150/70-17 Tires/Tyres for 07 Bonnie Rear OEM Rims

H

HoldenaTriumph

Scooter
Hey Guys,

Need some opinions, if you dont mind. I've been scouring the forums and want to get an idea on whom here has put 150/70-17 rear tires on their stock Bonneville rims (3.5" x 17 inch)

I found a tire that i really like (Hidenau K60). These seem to have great reviews for on road (as well as off road, but im not going to be dong any of that). I just dig the knobby/bulky tire look on our bikes with the rims black - to me it gives that retro look for some reason... but not sure if i should move forward with the 140/80-17 to be safer.

I've confirmed with Hidenau's site that the 150/70-17 K60 rear's specs for Permissible Rim Widths in Inches are 4.25, 3.50 - 4.50.
http://heidenautires.com/tirepress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/heidenau_tire_spec_sheet_2014.pdf

However, our OEM rear rims are the starting of that range, though. So I dont know if I am just being overly cautious in trying to pull this off or if I should be completely ok with the data im seeing (i've seen other tire brands that do recommend at least a 4.25 to 4.50 inch rim only as comparison).
I do not ride hard at all really; just kinda tinker around the backroads of NJ in nice weather whenever we get the chance to (and i hate winter when there are no chances). But, these rubbers are my only common denominator between me and the road; so I dont want to mess around here if this could be a bad idea.

Here is a pic for reference on them:

file.php


And a link with more pics of this bike:
http://www.bonnefication.com/modify/download/file.php?id=153&t=1

If you have put 150/70-17's on your OEM 3.5x17 inch rims and have opinions on other tires with this same look, please feel free to add pics/info on them, as well.


All the best (and tired of being tired... get it? :lol3:),


Jason
 
S

squidsix

Scooter
I don't have pics, but I ran a 150/70 Pirelli MT-60 on my mag wheel bike last year for a few months. It was very nice in the dirt and gravel, but garbage on the street. Always felt a little off, like it was low on air even when it was not.
 
R

roadtrip

moped
what version on Bonnie do you have Holdena?

you must make sure you have bias & radial tyres correctly mixed.

front & rear both bias or both radial is OK.

if they are mixed it must be front bias and rear radial. The mag wheel bonnie is radial front and rear, so changing the rear to bias is a bad idea, that may have happened with squidsix, I don't know the MT-60 but suspect it is bias ply??

I'm getting a mag wheel bonnie next month and I've been scouring the forums for folk who have fitted wider section rears. 140/80R17, 140/70R17 and 150/70R17 are all popular. The advantage of 150/70R17 is that it's almost exactly the same height as the original 130/80R17, so your gearing remains the same. I wouldn't go for 140/70R17 as it lowers the gearing, I'd rather raise the gearing with 140/80R17.

I've found opinions that have ranged from :
- you're better off sticking to stock size.
- 140/80R17, 140/70R17 or 150/70R17 is much better than stock.
- can't tell the difference(!)

so I think it's up to us to decide what's best. I don't think 140/80R17 or 150/70R17 is particularly radical and you'll be fine with either, but you do need to make sure you have front & rear mixed correctly as I said at the top.
 
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H

HoldenaTriumph

Scooter
Much appreciated, guys. I wasn't aware of the issue with mixing radial and bias tires, so that's a good wrinkle in the brain.
Looks like the Heidenau front and rears are both bias, so I should be ok there. The more reviews I see on them, the more I lean towards these (compared to those that also have that knobby retro look).
I agree that the data is there and it seems like it should be fine. I think I'll give it one last reassurance by calling some Heidenau dealers and query them on this to get their perspective, as well.
I'll update this thread on what they say and take it from there.

Thanks again, Gents!
 
R

roadtrip

moped
copied from Avon's website http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/ ...

Distanzia AM44(rear), 140/80R17, 69H, rec rim 3.50", rim min/max 3.50/3.75"
Distanzia AM44(rear), 150/70R17, 69H, rec rim 4.25", rim min/max 4.00/4.50"

I chose Distanzia as an example 'cos I've seen recommendations for this tyre on the Bonneville and it looks good too.
In this case Avon recommends Distanzia 140/80R17 for our rear rim, and a 4.25" rim for 150/70R17.

here's a pic I found of Distanzia :

27326d1279958551-avon-distanzia-photo-0006.jpg


I think bias ply doesn't need quite as much rim width as radial, haven't seen that written down anywhere but that seems to be how the recommendations go. I think bias is stiffer in the sidewalls and used particularly off road.
 
