Can i put a wider rear tyre on a Suzuki fxr 150?

[atom608]

I got a 2002 suzuki FXR 150 and I am wondering if its posible to fit a wider rear tyre on the rim? the dimensions of the tyre I am running now is 100/90-17, is it possible to fit like a 130 on there?

[Mike.Gayner]

....uh, why?

[EJK]

Because FXRs are too powerful it'll need more rear grip?

[Tazz]

Get yer mums fabric ruler out, have a squiz and take some measurements for yourself man. I doubt it.

[Gremlin]

Swingarm and chain clearance are going to be an issue. A wider tyre may be taller, which is again, going to affect clearance.

You're going to alter the handling of the bike as well. A larger tyre will likely slow the turning ability.

[atom608]

Because FXRs are too powerful it'll need more rear grip?

This will probably sound stupid but I have been doing research and I hear wide tyres are alot more stable at high speeds, Most of my riding is on highways at the speed "limit" of "100". also on alot of roads where I live there are these weird groves like rubber tar seal and when I go over them the wheel seems to get stuck in it and causes the bike to wiggle around alot, probably because the wheel is so thin. also I hear the bike will be more stable with a wider rear tyre around corners because it will have more of a contact patch to grip on, plus I just absolutely hate, hate, HATE the look of that tiny little 100width tyre, the bike is light enough so even with a wider rear tyre it will still flick into corners fast anyway. Not asking for an opinion, im asking if its possible and from another thread I heard a guy used a 130/70/17 rear tyre on his fxr but I was not sure if he had customized it or not.

[EJK]

This will probably sound stupid but I have been doing research and I hear wide tyres are alot more stable at high speeds, Most of my riding is on highways at the speed "limit" of "100". also on alot of roads where I live there are these weird groves like rubber tar seal and when I go over them the wheel seems to get stuck in it and causes the bike to wiggle around alot, probably because the wheel is so thin. also I hear the bike will be more stable with a wider rear tyre around corners because it will have more of a contact patch to grip on, plus I just absolutely hate, hate, HATE the look of that tiny little 100width tyre, the bike is light enough so even with a wider rear tyre it will still flick into corners fast anyway. Not asking for an opinion, im asking if its possible and from another thread I heard a guy used a 130/70/17 rear tyre on his fxr but I was not sure if he had customized it or not.

Doesn't sound stupid at all. Not sure about size 130 but I had fit Bridgestone BT45 size 110 on my old FXR. Felt a tad more planted and stable around tight corners too.

[atom608]

Doesn't sound stupid at all. Not sure about size 130 but I had fit Bridgestone BT45 size 110 on my old FXR. Felt a tad more planted and stable around tight corners too.

did you still use a 80/90-17 front or did you put on a slightly wider one too?

[EJK]

did you still use a 80/90-17 front or did you put on a slightly wider one too?

I don't remember changing the width on the front. But instead of increasing the width I put stickier BT39SS.

[Banditbandit]

....uh, why?

I'm with him ...

[Asher]

I don't think a 130 rear tyre would work well, the rim is too narrow and it will pinch the tyre into an undesirable shape. Many FXR bucket racers run RS125 slicks on their bikes which are 95 in the front and 115 in the rear. Myself and a few others use 120/70/17 rear slicks as they are easier to find, although that size does pinch the tyre together a bit.

[Tazz]

The 'wiggle' in grooves is often called tram lining. It's a little bit shit.
Have you tinkered with your tyre pressures? What do you run them at now? That alone can make huge difference.

[Marmoot]

This will probably sound stupid but I have been doing research and I hear wide tyres are alot more stable at high speeds, Most of my riding is on highways at the speed "limit" of "100". also on alot of roads where I live there are these weird groves like rubber tar seal and when I go over them the wheel seems to get stuck in it and causes the bike to wiggle around alot, probably because the wheel is so thin. also I hear the bike will be more stable with a wider rear tyre around corners because it will have more of a contact patch to grip on, plus I just absolutely hate, hate, HATE the look of that tiny little 100width tyre, the bike is light enough so even with a wider rear tyre it will still flick into corners fast anyway. Not asking for an opinion, im asking if its possible and from another thread I heard a guy used a 130/70/17 rear tyre on his fxr but I was not sure if he had customized it or not.

I hear wide tyres are alot more stable at high speeds, Most of my riding is on highways at the speed "limit" of "100".
At 140+ it would make a difference. At your speed it won't matter much.

also on alot of roads where I live there are these weird groves like rubber tar seal and when I go over them the wheel seems to get stuck in it and causes the bike to wiggle around alot
Wider tyres also share the same issues. Tar seal lines are just bad.

I hear the bike will be more stable with a wider rear tyre around corners because it will have more of a contact patch to grip on
Yes, but it must be a match to the rim width. Fitting oversized tyres on skinny rims won't give you that.

I just absolutely hate, hate, HATE the look of that tiny little 100width tyre
This is the primary reason, isn't it? 120 vs 100 won't make much difference though.

im asking if its possible and from another thread I heard a guy used a 130/70/17 rear tyre on his fxr but I was not sure if he had customized it or not.
It is possible, technically. Just not a good idea. Won't handle well enough.
Unless you change the rims.

Or get an oldie but goodie CBR250RR.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-973458735.htm

[atom608]

The 'wiggle' in grooves is often called tram lining. It's a little bit shit.
Have you tinkered with your tyre pressures? What do you run them at now? That alone can make huge difference.

I usually just leave it at what feels like around 35PSI for the back and my guess would be mid-late 20ish psi in the front.

