 21 inch. I prefer the TW301 but the Metzeler distributor is across the street from me so they are easy to get.
For this bike the tires are fine but I will be doing a lighter weight build and will need to something a bit lighter.
For this bike the tires are fine but I will be doing a lighter weight build and will need to something a bit lighter.
2007blueprius
100 W
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2013
- Messages
- 258
http://e-bike-diffusion.com/index.php?module=top_ventes
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131133926151?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/705-series
this is what I came up with, looks like most 21 inch rims are 1.6 wide, others are kind of hard to come by, but in 1.6 according to the shinko web only a few knobby tires are available, the 705 is the thinnest road like tire, I'm kindof looking to build a commuter and since I have to spoke a wheel anyway than why not except for cost obviously,
overall diameter is listed at 27.36, bit shy of 29 but than again not sure my 29 is really a 29, close enough I guess, I am tempted to this setup for a rear wheel, leave an original 29 for the front?
with a with at 3.54, likely I have do tweak the frame, that was in the works anyway, weight? I'm sure it would be quite a bit
well unless you all know a better option for me or a reason why not?, I may just order these, I should get my donor bike Friday and a new 1000w hub
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRO-WHEEL-FRONT-RIM-21-KSYBK-36H-1-6-x21-GENERATION-III-YAMAHA-KAWASAKI-SUZUKI-/281299402762?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item417ec0400a&vxp=mtr
this is another option for a rim the Italian is steel, might just be too much, but this is a 1.6 wide, I may be able to fit that tire but is it a bad idea?
George
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131133926151?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/705-series
this is what I came up with, looks like most 21 inch rims are 1.6 wide, others are kind of hard to come by, but in 1.6 according to the shinko web only a few knobby tires are available, the 705 is the thinnest road like tire, I'm kindof looking to build a commuter and since I have to spoke a wheel anyway than why not except for cost obviously,
overall diameter is listed at 27.36, bit shy of 29 but than again not sure my 29 is really a 29, close enough I guess, I am tempted to this setup for a rear wheel, leave an original 29 for the front?
with a with at 3.54, likely I have do tweak the frame, that was in the works anyway, weight? I'm sure it would be quite a bit
well unless you all know a better option for me or a reason why not?, I may just order these, I should get my donor bike Friday and a new 1000w hub
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRO-WHEEL-FRONT-RIM-21-KSYBK-36H-1-6-x21-GENERATION-III-YAMAHA-KAWASAKI-SUZUKI-/281299402762?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item417ec0400a&vxp=mtr
this is another option for a rim the Italian is steel, might just be too much, but this is a 1.6 wide, I may be able to fit that tire but is it a bad idea?
George
Rix
100 TW
2007blueprius said:
Hello Prius,
You mentioned that you are looking at building a commuter, so I got to ask, what kind of terrain do you plan on commuting over? I ask because if it paved roads to and from work, stay away from MC tires and rims. That just a lot of additional weight that isn't needed for pavement and side walk type terrain. I am not the first to go to a MC wheel and tire combo, but the reason I initially went that route, was MTB tires just didn't hold up for crap on rocky and rough off road terrain. I have ran 19x1.4, 17x1.4, and now 18x1.85 rims on my Bomber. I advocate the MC rims because I flatted my rear MTB tire so many times with in the first 4 months of owning my Bomber that I got tired of it. But if it was for road riding, the stock wheels on my Bomber were more than adequate. Over the last 2 years, I have ran 4 different sized rims on my bike and quite counting (well over 16 different tires tried) how many different tires I have ran. The only thing my experience had told me is the Shinko SRR 241 is the best all around tire there is for any ebike that is used for road and off road purposes. I keep going to back to it. For lightweight and durability combo, running MC tire on the rear and a heavy duty MTB rim and tire on the front is the best combo. Yes running MC tires front and rear are a little better and more confidence inspiring for off road, but the weight increase up front off sets the slight traction advantage of running a MC wheel. So I checked out the 705 shinko you referenced. It is not the narrowest tire. Its a 90/90x21 which means its 90mm wide and the sidewall height is 90% of the width tall for the 21. For any 21MC tire to be considered, I would look at either 2.75x21 tire or smaller, or 100/80x21 tires. Both these sized 21" tires will be narrower than the 90/90x21 705 you are looking at. Here are some pics of my Bomber evolving over the last 2 years. Top is the stock 24MTB shod with 3.00x24 Duro Razorbacks. Next picture down is with the 19x1.4 Prowheel racing rim and a Bridgeston 19MC knobbie, I think its the M23 but it could be the M403, The third pic down is of the current set up I have with the 18x1.85 running the SR 241 2.75x18, and the SR241 2.75x19 on the front, and the fourth down is the 17x1.4PW racing with a M62 3.00x17 Gazette. With the exception of the 18 MC rim, all the other rim sizes pictured are with the 3x24 Duro razor back on the front.
