Upsizing Rear Tire to 190/55 (w/ pics)

[chucksklrst]

I too went with a 190/55-17 on my first tire change. Removed the wheels got out my changer and changed out the front OEM B-Stone with a normal size PR4GT and could not get the rear OEM B-Stone off the rim. So I took my wheel and my 19/55-17 PR4GT rear tire to my local Honda shop and they changed it and balanced it for 20 bucks. They even balanced my front wheel for no charge. Too bad I don't own a Honda any more.

 

[BanjoBoy]

Sorry Wemi, but most of that is not true. I can't speak for other countries, but in the US, probably a full 50% of vehicles on the road have other than spec tires on them. In my house 100% of my cars have tires bigger than OEM. The only one that is spec size is my FJR's front. On top of that, I have investigated hundreds of crashes, from simple fender benders to serious multi-car fatalities. Never, as in, not one single time has an insurance company ever asked about tire size. That whole liability idea is total BS, and the idea that a non-fault crash will somehow become someone's fault is even more total BS.
My buddy has oversized tires on his H2...Bought and mounted at Costco...

^THIS^

See, right there's the whole problem. Bike shops do not want to mount tires that you bring in. They want to sell you a tire, because parts and accessory sales is the biggest fraction of their profit line. It's just that simple. Nothing to do with anyone's liability.
If they were actually worried about liabilities they wouldn't have their least experienced shop monkey mounting tires. Think of the dozens of stories you've heard about incorrectly (shop) mounted tires vs. how many times you've heard of a problem due to an over-sized tire.

'N ^THIS^

I'm in Kalifornia, (The lawsuit state!) 'n mah dealer happily mounted a over priced 190/55 I bought frum them.

 

[rbentnail]

So I took my wheel and my 19/55-17 PR4GT rear tire to my local Honda shop and they changed it and balanced it for 20 bucks. They even balanced my front wheel for no charge. Too bad I don't own a Honda any more.

^^THIS^^

Guess I'm lucky. My local Honda shop charges $23, wheel off, whether I buy the tire from him or not. And when I asked about installing a car tire he said, "why not? We do GoldWings all the time!".

 

[art miller]

Today I contacted a local independent shop whose owner is a friend of the guy who I bought my 2007 from. He has had tire and other mechanical work done on his bikes. Since I have no lift I will take the tires to his shop and then ride over and have the tires changed. Problem solved. Thanks for all the interesting info. and suggestions.

 

[rbentnail]

Today I contacted a local independent shop whose owner is a friend of the guy who I bought my 2007 from. He has had tire and other mechanical work done on his bikes. Since I have no lift I will take the tires to his shop and then ride over and have the tires changed. Problem solved. Thanks for all the interesting info. and suggestions.

Don't be such a sissy

! Back in the day we'd strap a couple tires to the rear seat, let them hang off the ass end and down the road we went. There's always the tire-shaped hula-hoop option

.

 

[Harald]

Art Miller heading to the shop:

 

[Uncle Hud]

^^^^^ Yeah, baby! That's innovation.

 

[Cav47]

I fear that some of us may not be able to either get into that tire like the man pictures above, or worse yet, be able to remove the tire from our midsection. Might need a NO-MAR machine to break the bead below my belly. Just saying.

 

[supertankerm60a3]

Just mounted my fourth. I got 13,032 miles out of this one. I like the way they help to prevent dragging footpegs.

 

[kieefjr]

Just mounted my fourth. I got 13,032 miles out of this one. I like the way they help to prevent dragging footpegs.

Which brand tire and model did you get 13K miles out of? On a FJR?

 

[supertankerm60a3]

Michelin PR4. The reason is the type of riding. Almost all slab, almost all commute. 57 miles one way, every day. The pavment is very smooth and not very abrasive. When I go up and down 58 or other twisty favorites, I can almost see the wear changing every 50 miles or so, lots of chip-seal, lots of accelerating, turning and braking.

 

[art miller]

Just mounted my fourth. I got 13,032 miles out of this one. I like the way they help to prevent dragging footpegs.

Which brand tire and model did you get 13K miles out of? On a FJR?

I have gotten up to 15K on Michelin PR2's I am not an overly aggressive rider and take care not to do jack rabbit starts or hard braking. If you want to maximize tire wear make sure the tire pressure is correct and use the gears to slow down.

 

[kieefjr]

You mean I have to change my riding habits?

I haven't tried the PR4's yet, maybe after the T30's.

 

[Midgett919]

I asked the owner of my local tire shop about going to the 190/50 and he said it would wear quicker than the 180/55 because of a smaller contact patch...? I do mostly slab riding communting to Torrance from La Verne, CA (110 miles rt) and the 6000/7000 I get out of the rear tire gets expensive. I was looking at this for increased mileage out of the tire but was told I could expect the opposite. What say you?

 

[SLK50]

Economically speaking the FJR is a terrible commuter.

Tire costs alone will make you swoon compared to

most small cars.

Either move closer to your job or get a job closer to home.

Faced with a similar situation I purchased a second bike

specifically for commuting that would have significantly

lower operating and maintenance costs.

e.g. I get two years ( about 12K miles ) out of a set of

$200 tires. In comparison, the FJR would be $600.

The savings realized go towards weekend getaways.

 

[rbentnail]

I asked the owner of my local tire shop about going to the 190/50 and he said it would wear quicker than the 180/55 because of a smaller contact patch...? I do mostly slab riding communting to Torrance from La Verne, CA (110 miles rt) and the 6000/7000 I get out of the rear tire gets expensive. I was looking at this for increased mileage out of the tire but was told I could expect the opposite. What say you?

Car tire. IMHO the best thing on the road for the long haul and commuting. Since the summer of 2013 I've spent $118 for one rear tire. I figure I've saved myself the cost of at least 2 maybe 3 rear tires.

 

[CA G-Man]

I asked the owner of my local tire shop about going to the 190/50 and he said it would wear quicker than the 180/55 because of a smaller contact patch...? I do mostly slab riding communting to Torrance from La Verne, CA (110 miles rt) and the 6000/7000 I get out of the rear tire gets expensive. I was looking at this for increased mileage out of the tire but was told I could expect the opposite. What say you?

First, I never was very good at conics and all that stuff but it seems to me that a 190/50 with its flatter curve would have at least the same sized contact patch as a 180/55. The 190/55 that this thread is discussing would, I think, almost certainly not have a smaller contact patch than a 180/55.

Second, even if I'm wrong and you choose a new tire with a slightly smaller contact patch I'm pretty sure any difference in wear would be insignificant compared to all the other variables that affect tire wear (inflation, temperature, speed, acceleration, road surface, etc.) and I wouldn't even think about it if I thought a different tire would improve my handling.

 

[Spud]

FWIW I've run both sizes and I think the mileage is the same--I'm pretty sure it's no better on the bigger one--not sure if it's worse.

 

[SLK50]

I originally tried a 190/55 hoping to get longer life.

It didn't happen.

Instead, I got a better handling bike. Handling I'm sure

is the way Yamaha intended it to be. As if the bike

was suddenly "awakened".

For that reason I continue to use them.

 

[Auron]

I can't believe this thread hasn't been nerp'ed.

190/55 is a terrible idea on a 5.5.

The only thing you guys are noticing is the benefit to raising the rear end up. Get a proper spring on the back and use the damn 180. The 5.5 is a perfect match for a 180/55. Amazing you would mess with that.