550r16 tire?

the radial 500r16 or the bias ply 500r16????

coker told me that the first shipment ever of the steel belted radial 500r16's were coming in this week sometime????

the current plan is to get a tire and figure out what rim it will really fit on

i KNOW i can get 16" rims drilled for 40 spokes in 3", 3.5" and ~6" widths - but the tire is for 4" rims... and a 6" rim will be too wide - 5" might work...

if they have been out for a while and you got it on a 3.5" rim that will save me some work - can you send me a picture of it?

thanks

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The on my Shadow is a bias, I believe on the Corker site it says what rim sizes one can use and I think 3 1/2 is to narrow

the bias tires have been around a while - the radials are new - they are for a 4" rim

until i get a tire i wont know what it can be mounted to - the critical issue with a rim a bit too narrow is that the two beads wont fit down into the well at the same time so it will mount.

i know i can get 3.5 inch rims - there are listed 4.25" rims but i dont know if they are really available or not. it also appears that the 3.5" rims are steel and the 4.25 are aluminum - im unsure which is really stronger? im trying to find out.

currently im running a 145r15 tire it works fine - but i have to unbolt the rotor to get the caliper off to remove the wheel.

the biggest reason to switch to a 16 is that if the tire goes bad on a trip i can replace it with a bias dunlop to get home. [and i admit i have trouble leaving well enough alone... *sigh*]

of course the other obvious issue is that hd didnt start making rims or swing arms or fenders that can handle tires larger than 140 till 2009.

to be fair & complete there have been a lot of genuine issues with the plain fact that hd rear tires are not rated for the load that many, "most?" touring bikes really have on them. two average 45 plus year old people will over load the rear axle - let alone luggage???

ive run my bike over a scale - with my better half in the sidecar and zero luggage, no rear seat, the tour pak set forward etc - the rear axle is running 875lb...

so while my main motivation is to get longer wear my other motivation is to get 925 or 950 of wt rating in the tire on the rear so that i dont have a blow out. my previous bike running on this current sidecar had a blow out the day i did the trade - i was driving home to start removing the sidecar and the mount kit and the rear tire blew - did a number on the rear fender and a whole lot of other things back there. really added to the cost of the trade as i had to fix it all.......

pie in the sky i want either a 4" x 15" rim or a 4" x 16" rim - 40 holes so i can lace it to a hd hub with 5-8 gauge spokes and run a tire with over 900lb of rating on it.

i have a 3.5" x 15" rim in use - i have a 4" rim that i have to dimple and drill and do some other work on - i have a 3 x16....

*sigh*

but what i dont have is a 09 fender, swing arm, etc that will hold a 180 -

the 550r16 steel radial from coker is a inch taller than the dunlop but lists the same sidewall width on a 4" rim as the 140 dunlop - the 500r16 is 3/4 inch smaller dia than the dunlop and 1/8" wider than a 130 dunlop. if i can mount either tire on a 3 or 3.5 rim i'm home free & will also be able to get tires on the road in a pinch.

i know, long winded...

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A trailer would take care of the load factor.

possible, strip the bike down, take the bags and tour pak off. strip off all the chrome i can....

then me and my better half would only have the rear tire overloaded by a hundred fifty pounds or so

they only have a 419 lb load rating both seats and bags altogether two 250 lb riders is over wt by a LOT

i dont think ive been 250 lb since..... before 1976 & i have not been under 6 ft since 1975. i had a '79 sportster - carry anybody and the rear shocks were struts. my 77 electra glide had a solo seat - solo they are fine.

i just dont think she will ride in the trailer

the rear dunlop is rated at 900 and i know im running 875 on the rear with the sidecar and both of us. a little less with my oldest daughter who is 6 ft tall & who i promised a bike if she graduates with a 4 year degree [20 months from now i hope]

this is a really common problem - folks just dont want to admit it. a bike with a 400lb load wt cant carry two folks and a bunch of stuff unless they are both model material.
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ps - look it up there are lawyers all over it for ultras and gold wings - they are advertising for clients trying to work up a class action. ive had a rear blow out, ive smelled hot tires, i go out of my way to not be a statistic.

timo, please keep us informed re: the 500r16 tire. If it would squeeze on a 3-inch rim I might look into trying one on our Sportster next go-round, even it if requires a tube.

When the last tires were mounted on the Sportster, I passed on the Coker 450/475-16 bias ply as it is not only skinnier than the stock HD Dunlop's (which wear pretty well on our light-weight rig) but it also requires a tube (we've already had to plug 3 tubeless rear tires out on the road in the past couple of years).

Tire may be skinnier, but if you check meajurments of road contact patch is biger on skinnier car tire. Also load raiting of CT is 100+ lb higher. Also tube will give you extra 2-3 mm of rubber...

Anything new on these tires????? Did you try them? What rim? Did they work??? The world wants to know!!!!

im going to obtain a tire as soon as it stops snowing

once i have the tire ill do a full report - it may be jan with all the work ive got just now

7 significant snows so far this year - one was 21" where i plow - LOTS of overtime

but it can stop anytime now, i had a full winter of stuff lined up to do.

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You have to much snow and we can't beg rain here in Arkansas! The other side it was 60+ Tuesday and we had a great ride! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Sorry couldn't resist.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!

Any update yet???? Inquiring minds want to know!