Rick
Attachments
2007blueprius
100 W
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2013
- Messages
- 258
here's part of the reason for my madness, last year I got a couple 29ers mtb and I like them a lot, a lot better than the old 26, so I decided to build a 29 ebike.
that beeing said I got impatient and did not want to wait for a custom order out of china and I ordered a 26 100w kit from a warehouse on this continent, plus it was cheaper, so I am going to respoke that hub regardless,
initialy I was planning to respoke it on a 29er rim than I figured why not, except for the added cost and weight of course, I live in Detroit, MI there is not much diference between on and off road? big potholes kindof made sense figured a mx rim and spokes would be stronger than a 29, also thought to it as for mileage, I would like to get into it this year and ride more often, MC should be more durable, so I was looking for a cruiser type tire, as it will be used mostly on pavement, maybe I'll find a low resistance tire for the front also, I checked the shinko website last night and there are other sizes available but knobies, wont do well on pavement or sidewalks,
the other reasoning is I like to tinker and it would be pretty cool I guess. I kindof want to do it despite reasoning too.
so the question is what kind of wheel tire combo would be within reason for my goal, knobies are out of the question, 21x1.6 seems to be the size, there are others, but the italian ones were steel at 6 lbs each harley rims are 40 hole and I have a feeling they also are steel with all that chrome, both of these are wider but too heavy, had I found a smaller road type tire I would be interested, the one I mentioned its recomended for a 2.15 rim, it would not be the first time one fitted an oversize tire, most 29er mtb tire seem too wide for the rim anyway
the 100/80 x 21 I doubt it would be much smaller that 90/90/21, there was another size 90/80x21 in the tire I liked but that is just the aspect ratio, it would still be just as wide.
guess I'll have another look at shinko. I looked ar sr241s and 244s but they seem a bit too knoby for my goals I think they are just as wide too so the question still remains how would they fir on a 1.6 rim, all the rims you mentioned were not that wide either.
does anybody know a different source for rims or tires? a 2.15 36h rim would be better and in aluminum the weight wont be too much, but if they are hard to come by that is an issue
http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/777 there are also these, they come in 80/90x21, rim spec 1.85, less of a strech to a comon 1.6, I loose an inch in diameter, not too excited about that its closer to a 26 bike tire diameter, bit narower 3.15 versus 3.54, which is not necesarily a bad thing, in a 29er frame it may just fit with litle mod, unfortunately the bike I ordered wont be here till friday, weight not specified but it should be slightly lighter, beter thread patern in my eyes, I kindof like it better but this is road only pretty much, the 705 had a bit of dirt and wet thread type but it is not available in the smaller size.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shinko-777-Series-Front-Motorcycle-Tire-80-90-21-XF87-4183-/390478269150?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5aea518ade&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281299402762?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
this is kindof the combination I am leaning towards at this time, and prices on ebay are not bad at all, found the 1 rim localy new old stock for $60, this one may be better quality looks somewhat fancy, as for tires, I could check a local shop, unlikely they stock them
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-Steel-Heavy-Duty-12g-Spokes-Bicycle-Custom-Length-140mm-192mm-/221378310161?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&var=&hash=item338b2cf011
these are some spokes I was considering thou reading through the first thread I am a bit unclear which is proper? these seem like bicicle spokes with bicycle niples, in the first post there are washers shown, are these for the motorcycle or spokes? still looking for a custom motorcicle cut to size
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/31630/i/motion-pro-armor-rim-strip-tape THIS IS THE ONLY RIM STRIP i COULD FIND
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/24586/i/dunlop-tube-for-harley-davidson?WT.ac=SLIsearch and this is the only tube
aparently this is a size popular with harleys, hence the harley rims that kept popping up
tire tube and rimstrip $78 from the motorcycle superstore, rim $70 from ebay, that leaves out the spokes, bit unclear if the op used holmes? wonder if the ebike 12 ga are any different than motorcycle 12 ga except for the tips obviously, still unclear if the washers are standard on motorcicle rims or that was a oversized bike spoke tip.
