Widest tires that will fit?

swakop_toe

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So I searched, but are coming up empty handed.
I was gifted a set of Michelin Anakee3's with less than 1000km commuting on them.

They are off a 2017 GS1200A but to my surprise that they are wider than what our OEM recommendations are.
120/70/19 Front
170/60/17 Rear

I am not near my STen and before I make the whole trip to the bike tyre shop with two tyres strapped on the back, am I wasting my time?
Will they fit?

And if they do, will it be crap handling?

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Sierra1

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If they're wider, they probably won't fit. With the OE Battlewings, there was about an 1/8" clearance between the tire and the caliper brace. I WISH the bike would allow more rubber.
 

OldRider

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Plus they are very loud. I just took a set of that probably has 7-8 K miles left in them. I couldn't stand the whistling noise any more. Other than that they were good tires.
 

swakop_toe

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OEM is

Front: 110/80R19
Rear: 150/70R17

So the one I have is 10mm wider on the front tyre
and 20mm wider on the rear tyre?

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swakop_toe

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Plus they are very loud. I just took a set of that probably has 7-8 K miles left in them. I couldn't stand the whistling noise any more. Other than that they were good tires.
Coming off a set of Mitas E10's that I commuted with for the past 3,000km, I am sure anything smoother will be less noisy.

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R

RonH

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No tire beats the Anakee for noise. I don't understand how a tire with that tread pattern can put out that much noise. I rode out the driveway and 1 block down the road and thought by then I must have done something really wrong during install. Nope, just the way they are. They last a long time, mostly the rear, the front not as much, but not worth running in my opinion.
 

Don in Lodi

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Be thinking about the geometry of how a tire fits a rim. Just numbers here, but say you mount a tire meant to fit a six inch rim on a five inch rim. The tire is made to have a particular curve/arc to it to give a particular footprint on that six inch rim. Pinch the beads of that tire down to fit a five inch rim, it creates a sharper curve/arc and winds up giving you a smaller footprint. Folks sure do like the looks of a phatt tire on a cruiser, it has the same look on an ADV bike, but technically if you're wanting some benefit, a bigger footprint perhaps, a size smaller tire will flatten that arc and give a bigger contact patch... but less shoulder for deep cornering. Then you throw profiles in the mix... it's just nicer, and perhaps safer, to put the right tire made to fit on the right rim.
 

Longdog Cymru

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OEM is

Front: 110/80R19
Rear: 150/70R17

So the one I have is 10mm wider on the front tyre
and 20mm wider on the rear tyre?

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In theory, you are correct in assuming the extra width front and rear, but if the Yamaha rims themselves are narrower, then if you were to fit a wider tyre, it would alter the contact patch and also give steeper sides. I don’t have the rim sizes to hand, but I am sure someone will come along shortly with the dimensions.
 

Sierra1

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Whatever it says in the manual. Like I mentioned, I would LOVE to put a wider tire on the rear. BUT, short of mounting a bunch of tires, playing with width & sidewall numbers, and seeing which ones fit....I'm sticking with what Yamaha recommends. Because OE sizes work for 99.99% of my riding.
 

worncog

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Don hit the nail on the head. Pinch the bead and you will diminish contact patch. My C10 CAN run a 180 between the narrow swingarm, but a 170 is ideal. The 180 will be pinched slightly and create a slightly 'peaked' tread. I would think the same thing will occur if you pinch in a 170 on the narrow S10 rim.

Personally, I have yet to experience a shortcoming with the narrow rear tire, other than accelerated tire wear. YMMV
 

Checkswrecks

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Do a search on the darkside/car tire threads and there are some pretty wide ones, but it doesn't take much till you will have to come up with a replacement for the braking drag link. Below are two from the FJR forum taht I would NOT recommend, because they are killing the fatigue life of the drag link. (The rod alternates between tension and compression every time you alternate between throttle and brake.)

Flat rod with a bend in the middle:


Hogging out the existing rod:
 

EricV

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Do a search on the darkside/car tire threads and there are some pretty wide ones, but it doesn't take much till you will have to come up with a replacement for the braking drag link. Below are two from the FJR forum that I would NOT recommend, because they are killing the fatigue life of the drag link. (The rod alternates between tension and compression every time you alternate between throttle and brake.)

Flat rod with a bend in the middle:


Hogging out the existing rod:
I'm not sure what's up with that flat rod with a bend in the middle. First I've heard about that variation. And no, it's NOT recommended. The second is an OEM tension arm that someone cut partway to make narrower at the tire area. The carved it out to the sidewall of the arm only where the tire needed clearance. That is NOT recommended. The OEM part is aluminum. I recommend replacing the tension arm with a 3/16" thick steel or stainless steel flat bar. There have been zero issues of deformation with a steel flat bar. A couple of people have used 5/32" steel or stainless steel, which has not displayed any deformation, but I still don't prefer.

Note that the fracture curve for aluminum is much more finite than steel. If it's continually flexed, it's going to break, it's just a matter of when.

Note also, this is on a FJR. You will not get that wide a tire on the Super Tenere.
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My wife has a '16 GSA using the tire sizes stated at the beginning of this thread. Some first hand personal experience is that you don't want to run that 170/60/17 on the rear. Not even on the rear of the GSA! The lugs cracked on the knobby tires she has used between the lugs. No tire spinning or heavy off road use and tire pressure at 36F/42R with TPMS in use. After pictures and communication back and forth with the tire manufacturer, it became clear that THEY don't recommend that width tire for a 4.5" wide rim. They recommend a 150, not a 170. It would be even worse to mount it on a 4" wide rim. The tire carcass is being pinched already on the 4.5" wide rim and causing more stress to the tire. The same tire in 150 width, mounted on the 4.5" wide wheel has shown zero cracking. Same date code. So much for what the manual says from the bike manufacturer. :oops: It is a BMW though. o_O

You're not going to die if you mount the 170 tire, It will probably fit. If it doesn't, it will only rub on the brake caliper tension arm, (what CW is referring to as the drag link). Replacing that with a steel flat bar will give the clearance you need and be as strong or stronger. Just use the aluminum part as a guide for the length and holes. 3/6" thick, 3/4" wide and radius the ends for clearance as the swingarm moves. That said, the wider tire on the narrower rim is NOT ideal. The 170 shouldn't really be run on the 4.5" wide rim, never mind the 4" wide rim. Not only will the tire shape be less than ideal, the tire carcass will be stressed more and fatigue faster in dynamic conditions.
 
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