Need to replace the bike's front tire, I would like to go from the 100/90-19 to a 110/90-19 but I want to make sure there is fender clearance...anyone with this setup?
I have ran an Avon sidecar triple duty on the GL1000, This tire is a flat tread tire for sidecar use. It comes in one size only 3.50 19 and is a tube type.
Jay Giese
That should work, although the Cheng Shin tires on the bike have a very flat tread profile as well....
The Cheng Shin tires are not sidecar rated tires and do not have the sideloading strength of the Avons. The mileage is also minimal with the chinese tire. The four ply rated Cheng Shin is a very inexpensive alternative however.
What exactly is a sidecar rating for tires and how do you identify appropriate tires? I hadn't thought of how the different loads placed on the tires by the rig would conflict with the motorcycle tires...
Sidecar tires are not rated on a alpha/numeric scale per se. A tire manufacturer may designate a certain tire for sidecar usage or a sidecar manufacturer may do so. Harley Davidson for instance chooses certain Dunlops for their cars. Vetter used Avons. Some others use automobile or trailer tires.
Another way to choose a sidecar tire is to find a motorcycle tire of suitable size and tread with a 4 or 6 ply rating. Since the casings consist of different fibers (cotton, polyester, nylon) embedded in the tire compound the ply rating is not the actual number of plies that are in the tire, but the strength of the casing. Tires may be rated anywhere from 1 to 6 or even above in some Italian tires (Pirelli) and some commercial tires. A higher sidewall ply rating is desireable for sidecars due to the extreme sideloads incurred due to rigid mounted sidecars. The same sideloads affect the sidecar motorcycle itself since it no longer banks in the turns. The higher strength sidewalls keep the rig from wallowing in turns and the tire from rolling under. Running the tire inflation about 5# higher will help some at the cost of a little more center tread wear on the tires.
The regular Cheng Shin has a 1 ply sidewall and a 2 ply tread as I recall, but they are rated as a 4 ply tire. There is a 6 ply rated Cheng Shin available.
Thanks for that info!!!