that beeing said I got impatient and did not want to wait for a custom order out of china and I ordered a 26 100w kit from a warehouse on this continent, plus it was cheaper, so I am going to respoke that hub regardless,
initialy I was planning to respoke it on a 29er rim than I figured why not, except for the added cost and weight of course, I live in Detroit, MI there is not much diference between on and off road? big potholes kindof made sense figured a mx rim and spokes would be stronger than a 29, also thought to it as for mileage, I would like to get into it this year and ride more often, MC should be more durable, so I was looking for a cruiser type tire, as it will be used mostly on pavement, maybe I'll find a low resistance tire for the front also, I checked the shinko website last night and there are other sizes available but knobies, wont do well on pavement or sidewalks,
the other reasoning is I like to tinker and it would be pretty cool I guess. I kindof want to do it despite reasoning too.
so the question is what kind of wheel tire combo would be within reason for my goal, knobies are out of the question, 21x1.6 seems to be the size, there are others, but the italian ones were steel at 6 lbs each harley rims are 40 hole and I have a feeling they also are steel with all that chrome, both of these are wider but too heavy, had I found a smaller road type tire I would be interested, the one I mentioned its recomended for a 2.15 rim, it would not be the first time one fitted an oversize tire, most 29er mtb tire seem too wide for the rim anyway
the 100/80 x 21 I doubt it would be much smaller that 90/90/21, there was another size 90/80x21 in the tire I liked but that is just the aspect ratio, it would still be just as wide.
guess I'll have another look at shinko. I looked ar sr241s and 244s but they seem a bit too knoby for my goals I think they are just as wide too so the question still remains how would they fir on a 1.6 rim, all the rims you mentioned were not that wide either.
does anybody know a different source for rims or tires? a 2.15 36h rim would be better and in aluminum the weight wont be too much, but if they are hard to come by that is an issue
http://www.shinkotireusa.com/tire/777 there are also these, they come in 80/90x21, rim spec 1.85, less of a strech to a comon 1.6, I loose an inch in diameter, not too excited about that its closer to a 26 bike tire diameter, bit narower 3.15 versus 3.54, which is not necesarily a bad thing, in a 29er frame it may just fit with litle mod, unfortunately the bike I ordered wont be here till friday, weight not specified but it should be slightly lighter, beter thread patern in my eyes, I kindof like it better but this is road only pretty much, the 705 had a bit of dirt and wet thread type but it is not available in the smaller size.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shinko-777-Series-Front-Motorcycle-Tire-80-90-21-XF87-4183-/390478269150?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5aea518ade&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281299402762?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
this is kindof the combination I am leaning towards at this time, and prices on ebay are not bad at all, found the 1 rim localy new old stock for $60, this one may be better quality looks somewhat fancy, as for tires, I could check a local shop, unlikely they stock them
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-Steel-Heavy-Duty-12g-Spokes-Bicycle-Custom-Length-140mm-192mm-/221378310161?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&var=&hash=item338b2cf011
these are some spokes I was considering thou reading through the first thread I am a bit unclear which is proper? these seem like bicicle spokes with bicycle niples, in the first post there are washers shown, are these for the motorcycle or spokes? still looking for a custom motorcicle cut to size
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/31630/i/motion-pro-armor-rim-strip-tape THIS IS THE ONLY RIM STRIP i COULD FIND
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/24586/i/dunlop-tube-for-harley-davidson?WT.ac=SLIsearch and this is the only tube
aparently this is a size popular with harleys, hence the harley rims that kept popping up
tire tube and rimstrip $78 from the motorcycle superstore, rim $70 from ebay, that leaves out the spokes, bit unclear if the op used holmes? wonder if the ebike 12 ga are any different than motorcycle 12 ga except for the tips obviously, still unclear if the washers are standard on motorcicle rims or that was a oversized bike spoke tip.
Ch00paKabrA
10 kW
Being an avid dirt-biker for years, I hope you don't mind if I chime in.
The standard size rim that you will find in 21 inches is 1.6 inches. That is the only size that is made by prowheel, excell or any of the other manufacturers. I don't understand how you can only have found a small number of tires for it. There are literally hundreds available ranging from off-road knobbies to all terrrain and road tires.
It is true that most are 4 ply bias or radial. That is why I thought to share when I managed to find a 2 ply tire that was 3 to 6 pounds lighter than any other tire I had previously found.
The differences in rims come in the rear wheel. Those will range from 14 to 19 inches with widths from 1.45 to 2.15 inches.
On my DH Comp build that I am currently in the planning and acquisition stage of, I will be running 19 inch tires front and rear but the front is 1.85 inches while the rear is 2.15. in order to fit the wider rear wheel it must be moved back around 2 inches on the DH comp with the 135mm rear.
your bike may be different. A 21 inch M/C wheel has a lot of rotating mass. Even if you use the lighter 2 ply tire, it will still affect braking but it will also be more stable as that higher rotating mass makes for a very stable gyroscope.
If you can get really strong brakes on high quality hubs, then I say go for the 21 inch wheels. They are more stable and,in effect, safer. Just be aware of the trade-off.
