125SM - Wheels/Tires

[witttom]

I remember this question being asked a while back by another MZ member here, but I don't recall the answer. My apologies for the repeat Q.

My 2002 125SM has spoked rims and some somewhat-cheapie street tires. The tires say "Tubeless", but because I have spoked rims, I've always assumed that I have tubes. However, I also have threaded steel air stems coming out of the rims. That makes me question whether or not I have tubes. So... which is it? Tubes or Tubeless?

I am seriously considering a more-aggressive tire for my SM and bring it back inline with something closer to a dual-sport. I NEED more traction for the areas that I take it. Anyone have any experience (good or bad) and/or suggestions for a tire for the 17" spoked SM wheels?

[DAVID THOMPSON]

i bought a set of kenda's for mine in the same size as the oem
it is a rt125 with alloy wheels
they do not list a dual sport tire in the proper size for 17 in rims

mine came from MAW

as for the split demount tire and inspect inside for defects in that area
and if none found have a tire shop bond a good patch to the area on the inside behind the split

i am almost sure you have a tube inside

remove brake disk rotor before working on wheel so you dont bend it
my rotor was wharped and it was close to $160usd ouch dollars to replace
add shipping from uk and get sick at the cash flow problem

[jbthumper]

SM wheels are running on tubes. You're safe.


sorry i can't help you on the dual-sport tires though....they're quite hard to come by...but it's definitely out there.

[Drew]

I posted a similar question in another forum, regarding the difficulty in finding a tire in the odd sizes. Apparently the Kawi EX500 runs the same sizes.

I did come across a tire fitment guide which lists the following for 110/70/17 front, 130/70/17 rear:
Pirelli Sport Demon
Bridgestone Battlax BT45
Metzeler Lasertec
Michelin Pilot Activ
Avon AM51 (F), AM52 (R) (as seen on Buell Blasts)

Also, the following are available in the 110/70/17 front only:
Metzeler Sportec M1
Metzeler Roadtec Z6
Metzeler ME330
Metzeler Rennsport Race RS1 (supersoft)/RS2 (soft)
Michelin Macadam 100X
Michelin Pilot Power
Michelin Pilot Road
Michelin Power Race
Pirelli Diablo
Pirelli Supercorsa SC1 (supersoft), SC2 (soft)
Avon AV49SP
Avon AV45ST
Bridgesone BT014
Continental Conti-Force
Dunlop D207 Sportmax (stock on Honda Valkyrie)
Dunlop K510 (Yamaha VMax)

Here's an interesting option for a (higher profile) rear:
Michelin Sirac Dual Sport (130/80/17)

Another option is to run larger tire sizes, although I haven't looked to deep into this yet. However, I wouldn't go 10mm over in the front or rear, and there are no real avenues openeed with a 140mm rear that doesn't already exist for the 130mm rear. As you can see, the 110/70/17 front options are plentiful.

One final thought I had was to run a 130mm front tire on the rear. After asking the other forum, the general consensus was that if you want to do this, run the front tire in the opposite direction of rotation on the rear (as denoted by the arrow).

[witttom]

sorry i can't help you on the dual-sport tires though....they're quite hard to come by...but it's definitely out there.

Another option is to run larger tire sizes, although I haven't looked to deep into this yet. However, I wouldn't go 10mm over in the front or rear, and there are no real avenues openeed with a 140mm rear that doesn't already exist for the 130mm rear. As you can see, the 110/70/17 front options are plentiful.

One final thought I had was to run a 130mm front tire on the rear. After asking the other forum, the general consensus was that if you want to do this, run the front tire in the opposite direction of rotation on the rear (as denoted by the arrow).

Yeah, I'm quickly discovering that finding a dual-sport type tire for the front is becoming more of a challenge than I would have expected. Finding a 110 in a street tire, isn't a problem. There are a few more options for the rear. I would consider running a 120 on the front, but the more I look into this... the more I'm thinking dual-sport tires are not in the immediate future for this bike.

[Drew]

wittom, try lookng through Cheng Shin tires:

Cheng Shin

[witttom]

wittom, try lookng through Cheng Shin tires:

Cheng Shin

Well.. I've found several, Cheng Shin included, that MIGHT work.... but they are all much more offroad-aggressive than what I want (I would consider them to be more dirt tires than dual-sport).

[Drew]

I thought I'd update y'all. I found out Continetinal makes a rear tire that'll fit right on the 125SM, and is intended for the bike. Unfortunately, they don't have a matching front:

ContiNentla ContiTwist SM

[Drew]

Sorry, that's "Continental", not whatever I typed.

Too much wine at dinner, I guess!

[Drew]

And yet another follow-up...

Apparently the rear rim (4.00x17) can take a 140mm rear. Don't know if there is enough clearance on the bike though. Anybody want to give their feedback? This matters immensely because the DRZ-400SM comes with this size rear tire!

[micheleen]

According to the manual the rear rim is only 3.50x17

[Drew]

According to the manual the rear rim is only 3.50x17

Thank you, micheleen, for highlighting that. I have an '03, and my manual says "4.00x17", so I went and checked the rim. Sure enough, the rim is stamped with "3.50x17". So my manual is wrong

However, according to Bridgestone's site, a 140-section rear tire will still fit on the rim. This allows tires like the BT090's to be used, clearances on the bike permitting.

[micheleen]

I've always found this chart to be a very good guide for tyre/rim compatability.
The BT090 appears to be a race only tyre so I'd be wary of using it on the road.

[awschmidt]

I run Avon distanzia tires on my mastiff sm. After a month of searching for agressive dual sport tires for this winter, I came down to these. They don't look as agressive on the web as they do on the bike, and they are really soft which helps alot. The dirt roads and mud I've been into so far (also the snow) has been easy to handle with these.

Kevin