I want to send nails to hell!

[W800]

Went to go to work today and found this. Grrr!

The stock tires on the Kawasaki W800 are kind of known to be yucky (they love to follow rain grooves). So using this as excuse to put on some Dunlop K-180 flat track tires. Will be 130/80-18 front and back. I SHOULD be able to keep front fender too. If not, no worries.

I know flat track tires are usually only 19 inch tires. Dunlop was like FTW and made them in 18 inches too and even got them DOT legal. I forget specs, but my bike only does 110, so they are fine.

Excited! Will make nasty ass one lane roads with gravel and pine needles a little less scary. LOL, please don't hate on my chicken strips. Front tire is all the way out to edge. These stock tires are just strange.

 

[norcalkid]

Pic from Monday, ya, not cool.

PXL_20201019_183123846 by Norcalkid, on Flickr

 

[W800]

Pic from Monday, ya, not cool.

PXL_20201019_183123846 by Norcalkid, on Flickr

Dayum.

This is the second time in six months for me. I know what it is - part of it is me lane splitting and part of it is new construction in the area.

;-(

 

[ScottRNelson]

The stock tires on the Kawasaki W800 are kind of known to be yucky (they love to follow rain grooves). So using this as excuse to put on some Dunlop K-180 flat track tires. Will be 130/80-18 front and back. I SHOULD be able to keep front fender too. If not, no worries.

From my Google search, it says you need a 100/90-19 front and a 130/80-18 rear. You're not going to successfully fit a 130 on the front. Don't even try.

 

[davidji]

This is the second time in six months for me. I know what it is - part of it is me lane splitting and part of it is new construction in the area.

Your bike has inner tubes, right? Is that enough to get you to go tubeless? I've commuted on tubes too--though fortunately all my commuting flats were tubeless. I think 2 tube punctures in 6 months would have cured me of tubes.

When you clearly see the puncture location like that, it seems like you should be able to patch the tube without removing the wheel. Still a lot of work compared to plugging a tire.

When I commuted with tubes I didn't carry my tube repair kit anyway, so I would have been stuck with roadside assistance if I'd gotten a flat.

 

[W800]

From my Google search, it says you need a 100/90-19 front and a 130/80-18 rear. You're not going to successfully fit a 130 on the front. Don't even try.

There's about 1/2 inch extra space on each side before the fender screws. The front rim is about 1/2 inch narrower than the back rim as well. I think the rim will pull the tire in just enough to clear the screws.

30mm is 1.1 inches so agree it will be very close. Worse case is remove front fender then later figure out alternate mount for fender.

 

[W800]

Your bike has inner tubes, right? Is that enough to get you to go tubeless? I've commuted on tubes too--though fortunately all my commuting flats were tubeless. I think 2 tube punctures in 6 months would have cured me of tubes.

When you clearly see the puncture location like that, it seems like you should be able to patch the tube without removing the wheel. Still a lot of work compared to plugging a tire.

When I commuted with tubes I didn't carry my tube repair kit anyway, so I would have been stuck with roadside assistance if I'd gotten a flat.

Yes, there's a way to seal spoked rims. I really should do that. The issue in Bay Area is (I think) people f-ing around with nail guns on construction sites.

 

[ScottRNelson]

There's about 1/2 inch extra space on each side before the fender screws. The front rim is about 1/2 inch narrower than the back rim as well. I think the rim will pull the tire in just enough to clear the screws.

30mm is 1.1 inches so agree it will be very close. Worse case is remove front fender then later figure out alternate mount for fender.

Read what the manufacturer says about the tire you're considering and which size rims it fits. If you put a tire on a rim that is too narrow for it, the tire will be distorted and might not work properly while cornering. It can be a safety issue, not just a fitment issue.

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Had a sheet metal screw take out the stock tires on my bike a few years back they were with 200 miles of being done anyway. I couldn't figure out why I was having trouble in the corners one morning when I took the fun way Skyline to 84 to work. Stopped at Alice's and got lucky to notice the screw in the front, which was down to 18 psi. Aired the front back up and rode very tentatively into work. Glad I caught it as that would have probably caused me to lowside otherwise.

 

[davidji]

Yes, there's a way to seal spoked rims. I really should do that.

I used 3M sealing tape to seal the rear wheel of the Africa Twin.

This may be common with your bike, but on that one, the rear has bead retention grooves (like a tubeless rim) which keep the tire bead in place and help retain the seal in event of a flat. The front does not. So you still might not get plug and inflate repair from the front--if the bead seal breaks it might be hard to reseat without fire or at least a more powerful compressor than you'd carry on your bike. And the difficult to break bead on the rear means roadside tube repair is more difficult there.

