No shoes....

[X-Ray]

No, they are anodized aluminum in Power Ranger Red.

Heh Heh, love it!

[FJmonkey]

Finally got the job done today but too late for a ride. The Conti Motions in the 180 rear has as much chain clearance as the Dunlop Q2 in a 170. Got them on Amazon for $185 for the pair, delivered. The date code on them puts them in 2012, not bad. Lets see how they ride.



Since I had the wheels off I gave them a good cleaning. They are currently the only clean part on the bike. I still had them F%$& bugs from the 2012 WCR plastered to the wheels. Now I need to get to the rest of the bike. I did some solvent pre-cleaning in the swing arm while the wheel was out. The grunge you see will wash right off now. Got the chain clean too. Time to put the chain guard back on to help keep the back cleaner. And I fixed the fuel line routing so I will run a few tanks with the FP carbs and see how they work on a GF bike.

[big r]

Hey Power Ranger your bike looks really awesome.I hope to get mine looking that way someday.

[aviationfred]

Your bike looks great, I have considered using the Conti-Motions as my next set of tires. Please keep us informed how they perform for you.

Fred

[FJmonkey]

Your bike looks great, I have considered using the Conti-Motions as my next set of tires. Please keep us informed how they perform for you.

Fred

CraigO says he runs the same tires and I think he rides faster so these should be a good fit. Not as cool looking as the Attack tread pattern, but I am saving up for an RPM rear shock.

[Anti-Dive Dave]

Just a question.  That tyre looks awfly close to the swing arm....and that's cold pressure.

Whats gonna happen once it starts working under load with heat and cornering?

I was always told that tyres "move" on the rim, so does this mean that your nice new shoe will have shaved walls later down the line?

Yes, I did say shaved WALLS.  Not what others were thinking.

Mind you - to ask....does shaving yer "not walls", help the aerodynamics and reduce drag?  Not a personally aimed question, just a general "throw it out there".

[X-Ray]

Shouldn't have any problems apart from fitting the chainguard back in place. My 180/55 has a tiny bit less clearance than Monkeys, and after a lot of very high speed riding, with some severe cornering thrown in at our Rally this weekend, no touching/shaving/peeling at all. With any mods there are always some risks, minor adjustments etc, but they are usually relatively easy to take care of.

One thing Mark is you might have to "notch" the plastic guard to fit around the front of the tyre, I saw this "mod" at our rally yesterday.

Hoo Roo 

[FJmonkey]

I had zero issues with the Q2 170 with the same clearance, so I don't expect the Conti to expand anymore than the Q2. My guard is already notched so it should drop right in. When I get my shock and upgrade to dog bones I will get the hugger painted and fitted as well. The tire is centered, of that I am certain.

I also might add that I did the mount and balance myself for the first time. Used some 2x4 (or in Aussie 4x2) and the tow hitch to break the bead, cut the old tires off, removed the old bead. I pre-balanced the wheel. This way I only need to balance the tire going forward. If a tire is already balanced then I save some time and effort. Cleaned them up. Used heavy duty cable ties (Zip ties) to compress the ties so the beads touched. I did the front first and only used 6 ties. Had to work at it to get the tire on the wheel. Cut the ties off. One part of the tire did not want to un-collapse, it caved/buckled. Used a ratchet strap to compress the circumference with hopes to pop it back into shape. That did not work. Could not get a seal to keep air in it. So I work it against the floor while bouncing it and rolling it. It seemed like it might seal so I put the air back on it. Yea!!! Air was going in and not coming out. Got the pressure up to 32psi and the bead has not set yet. So I left it to clean up a little and I hear the familiar PING.....PING as both sides set in. Front is now due for final balance. I used 8 ties for the rear, it went on easier, it also caved in quite a bit but I could get most of the shape back working it with my hands. Got air to around 30ish pounds and let it sit. PING...PING. The front needed 7gms of weight, the rear needed 21gm. Did some final clean up to get more of the white to shine and installed them on the bike.

Thanks to the posts here, I learned to do one more valuable thing that saves me money and keeps unknown mechanics off my precious FJ. It is more work but I know I did the work properly and and I know the balance is spot on. Thanks to all the contributing FJowners and Marsh for the excellent forum.

[movenon]

Looks great to me... Good work on doing your own tires. As you mentioned, it save's money and most of all you don't have to depend on a dealer. Some of the dealers have gotten pretty high on what they charge to mount tires.  My clearance looks visually is about the same and other photo's of the same GSXR 180/55 conversion look about the the same. Nobodies had a problem that I am aware of with a properly adjusted rear wheel and proper tire inflation.  You are about 30 days a head of me. Just was notified that my 3.5 front wheel is ready to be picked up on Monday and I have to order a tire yet. Thinking strongly about a new chain since I now have new sprockets. $$$ Geeez........... Heck she might smoke a bit but she is going to have shinny new wheels , shoes and chain.....
George

[craigo]

Looks great Mark,

Looking forward to a ride review and let us (me) know what you think of their performance. As I said, I like these tires a whole lot better than the roadsmarts I had on. The price is just the cherry on the sundae.

Sun is out and I am going for a little freeway spin as I have work down in Point Loma today.

CraigO

[craigo]

CraigO says he runs the same tires and I think he rides faster so these should be a good fit.

It may have seemed that I ride faster, but those we my roads. If I came up your way for a ride, maybe it will be you who is faster. 

CraigO

[craigo]

Here is what my Conti Motions look like after 4k miles. Lot's of tread left but the front is beveled.

Front Tire:



Rear:



Just in case anyone was interested....

CraigO

[FJmonkey]

The beveled front is only avoidable if we stay out of the twisties.... That is not gonna happen....

[1tinindian]

Mark, did you ever have a 180 Dunlop Q2 on your bike, or just the 170?
The reason I ask, is that I have a Dunlop D208, 180, and it rubs the chain.
I guess Dunlop is one of those brands that oversizes their tires.

But the 170 fit fine??
I'm looking at getting some new rubber before I head out to this years WCR and I don't want to have happen like what happened in Colorado last year. (Down to the cords).

[FJmonkey]

Mark, did you ever have a 180 Dunlop Q2 on your bike, or just the 170?
The reason I ask, is that I have a Dunlop D208, 180, and it rubs the chain.
I guess Dunlop is one of those brands that oversizes their tires.

But the 170 fit fine??
I'm looking at getting some new rubber before I head out to this years WCR and I don't want to have happen like what happened in Colorado last year. (Down to the cords).

I ran the 180 first and the chain machined off a good 3/16 of an inch off the side. Bits O' tire messing up the nice White wheels. Not sure how bad it was for the chain, they are not designed to be side loaded. It seems ok, not too beat up when I cleaned it recently. But the 170 had no issues with touching the chain.