One of the most frequent question that we get asked is "..will a Goldspeed 160/60 x 17 fit on my bike as I have a 150/60 x 17 on their at the moment and I can't see that there is the necessary extra clearance between the chain and tyre..." Or similar......
Well you'll be please to know that it's not an exact science unfortunately.......
However, some facts to help you decide are:
a) If a tyre size is given as 160/60 x 17, this does not mean that the width is exactly 160mm. Manufacturers are allowed a tolerance when sizing a tyre so a tyre could be anything from 156mm to 164mm say and still be marked as 160/60 x 17. The exact width varies dramatically between manufacturer and even, between type of tyre from the same manufacturer, so there are no golden rules here, just an awareness. This means that your existing 150/60 x 17 could actually be the same width or even slightly narrower than its 160/60 x 17 replacement!
b) The rim that you fit the tyre to affects the profile of a given size tyre. For example, the profile of a 160/60 x 17 is markedly different on a 4.25" rim than say a 5" rim. This is why some tyres will be okay on a bike with one size rim, but not okay on the same size bike with a different rim.
c) Chains move laterally for several reasons; they can be worn, incorrectly adjusted or, subject to resonance within the drivetrain at certain revs (if you want to see this in action - put your bike on a dyno; you'll be amazed at the movement of the chain). This is why a certain tyre is sometimes okay on rider A's bike but not on rider B's bike.
To help you ensure that this problem doesn't affect your bike in advance, you can take several steps;
i) Contact Us and ask us have we had experience with this bike / tyre combination
ii) Google the question on the internet; you'll find somebody in a forum who has asked the question before of riders on the same type of bike.
iii) Make sure your chain is serviceable and correctly adjusted.
If you find you are having the problem and the tyre shows signs of contact with the chain there are several ways of curing this. The two methods we recommend are:
a) Have the rear wheel adjusted so that the rim is slightly off-centre in relation to the hub. This will give you a small amount of extra clearance between the chain and tyre on the chain side of your rear wheel. Any competent wheel builder can do this for you quite quickly and cheaply, normally without removing the wheel from the bike. It's a measured process which involves adjusting the position of the rim by tightening and loosening spokes accordingly. If you have alloy / magnesium or carbon wheels - sorry this isn't going to work for you!
b) Use a lateral guide at the front of the swing arm. This is a belt and braces method and you can either make your own guide or buy a blinged up, anodized version from many aftermarket suppliers. The images below show such a guide made by MW Racing and fitted on a race CRF 450 Honda, which we ran in conjucntion with them for French rider Mickeal Zammit.
>> Go To Supermoto Tyres FAQ
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