The problem with sealing the rim that way is when I had a shop change the tire they gouged the tape, introducing a leak. And I had to repair it at home.

Some use RTV over the spoke nipples and tape over that.

 

[HadesOmega]

You know what's funny is I just went on a 2900 mile trip on the Idaho and Oregon Trans America Trail and didn't pick up anything no flats. But I'll come home and ride around the city and pretty easily pick up a nail. The same could be said on my first TAT trip I rode like 10,000 miles no flats. No much nails on the dirt roads I guess.

 

[ScottRNelson]

And the difficult to break bead on the rear means roadside tube repair is more difficult there.

It was next to impossible for me to break the bead on the rear tire of my KTM 990 Adv. The Motion Pro BeadPro was the one tool capable of breaking the bead. If you install any of your own tires it's a tool worth having.

 

[davidji]

It was next to impossible for me to break the bead on the rear tire of my KTM 990 Adv. The Motion Pro BeadPro was the one tool capable of breaking the bead. If you install any of your own tires it's a tool worth having.

If I had a tube in back I'd give those a try--instead of the light aluminum Stockton Tool Cycle Gear levers I carry.

The 3 ways I've successfully broken the bead on the rear of the africa twin, are
1. Lowering my car on it.
2. Using a friends tire machine bead breaker (easy)
3. C clamp. Not too hard, and has the advantage you can do it with the wheel on the bike for a spot repair. Disadvantage is bulky, heavyish, and only has that single purpose.

If your bike was on the stand can you break the bead with the Motion Pro levers without knocking the bike over? Better not to remove the wheel (or lay the bike on its side) unless you have to.

 

[ScottRNelson]

If your bike was on the stand can you break the bead with the Motion Pro levers without knocking the bike over? Better not to remove the wheel (or lay the bike on its side) unless you have to.

Yeah, I did it once with that KTM. But what's the big deal about taking a wheel off? Once the rear wheel is off of the ground, it has never been all that hard for me to get the rear wheel off or to reinstall it. Do you have a bike that makes it particularly difficult?

 

[W800]

Read what the manufacturer says about the tire you're considering and which size rims it fits. If you put a tire on a rim that is too narrow for it, the tire will be distorted and might not work properly while cornering. It can be a safety issue, not just a fitment issue.

Good point. Front tire right now is 4.385 wide according to my caliper. I think the K-180 is 4.84, so maybe . 5 wider. Fitment on the K-180 says . 2.5 or 3 inch rims. My front rim is 3.3 on outside (not sure on inside).

 

[ScottRNelson]

Good point. Front tire right now is 4.385 wide according to my caliper. I think the K-180 is 4.84, so maybe . 5 wider. Fitment on the K-180 says . 2.5 or 3 inch rims. My front rim is 3.3 on outside (not sure on inside).

It's the inside measurement that they use.

 

[davidji]

Do you have a bike that makes it particularly difficult?

More than usual anyway. I have 2 calipers on the rear rotor, and I have to remove the lower one for easy wheel installation. Though I've had a bike with one low caliper and I found it pretty hard to get the wheel on with the caliper on, without dropping wheel spacers in the dirt.

I have more of a problem taking the front wheel off for repair. On the centerstand I need to prop the bash plate, and I once didn't do it solidly enough. If you're solo and whatever was under the bash plate collapses, better hope you have room to push the bike over.

 

[GPzPop]

in regards to riding without a front fender :

fine in the summer

not so good in the wet. the roost from the front wheel rises up to helmet level, then catches the wind and sprays right in your face, like your own personal fire hose

dont ask me how I know

 

[W800]

in regards to riding without a front fender :

fine in the summer

not so good in the wet. the roost from the front wheel rises up to helmet level, then catches the wind and sprays right in your face, like your own personal fire hose

dont ask me how I know

Yup! I'm hoping it will fit. Issue isn't fender itself (it's wide). Issue is the way it is mounted. I think worst case scenario I could fabricate a mount with some aluminum and tin snips and a drill.

Lol, or find someone who actually knows what they are doing and pay them to make a mount!!

The front fender on these is actually really cool. At first it looks like black plastic, but under sunlight you see tiny purple flakes! Kawasaki didn't have to do it. Not even sure why they did it. But it's cool.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Assuming you get a 130 tire to fit on there, please photograph it and add it to this thread. I want to see how it turns out.