cb125 tires, tubes, biasply/radial what?

M

maireeka

Active Member
I'm lookin for some tires for my 1978 CB125. I'm not sure what kind of tires I need. I know I need tubes, but what tires are OK to use with tubes?

I found Michelin Macadams and Bridgestone battlax in 2.75x18f but they don't make them in the 3.00x17r that I need. I'm also not sure if I can use these tires with tubes.

The only tires I can really find are Cheng Shin, and from what I've heard, they suck! How can I find out how large of a tire I can fit on my rim? I wanted at least decent rubber on this bike whenever I get it on the road, but it seems like the tiny size of the tires makes this difficult.
 
Many of us run Avon Roadriders. Run the best tire you can with fresh tubes and fresh rim strips (don't forget the rim strips! They protect the tube from the spoke nipples).

I have Avon's on my XS650 and Michelin Macadams on my BMW R75/6. The Michelins are nice tires. I have about 3,000 miles on mine in the last 2 years and am pleased.

Don't sweat converting to metric sizes either. You'll find you can come within 5mm or so of the right size. Those are some pretty narrow tires / small wheels. Is it the same front and back?

3 inches = 76.2mm so run an 80 wide tire if you can (just over 1/8 inch wider than stock).

For 17 inch rims Avon only has a 100 front and 120 universal (which I run front and back on my 650).

http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres&method=showspecs&id=6
 
I did find avon's on bikebandit that i think will fit. 90/90-18 f and 100/80-17 r i believe. From what I've read, 3.5" is the maximum tire size that I can run on the rear wheel. I think they're the same width but the front wheel is an inch larger in diameter.

I won't be buying tires for a little while longer anyways, but the avon's are what I'm leaning towards since the macadams are not available in my rear size.
 
I've only run across 3 different manufacturers of tires in this size and 1 very recently. Cheng Shin does make rubber that size but discontinued one of their styles. They are always back ordered and not a very good tire so I wouldn't bother. Pirelli also makes a tire for the rear but I believe they are only available in the UK. Kinda spendy but you get what you pay for. IRC makes one as well, you can get it on denniskirk.com for around 40 bones after shipping. And I believe that Michelin is about to release one too but it's more reccomended for scooters and it's not on the market yet.
 
ultimatefiend138 said:
I've only run across 3 different manufacturers of tires in this size and 1 very recently. Cheng Shin does make rubber that size but discontinued one of their styles. They are always back ordered and not a very good tire so I wouldn't bother. Pirelli also makes a tire for the rear but I believe they are only available in the UK. Kinda spendy but you get what you pay for. IRC makes one as well, you can get it on denniskirk.com for around 40 bones after shipping. And I believe that Michelin is about to release one too but it's more reccomended for scooters and it's not on the market yet.
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Actually, CS is OUT of the motorcycle tyre biz, at least in the States. I used to buy HiMaxx tires for cheapies to use on my highmiles bike. But, whats on the shelf is all that there are to be had, so if you like a particular CS tire, (and frankly, the HiMaxx, IMO is the only one worth a shite) buy em up fast. Also, when buying your tire, dont just grab the widest one you can stuff on your rim. That isnt necessarily better. If the tire is wider than the OEM spec by too much, while it may fit the rim, it will pinch, thus actually DECREASING your contact patch. Generally, if your bike takes, say, a 120/80 18, a 130 is really about the biggest you should put on it, and on some of the narrower, older spoke rims, that is even pushing it. just my .02
 
My bad, I was led to believe that CS had only discontinued the C265 at this point, at least that's what the MAW rep told me. You can still readily get ahold of the front tire for CB125's since it's an 18. 2.75x18 front and 3.00x17 rear. The rear one's the tough one but like I said you can still find them. I tossed around the idea of changing out wheels but since my rear arrives tomorrow I'm not worried about it anymore.
 
are you planning to road race your lump??? IRC and Chang shite will give you enough traction to chase and pass the hot scooters! many many moons ago a bunch of us tracked cb 125 twins(shannonville), OSC track day,,,,these were long in the tooth training bikes(old),,,,and we had the tyres spalling( small balls and lumps developing),,,,on said tyres,,,,,nobody crashed.. ::)
 
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