Does anyone know where to get tires for a 1982 BMW r65? I thought finding them online would be easier. Any suggestions for brands? Thanks for any advice
SWMOTOTIRE is where I got my last set for my GS. Free shipping on 2. Beware, once you start asking for tire preferences, it can become a long thread. It is like Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge -- everyone has an opinion and everyone else is wrong.
I have found these guys have GREAT prices and FREE shipping for over $150. If you are going to keep the bike a while, get 2 backs and 1 front. My three cents... http://www.chaparral-racing.com/Cha...et.asp,navId=d_street*0&menu_id=&Tree=,Street
Michelin Macadams. My R65 feels like a whole new bike with it's new Macs. I think they are 110/90 rear and 100/90 front - not the OE size but a very close equivalent, possibly slightly bigger in front. The bike handles 1000% better than it did before, but then the old tires were Cheng Shins, so the comparison isn't really fair. I'd heard the Macs are discontinued, but I had no trouble finding some.
I've always been happy with the old-school Dunlops. K87 rear and F24 front. And they come in the correct 4.00x18 and 3.25x19 sizes, respectively.
Actually the twin shock R65 specified a 90/90-18 for the front. 3.25 (100/90-18) works well too but the steering is said to be juuust a little bit slower. That's according to Chris Hodgson, who is all things CC-products and the mastermind behind the SanJose BMW racing team. The latest great tires on the airhead are the Avon roadrider series. very sticky and less $$$ than the competitors. I and many others are running them on airheads with nice results. Robert
Actually the correct size is 3.25 (4.00 for the rear) according to my original BMW Rider's Handbook and several other sources. The conversion seems to fall somewhere between 90/90 and 100/90, but most sources I've seen place it closer to 100/90 - so as I said, mine is very slightly oversize. The 90/90 that the previous owner put on was just too skinny - the bike followed EVERY crack in the road.
motu is that the Cheng Shi C180 tire? 4.00X18? 6 ply? hows it hold up..i am think of useing them on a vintage scrambler project
+1 Yes, the steering may be heavier using the 100/90 equivalent but only marginally. Heavy steering is more attributed to low tire pressure and/or the type of handlebars being used. It's impossible to get soft, GS-like steering using low Euro handlebars (I have both -- GSPD and R100S).
I forgot to ask...Tubeless vs. tubes. The stock setup is tubed but the tires on it now are tubeless. I have no experience with tubed tires and wonder what the advantages / disadvantages/ safety concerns may be.
Really tube vs tubeless is a matter of the design of the rim. The portion of the wheel that the bead of the tire sits upon in different for a tube or tubeless tire. In general on a rim designed for tubes (like your R65 probably is) you should run tubes in the tire. You can use a tire designed for tubeless installation but keep in mind that it will lower your speed rating by one rating. If you wanted to run a tubeless tire and not use tubes inside it you'd have to find a way to seal the rim, and this can be a fruitless endeavor.
I prefer tubeless specially for the rear which usually is the tire which picks up the nails. Tubed rear tires let out the air much faster than tubeless. It could be dangerous when using synthetic tubes which have the tendency to rip when picking up a nail. All that said, I would not attempt to use a tubeless tire on a rim designed for tubed tires.
So there is a chance the included tubeless tires have tubes in them? I don't thing a departure to tubeless from the stock tubed setup is a very bright idea. If there are indeed tubeless tires on the bike, I'm going to replace them with tubed ones.
Ignore the tire, look at the valve stem. Often you will find tires marked tubeless installed w/ a tube, if the stem is loose in the hole (not sealed) its definately tubed. If the stem looks like it was squeezed in there, then its tubeless. Many tires are sold in tubeless and tubed variety, and they are only slightly different. Disadvantage to running the tubeless style tire w/ a tube on a tube rim is that its going to be hard to seat the bead, and if the tube does pop the tire won't stay beaded as well. And as mentioned tubeles w/ tube ignore the speed rating as marked and assume one lower. That being if you purchase a tire speed rated H (<130 mph) and tube it, assume you now have a speed rating of S <112 and so on. Not that you'll be doing that on a R65 which sort of makes it less of an issue. I would personally buy correct tires for tubes, but they are harder to find these days and I wouldn't be overly bothered buying one for tubeless and running it tubed.
