TX650 rims/tires

[The_heartbreak_kid]

I am about to purchase new tires and would like to do the rims at the same time. I would like to have the rims black and am thinking about some kenda dual sport tires. Its about that time of year and this is the last thing I really need before summer.

As far as rims go....I am playing with 2 options powdercoating new/existing rims or buying new ones from ebay and selling the old ones. What would be the suspected difference between my stock rims, the alloys sold on mikes and the following sold on ebay?:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/YAMA...orcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_4500wt_1026

Im not on the track or anything...but I have never purchased rims and I dont know what to look for.

With the tires the one on there right now are listed MN/80-18 and 100/90-19. Should I stick with the same sizes or are there any benefits to switching into a different size? Are there any considerations I should have as far as aesthetics or the tread on the kenda 761 DS?

Thanks

 

[XSLeo]

Me, I'd get a set of stainless spokes from Mike's, Tear down the wheels I have, Powder coat the rims and hub, reassemble with the new spokes. Probably take 2 weeks maybe a month.
If I was in a hurry to ride I would leave the wheels I have on the bike. Buy a set of wheels off Ebay or some one on here. Do the tear down, powder coat and reassemble with the stainless spokes on the bought wheels.
When the wheels are ready, put the new tires on them, just swap them onto the bike. Sell the wheels.
This way the bike is down only long enough to swap the wheels.
On your tires the MN/80-18 might be an MN90-18 that would be a 110/90-18. on the rear a 110 will fit, a 120 should fit, depending on the brand and model of tire.
On the front a 100/90-19 is a good size, a 110/99-19 is bigger and might be a bit close to the fender.
I tend to stay with a stock size tire. A 100/90-19 front and the 110/90 18 rear. Or on the later bikes the 130/90-16.
I had to google those Kenda's, They are a good looking tire. Of the choices on the Kenda site I think the 100/90-19 up front with the 110/80-18 out back. I think the 120/80-18 might be a bit too wide, might rub on the swing arm of chain gaurd.
Leo

 

[shotgunjoe]

I just got new tires for my bike. Went with shinko 705, VERY soft tires. 110-80-19, and 120-80-18, they are very close to the original size.

As for the rims, if you originals are in good shape, theres no reason to swap them for a cheaper repro.

 

[The_heartbreak_kid]

Thanks for the input guys. I think I might just need to wait until summers over and do the wheels twice. I dont think there is gonna be time. I would rather just powdercoat the steel ones and do it right the first time.

 

[shotgunjoe]

i have aluminum rims... steel are not as desireable. so up to you man. i'll stick by what said above though. If you plan to keep this bike forever... aluminum rims, and stainless spokes are the way to go. If not, paint the steel rims you have. Also you might be surprised to find corrosion inside the rim starting from the schrader valve... moisture tends to find its way in from there, it sure did on mine, and there was quite a bit of corrosion inside.

 

[jbbishop2]

Hey, Shotgunjoe,

I've run Shinko 705s on my MZ for quite some time (I think it's been 6K-7K miles), and love them. They're still holding up well, they've had great grip, even in the wet, and I ride that bike especially when the weather turns bad. With that experience I shopped for Shinko when I needed tires for the '81 XS650 street tracker before a long trip last summer. I can't remember why but I ended up with Shinko 712, more cruiser-y than dual sport (100/90-19 front and 120/90-18 rear). They did very well for grip but my bad swingarm bushings helped wear a flat spot in the rear by about 6K miles (my friend's '81 ran the same tires for the same miles and his rear tire still looks pretty good). I swapped on a Bridgestone TW203 130/80-18 on the rear, but it's a pretty light duty tire intended for use on the front of a TW200 and has worn quickly. [Leo, the 130/80/18 on mine has plenty of clearance to the swingarm and a non-stock chain guard.] My front 712 tread depth is still pretty good but it's getting a bit scalloped and doesn't hold as well over cracks and transitions any more.

I was looking at Kenda 761 tires today to replace mine but I think your post and prior experience will send me back to Shinko 705 front and rear. A quick question: the 110/80Q-19 and 110/80R-19 are both listed, which did you get? The Q is $48.99 and the R is $73.99 at Motorcycle-Superstore.com.