As far as searching the motorcycle tire sites, I agree that it is difficult but there is a trick to it. Do not input your "ride" information.
I will use Dennis Kirk as an example because if you don't know how to search it, then it is almost impossible to figure it out.
In the upper left is a place to input the year make and model of your motorcycle. Ignore that.
Scroll down until you see in the list on the left where it "Tires & Wheels". When you hover your mouse over it, a new menu will flash to the right of it. Move your mouse over to where it says "Tires-Motorcycle and Dirt" and click it.
The screen will again have the place to enter your motorcycle year make and model, ignore it again.
look down on the left hand side of the screen and there is a place to check off all kinds of selections to narrow your list of tires.
Way down near the bottom there is a section for rim size but there are only a few rim sizes listed (10 to 14 inches) but there is a button that says "view all 13" Click it and it will expand that box to include all rim sizes and you will see that the largest motorcycle tire is a 23 inch but you will probably have a hard time finding a rim for it. There are currently 152 tires available in 21 inches.
here is a link to the search that I performed if you want to check them out:
https://www.denniskirk.com/tires-motorcycle-and-dirt-bike/95:5701.attrs
If I were going to run 21 inch wheels, I would probably go for the IRC GP-1 tires simply because there are 2 widths available in 21 tires. So, I would run a 2.75 on the front and a 3.00 on the back. It would probably look pretty sick too.
here are the links for those two tires:
3.00: https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/front-gp-1-dual-sport-3-00-21-tire.p54363.prd/54363.sku
2.75: https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/front-gp-1-dual-sport-2-75-21-tire.p540956.prd/540956.sku (same as in a previous post)
If you want to search a different site, PM me and I will see if I can figure it out for you. Hope it helps
'Cal
The standard size rim that you will find in 21 inches is 1.6 inches. That is the only size that is made by prowheel, excell or any of the other manufacturers. I don't understand how you can only have found a small number of tires for it. There are literally hundreds available ranging from off-road knobbies to all terrrain and road tires.
It is true that most are 4 ply bias or radial. That is why I thought to share when I managed to find a 2 ply tire that was 3 to 6 pounds lighter than any other tire I had previously found.
The differences in rims come in the rear wheel. Those will range from 14 to 19 inches with widths from 1.45 to 2.15 inches.
On my DH Comp build that I am currently in the planning and acquisition stage of, I will be running 19 inch tires front and rear but the front is 1.85 inches while the rear is 2.15. in order to fit the wider rear wheel it must be moved back around 2 inches on the DH comp with the 135mm rear.
your bike may be different. A 21 inch M/C wheel has a lot of rotating mass. Even if you use the lighter 2 ply tire, it will still affect braking but it will also be more stable as that higher rotating mass makes for a very stable gyroscope.
If you can get really strong brakes on high quality hubs, then I say go for the 21 inch wheels. They are more stable and,in effect, safer. Just be aware of the trade-off.
As far as searching the motorcycle tire sites, I agree that it is difficult but there is a trick to it. Do not input your "ride" information.
I will use Dennis Kirk as an example because if you don't know how to search it, then it is almost impossible to figure it out.
In the upper left is a place to input the year make and model of your motorcycle. Ignore that.
Scroll down until you see in the list on the left where it "Tires & Wheels". When you hover your mouse over it, a new menu will flash to the right of it. Move your mouse over to where it says "Tires-Motorcycle and Dirt" and click it.
The screen will again have the place to enter your motorcycle year make and model, ignore it again.
look down on the left hand side of the screen and there is a place to check off all kinds of selections to narrow your list of tires.
Way down near the bottom there is a section for rim size but there are only a few rim sizes listed (10 to 14 inches) but there is a button that says "view all 13" Click it and it will expand that box to include all rim sizes and you will see that the largest motorcycle tire is a 23 inch but you will probably have a hard time finding a rim for it. There are currently 152 tires available in 21 inches.
here is a link to the search that I performed if you want to check them out:
https://www.denniskirk.com/tires-motorcycle-and-dirt-bike/95:5701.attrs
If I were going to run 21 inch wheels, I would probably go for the IRC GP-1 tires simply because there are 2 widths available in 21 tires. So, I would run a 2.75 on the front and a 3.00 on the back. It would probably look pretty sick too.
here are the links for those two tires:
3.00: https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/front-gp-1-dual-sport-3-00-21-tire.p54363.prd/54363.sku
2.75: https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/front-gp-1-dual-sport-2-75-21-tire.p540956.prd/540956.sku (same as in a previous post)
If you want to search a different site, PM me and I will see if I can figure it out for you. Hope it helps
'Cal