[atom608]

I don't think a 130 rear tyre would work well, the rim is too narrow and it will pinch the tyre into an undesirable shape. Many FXR bucket racers run RS125 slicks on their bikes which are 95 in the front and 115 in the rear. Myself and a few others use 120/70/17 rear slicks as they are easier to find, although that size does pinch the tyre together a bit.

yeah I sort ofknew 130 would probably be too much for it but just looking for something a bit wider, my rear is at around 40% tred left, il try to find something around 115-120 next tyre change

[atom608]

I hear wide tyres are alot more stable at high speeds, Most of my riding is on highways at the speed "limit" of "100".
At 140+ it would make a difference. At your speed it won't matter much.

also on alot of roads where I live there are these weird groves like rubber tar seal and when I go over them the wheel seems to get stuck in it and causes the bike to wiggle around alot
Wider tyres also share the same issues. Tar seal lines are just bad.

I hear the bike will be more stable with a wider rear tyre around corners because it will have more of a contact patch to grip on
Yes, but it must be a match to the rim width. Fitting oversized tyres on skinny rims won't give you that.

I just absolutely hate, hate, HATE the look of that tiny little 100width tyre
This is the primary reason, isn't it? 120 vs 100 won't make much difference though.

im asking if its possible and from another thread I heard a guy used a 130/70/17 rear tyre on his fxr but I was not sure if he had customized it or not.
It is possible, technically. Just not a good idea. Won't handle well enough.
Unless you change the rims.

Or get an oldie but goodie CBR250RR.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-973458735.htm



"This is the primary reason, isn't it? 120 vs 100 won't make much difference though."
Honestly its around 40-50% of the reason

that cbr250 is WAY over priced, even if it is the sought after MC22 its still over 20 years old and has near 100,000km on it for a bike. Could get a 45HP model 250 bandit on trade me, theres a few of them on there and in my opinion look alot better. got a friend that has a 250 bandit and a friend that has a FZR 250 and when you see the FZR 250 you can tell its a 250 but when you look at the bandit from about 10 feet away it looks like a 600 until you get up close and see the size of the engine it self and since they have no farrings then its less things that could break, seen them go for $2000- $3000 max. But, right now being 17 and a half and only making around $150 a week its hard to just maintain the bike when it comes to buying new tyres or a new chain etc so getting any other bike right now is a pipe dream, Im stuck with this bike until I save up enough and fix it up to sell on for $1200-$1500

[Marmoot]

That's how much mc22 goes for. Give and take $500 ish depending on condition.
Still a very potent fast bike. Not sure if it should even be learners legal :)

Ya, bike with wide tyres are never cheap. Tyre width is probably one of the sign that is directly correlated to both bike price and running cost. Mostly running cost...
I have one with 200 rear section tyre, and another with 180 rear section tyre. The one with 200 rear cost around 3x to run.

[Asher]

Look into putting a 120/70/17 front tyre on the back of it, that will give you heaps of tyre options. Just need to run the tyre backwards.

[Katman]

Look into putting a 120/70/17 front tyre on the back of it, that will give you heaps of tyre options. Just need to run the tyre backwards.

That might be all well and good on the track but if the tyre isn't specifically marked as being able to be run in either direction then the OP may have difficulties come WOF time.

[Banditbandit]

also I hear the bike will be more stable with a wider rear tyre around corners because it will have more of a contact patch to grip on,

I put wider tyres on a bike a while ago - I would put the bike into a corner not knowing where the hell it would come out of the corner (or if it would actually come out of the corner) Scarey shit - I went back to the standard size real quick ...

So no - not necessarily true ..

[Tazz]

That's how much mc22 goes for. Give and take $500 ish depending on condition.

Apparently it's not, because that particular one has been on there for 3 almost years that I know of ;)

Nothing wrong with a 150. Bike is a bike. They're all awesome to some extent.

[spanner spinner]

I got a 2002 suzuki FXR 150 and I am wondering if its posible to fit a wider rear tyre on the rim? the dimensions of the tyre I am running now is 100/90-17, is it possible to fit like a 130 on there?

do not put a 130 on your fxr. A 130 is to large for the rim and will make the bike unstable, wear out faster than the correct size and offer you less grip due the profile of the tyre being stuffed. I use to sell motorcycle tyres for a living so have just a little bit of experience. Stick with the correct size, if you have to go with the bigger is better mentality (and with motorcycle tyres it is not) go no larger than 110 wide.

[atom608]

Thanks for all the feedback, I think I will stick with the 100 width ones I currently run.

[Aeromo]

Thanks for all the feedback, I think I will stick with the 100 width ones I currently run.

I have a brand new set of Duro Racing Brand tyres for sale, I have them on my CBR150 but no good for the track,
Front 90/80-17
Rear 100/90/17
$100 for both of them $10 courier.
Let me know if ya interested,

[Henk]

We run wider tyres on FXR buckets, mainly because that is the only size you can get slicks in, however to get the best out of them you have to fit wider rims. Pinched slicks on standard rims lead to slightly odd handling and you end up with a chicken strip about an inch wide that you can't get close to using without riding off the side of them. Stickiest tries you will find are the BT39ss leave it at that.

[Buddha#81]

A 3" GSXR250 rim fits with minimal modification and you will be able to run a 130 rear....... BT39's on standard rims is easier and you wont run into WOF issues

[Trade_nancy]

Not at all a good idea. I experimented with wider rear tyre on my restored CB750 circa 1973 model..back in 2010. Went from the stock 100mm or so up to 120mm. The only differences I found - I chewed out centre faster (squared off)..and found turning into corners was worsened - not improved...Straight ahead stability was not changed that I noticed.