Which tire for Kz500 -82?

[offwhite]

Hi!
I have been lurking around here for a while, and finally got myself a bike.
It needs tires, and I am looking for a set of big, vintage-looking tires.
But, I have no idea on how to find them. All I know is the rim size, but it's in the old system (inches) and not the new, and all neat-looking tires seem to only be available in the new metric system.
Is there some way that tires sold in metric designations can fit my bike?
And how do I know which height of the tires I need to make them look uniformly sized? The front rim is 19", the rear 18".
Or perhaps, someone has already tried this and know of a great-looking tire combination?

Hope I don't get burned on this, I've tried googling the subject but haven't found anything helpful.

 

[Nebr_Rex]

Neat looking tires lead to not so neatly broken bones.
You need 100/19 and 110/18 or 110/19 and 120/18.


.

 

[xb33bsa]

Hi!
I have been lurking around here for a while, and finally got myself a bike.
It needs tires, and I am looking for a set of big, vintage-looking tires.
But, I have no idea on how to find them. All I know is the rim size, but it's in the old system (inches) and not the new, and all neat-looking tires seem to only be available in the new metric system.
Is there some way that tires sold in metric designations can fit my bike?
And how do I know which height of the tires I need to make them look uniformly sized? The front rim is 19", the rear 18".
Or perhaps, someone has already tried this and know of a great-looking tire combination?

Hope I don't get burned on this, I've tried googling the subject but haven't found anything helpful.

as long as you ride slow as fuck big balloon tires will be fine, keep it in first gear,second but only lug it
better that way anyway you can look at yourself in the shop windows as you cruise along !

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

It is a simple metric system to inch system conversion. Since I realize Math is not taught well nowadays, Google can do the math for you.

For instance a 3.50 x 18 inch tire = 3.50 inches x 25.4 mm/inch = 88.9 MM

So a 3.50 x 18 inch tire = a 90/90 x 18

A 4 inch wide tire (4.00 x 25.4 = 101.6) is equivalent to a 100/90 x 18 tire ....

The second metric number is height in percent, 90 = 90%, 80 = 80%

The old inch tires are equivalent to a 90% height.

so on a 3.50 x 18 tire, the width is 3.5 inches, the height is 3.15 inches
on the equivalent metric tire, a 90/90 x 18 is 90mm wide, and 81 mm high

There is also a chart for rim width recommended for the tire size. Stock rims are usually the smallest acceptable rim for that size. If you want a safe change to a wider tire, then you usually need to go to a wider rim. The areas in gray are acceptable sizes for the rim width in the chart. The second chart shows how to measure rim width.

If you mess this up, now that you know, any poor handling or wobbles are your own fault.

 

[offwhite]

Mydlyfkryzis> Thanks for an extensive explanation!

I think I will go with a "METZELER PERFECT ME 77" @ 110/90-18M for the rear, and a "HEIDENAU K 34" @ 3.25-19M for the front.

The rear tire should supposedly be 4 inches, which equals ~101,6 mm, but everywhere I look, it seems like 110mm on the rear is recommended for the KZ500/550, so I guess I'll be ok?

Any objections to using a combination of brands for front and rear wheels, regarding performance?

I mean, if I were to put an enduro tire on the front, and racing slicks on the back, I guess, that there could be some issues, but here I am just going to use two different brands of touring tires on my bike.

But then again, I am just making assumptions. Anyone wiser than me have any input on this?

 

[Scruffy]

I run a Shinko 712F 100/90-19 and a Dunlop Qualifier (old time cruiser peanut pattern tread) 140/90-15 on my daily rider. They were cheap... No issues to speak of, but, I also don't take it over 65mph very often.

You should ideally run matching series tires front and rear, so, ME77 or it's various clones in your case.

I do have an old time GS11 90/90-19 front and ChengShin Metzeler knockoff 140/90-15 rear on my project bike, but, just to roll it around while wrenching on it. Those tires code out from the early 1980s front and 2000 for the well used/rock hard/split rear...

Honestly, I'd say just get a set of Shinko or Duro tires and call it good for now. Get it running, learn to ride it, then get some decent rubber. Dunlop, Bridgestone, Avon or Metzeler if you plan to ride a lot and need decent tire life as well as good grip. Both tires on my daily will leave black streaks on the concrete sidewalk at work just backing into where I cable lock it for the day.