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D

drlapo

Hooligan
I have never successfully installed a larger tire on any bike I have ever owned
I have tried it 3 times and each time have removed and discarded the larger tire in only a few hundred miles: a larger tire DESTROYS the handling!
on my 1985 BMW R80 a larger front tire(from 90/90 to 100/90) set up a weave in corners that was downright dangerous

if you want a bike with oversized tires that handles like a wheelbarrow full of water buy a Harley
 
mikenva

mikenva

Rocker
I think going to a wider rear tire is one of the best things you can do to these bikes for highway use have run 140 and now a 150 both are much more stable then stock (don't try to go with groves in the road and such. not all 150 tires will work on the stock rim though you need to go by what the tire company says this is do to tire shape.
 
H

HoldenaTriumph

Scooter
mikenva said:
I think going to a wider rear tire is one of the best things you can do to these bikes for highway use have run 140 and now a 150 both are much more stable then stock (don't try to go with groves in the road and such. not all 150 tires will work on the stock rim though you need to go by what the tire company says this is do to tire shape.
Click to expand...

Hey Mikenva - thanks for the info on this. Looks like you're running a T100 with the same wheel size as mine (07 Bonnie 3.5/17 inch rear). What tires are you running with the 150's and what specs did the tire manufacturer recommend regarding rim size (if you recall)? Just wanted to check on if the particular ones you are running provide the same spec range as the Heidenaus do that I want to get (suggested fittings for rims 3.5-4.5 inches - ours are 3.5 inch)


Thanks!

Jason
 
BlueJ

BlueJ

Blue Haired Freak
I've been running "one size up" front and rear on my '07 Bonnie for years. The biggest challenge was finding cap-head bolts to replace the regular bolts that hold the fender to the fender brackets in front, because once the tire was 10mm wider than stock, there was only, I believe the technical term is "a smidge" of clearance between those bolt heads and the rubber, and now I'm back to about 5mm of clearance.

No fitment problems whatsoever, and no handling issues that I'm aware of, but I'm a newbie rider (27K miles on my Bonnie and that's pretty much it) so what do I know?!?! But 110/80-19 up front and 140/80-17 out back fit just fine...
 
H

HoldenaTriumph

Scooter
Good to hear BlueJ. I've also got in touch with Heidenau and they said that they havent heard of anyone specifically being able to get the 150/70-17 on the rear and recommended to stick stock size or I could safely go with 140/80-17 with our 3.5"x17" stock spokes. (For the fronts, the 110/80-19 are ok, too).
So, I will stick with those sizes as well on whatever tires I end up getting.

Thanks for the info, guys!
 
H

HoldenaTriumph

Scooter
Thanks, mikenva. I've heard a lot of folks talking about the GT501's before and how good/long-lasting they are. Seems that these are discontinued and I cant find a place that still carries closeouts in my size anymore. Is there a predecessor to these yet?
 
fender

fender

Street Tracker
I had wanted to go with the GT 501 also in the 150/70 size but couldn't source them locally either. That's why I ended up with 140/80 Sport Daemon's. The tread life might not be quite as good but they sure are sticky.
 
H

HoldenaTriumph

Scooter
No go at JP Cycles, either, unfortunately.
But I was able to find the Pirelli Sport Demons at their cheapest i could find them for through all the sites on revzilla.com; both for $217.81 (free shipping).
Front - 100/90-19
Rear - 140/80-17

im no longer "tired" of looking for tires now and just pulled the trigger finally. Heard great things of the sport demons throughout these here interweb searches, so figured - why not.
 
TriD

TriD

Scooter
Not to take away from your topic, but I have a question about an above statement. I will be changing my 2009 BonneSE tires to Kendas; 110x70x17 and 130x70x17. The rear tire is not a stock "80" size, how much of a change will the "70" rear tire effect my bike? There is approximately -1" diameter difference.
 
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