Tire and wheel choice for economical motorcycle

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by stiletto2

That one tire went 35,000 miles with some of those miles banked over scraping hard parts in the twisties. It manages to navigate corners just fine... it just does it differently than a bike tire with its round profile. Bike tire in a lean effectively has a smaller diameter so its like a coffee cup on its side that will follow an arc when rolling. Car tire effectively gets that smaller diameter by compression & flexing of the sidewall along with some of the tread face. Different method, same result; tire follows an arc. Car tire tread does flex and will lie flat on the road surface where it makes contact. It does not ride on a hard immovable, non-pliable edge.

You might say whatever you want, I'd not feel comfortable with a car tyre in a motorcycle (unless it has a side-car ).

[sendler]

How do you know?
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1,000s of people have done it and get great performance out of running a car tire on the back of a motorcycle.

[jkv357]

I know of a guy that rides a DL650 Vstrom year 'round, all weather, and uses a car tire on the back in the winter - he loves it.

Personally, I'd never even consider using a car tire on a cycle, but then again, I'd never ride something the size of a Vstrom in 6" of snow either.

As far as a wheel and tire choice for an economical motorcycle, with a bias towards mpg, I would look for a narrow, tall, 17" tire that's not very expensive. There are a ton of choices, with the least expensive being Shinko or Avon.

I bought a set of 16" Avon Viper Strykes for $129 delivered - and they were not outdated overstock either. Not as many options for 16s, but if space is a premium you may want to consider it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by sendler

How do you know?

Not sure, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with that. Road conditions in my country are different than in America.

[Spaghetti Man]

cbr125r is not an economically viable option for streamlining. The cost of a super efficient streamlined fairing is too costly compared to the amount of money saved on fuel (I have been quoted $5,000 for thermoformed fairing and $1,200 for polystyrene model from which to make a mold of). There is no saving to be made even on 100,000km. The saving of 40% on fuel represents only AUD $1,409 over 100,000km.

I am now exploring super efficient electrathon style vehicle for road travel (even petrol power is too wasteful so I must go electric). These vehicles often use three 20" bmx wheels. The closest to this I can find is for motorcycle are shinko 16" 2.25" tires.

Amazon.com: Shinko SR714 Series Moped Tire - Front/Rear - 2.25-16 , Position: Front/Rear, Tire Ply: 4, Speed Rating: L, Tire Type: Scooter/Moped, Tire Size: 2.25-16, Rim Size: 16 XF87-4550: Automotive

But I cannot find the wheels to go with this tyre. I also don't know what spoked motorcycle wheels weigh so cannot make any concrete decision on the most energy and cost efficient tyres.

This is quite the predicament.

[sendler]

Originally Posted by Spaghetti Man

The cost of a super efficient streamlined fairing is too costly compared to the amount of money saved on fuel

Price has been the problem even with the Vetter streamline kit which is $2,000. Or a Velocar which are $6,000 and then must be electrified.
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Best to just get a CBR125R or CBR250R, add a windscreen, tank bag, and an aero trunk and ride it like that at 100 mpgUS.