CL360 tires and tubes

[XsjadoTwin]

So I reallyh need to replace the tires on my cl, and I would like an oh so slightly wider tire in the rear. I want to keep the stock wheel, so I am not trying to go go too big, like I said just a little bit wider would make me feel more comfortable. The tires on it now feel like I'm riding a bmx bike and just don't feel right (that and they are probably 15 years old)

 

[raptormeat]

i fit 110/90-18 on both front and rear stock rims...probably go 100/90 in the front though..i just wanted the brat look lol

 

[XsjadoTwin]

Thank you, any photos of your bike? And is there a certain brand you would recommend?

 

[XsjadoTwin]

I just found a set of Kenda K657 tires, front 100/90 18 rear 110/90 18 for $114 shipped. The reviews seem mostly positive (with 2 negative reviews) this was on motorcycle-superstore.com I'm just trying to get an idea for what tire to run (something slightly wider than stock in the rear tire would make me feel more comfortable) and what I can expect to pay.

 

[XsjadoTwin]

Just for my reference
100mm=3.93" (front)
110mm=4.33" (rear)

So I will be gaining .93" in the front and .83" in the rear. What kind of noticeable changes in handling should i expect (if any) increasing the width of the tires?

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

Why would wider tires make you more comfortable. They slow down handling. Kind of like a car with low tire pressure.

The right size tires will work perfectly. Handling would be as good as these bikes get.

Wide tires are selected most often for looks, and degraded handling seems to be acceptable.

Wider tires will require wider rims. Honda put the widest possible tire on the stock rim. To up a size on the tire, you should go up a size on the rim width. Narrow rims and wide tires also degrade handling.

I am not speaking from theory. I used to think like a car guy, a wider tire gives more performance, but it turns out I was wrong. I used to run 4.00 18 tires on mine. I went back to 3.50 and the bikes handling improved.

Just trying to give you the benefit of my experience and knowledge. Sometimes the kids have to touch the hot stove to believe it will burn you...

 

[XsjadoTwin]

I am also coming more from a car background. A little more surface area to grip the road, I figured it would Improve handling. Well I am glad I asked. I'll be ordering some 3.00 x18 for the front and 3.50 x18 for the rear.

Now if I WERE to go with a 4.00" rear wheel would a 4.00 tire still handle worse on a cl360 than a stock 3.50 wheel with a 3.50 tire? Sorry for all the questions, i just want to make sure i do this right the first time.

 

[Scruffy]

My CL72 (250) came to me with a 4.00-19 front and 4.50-18 rear. Handled okay at low speeds, but the tire to chain contact and tire to fender mounting lug contact was at the least a bit unnerving. It is getting a 2.75-19 front and a 3.00 or 3.50-18 rear when it goes back in service.

My Savage shipped with a 100/90-10 and a 140/80-15 tire set, now has a 90/90-19 and a 140/90-15, with the rear getting swapped out for a 130/90-15. Suzuki is bad about cramming in too large a tire for the stock rim width, and the factory handling potential truly suffers for it.

If anything, you should be thinking how narrow can you safely go if you want to improve the handling. Doesn't look as good to most people as running a heftier tire set, but I'll take handling over looks any day.

 

[boulevard]

I went big and would say this is the max you can go with a stock set up 4.50 - 18 Back Tire and a 4.00 - 18 Front Tire.

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

Oddly, a wider tire does not give more ground contact patch area. The area is based on the stiffness of the carcass, the air pressure and total weight on the tire. A wide tire gives a left/right wide oval patch. A narrow tire gives a long (forward/back) oval patch.

For a car, which corners "flat", the wide oval left/right patch provides better cornering. For a bike, which corners with different physics, needs to lean over. The wide oval left/right patch inhibits leaning, that;s why the bike feels heavier and slower. With only one wheel on the ground, a disproportionate amount of horsepower for the size contact patch, the front/rear patch provides better acceleration, and easier leaning.

Another factor is weight. Larger tires than stock have larger moments of inertia and weigh more. This inhibits acceleration.
If you have 200 HP, you have HP to spare. On a 24HP 360, their isn't a lot of spare HP to go around. The right size tires with lightweight wheels will increase acceleration and improve performance much more than fat, heavy tires on wider/heavier wheels.

There are no "rules", but Cafe Racers were invented to make the bike faster and handle better. At some point, it has been corrupted to "look cool" and the hell with performance.

Performance de-graders:
EMGO small pods
Short intake lengths
Fat Tire
Wider Rims
Short exhaust pipes.
To low back pressure exhaust.

In exhaust, there is more to the science of it then short, low back pressure. One of the key parts of a proper exhaust system is maintaining gas velocity out of the head. This creates a gas momentum that helps pull the exhaust out of the cylinder, even creating a vacuum near the exhaust port. This is called scavenging. It is also why an exhaust leak at the head will pop. The vacuum created by the flow of gas causes air (with oxygen in it) to enter the pipe and unburnt gases burn to rapidly in the pipe, causing the pop.

Wrapping the pipes was not done for looks. Wrapping the exhaust keeps the gases hotter and at a higher velocity then if they cooled. Increases scavenging. Many people wrap the pipes for looks, then cut the mufflers off, negating any performance increase from better scavenging.