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Message started by zipidachimp on 02/15/18 at 21:13:35

Title: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by zipidachimp on 02/15/18 at 21:13:35

of why my attempts at a custom S40 have looked less than satisfactory.
to wit:  on the stock bike, the front axle centreline sits 13" above ground, while the rear axle sits 11.9" above ground, a rearward tilt of 1.1", exactly the opposite of what a good looking bike is.
Through changes in rim diameter and tire size, I will level out the axle centrelines, at which point I can decide how aggressive I want the stance to be, longer rear shock, or lowering the front with a RYCA top tree and pushing the fork tubes up.
At that point, I'll decide on a tracker, cafe or standard bike.
Open to comments...... 8-)

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by zipidachimp on 02/16/18 at 00:57:08

17" rims at each end gives 12" at the axles, 18" rims give 13".  Tempted to do 17", same as CB500F. 8-)

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by batman on 02/16/18 at 16:40:01

Expecting to raise the bike by changing to larger rims can be a bit deceiving ,most of the rims are narrower as are the tires that fit them, sidewall height is a percentage of tire width ,so a skinny tire has less sidewall height ,when added to the larger rim it may only be slightly taller than your stock tire and rim . you should check the diameters of the tires you will use before spending money on larger rims . a good site to compare is at -Tacomaworld.com-  scroll down the left side of the page and you'll find-Tire size calculator - which allows side by side comparisons with lots of info.

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by zipidachimp on 02/16/18 at 21:43:00

I discovered tacoma world a few years ago. I've also spent time comparing a lot of different bikes and the stock tire sizes the oems used.

I wouldn't be doing any of this if my current rear tire size of 140/90-15 didn't look so goofy and my steering didn't feel so slow.

At this point I'm leaning towards 100/90-18F and 130/70-18R. I'll change the rear first with the stock shock length, try it and go from there. 8-)

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by batman on 02/16/18 at 23:08:55

Good, but you might look at the 130/90/15 for the rear ,that might allow as fast a  turn in as the 130/70 /18.  and you could go to a 90/90/19 on the front for the same reason. taller shocks will also decrease the neck angle , I run 13" progressive's myself. but it's your bike ,do what pleases you. good luck!

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by Ruttly on 02/16/18 at 23:53:18

I like the 18s front and rear on the tracker. Looks are good and it turns just fine. I think 17s would look funny and not improve turning all that much.

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by Dave on 02/17/18 at 03:27:57


534059404D484A41404459290 wrote:
At this point I'm leaning towards 100/90-18F and 130/70-18R. I'll change the rear first with the stock shock length, try it and go from there. 8-)


Be sure to use rims of the proper width to match the tire you intend to use.  Vintage style tires with numbers like 3.50-18 are generally designed to fit on the narrow rims that were used......while modern tirs with numbers like 130/70-18 are made for use on wider rims.  If you squeeze a modern tire on a narrow rim the cross section profile of the tread is made rounder, and a portion of the tread is rolled over onto the sidewall where you will never be able to use it (The common mistake is to use the 130/70-18 tire on a 2.50-18 rim....I made that mistake with my first tire on my Cafe bike as I followed the trend.....then I learned my lesson when the tire wore the center of the tire really quickly and I had tread on the sidewalls that had never touched the pavement).

My current choice of tires for the Cafe is a shorter 90/90-18 on the front, it helps to quicken the steering as it is a light weight tire and helps to lower the front with the short sidewall (the 100/80-18 just looks too beefy to me after using the smaller tire).  For the rear the 130/70-18 on a 3.50-18 rim looks really beefy and matches the current big back tire trend......a 120/80-18 on the 2.50-18 looks more vintage appropriate, is lighter weight and is plenty of tire for the Savage power and weight).  

Here is the Cafe' tire discussion thread I started....it is applicable to your Tracker discussion.  There is a tire fitment guide for rim size vs. tire size:
http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1435340395

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by ohiomoto on 02/17/18 at 07:46:12


7D464B5C4D415A5C474F425D2E0 wrote:
...a 120/80-18 on the 2.50-18 looks more vintage appropriate....


That's what I used on my bike.

http://suzukisavage.com/yabb2.2/Attachments/IMG_20170727_071804829.jpg

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by zipidachimp on 02/17/18 at 13:26:46

OHIO/Dave: nailed it!
For reference, the Norton Commando, the hot bike from the 60/70's used what we would now consider very skinny tires, but was really quick! 8-)

https://silodrome.com/norton-commando-750/

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by sgtsampay on 02/18/18 at 07:47:50


7671707674766D76190 wrote:
[quote author=7D464B5C4D415A5C474F425D2E0 link=1518758015/0#6 date=1518866877]...a 120/80-18 on the 2.50-18 looks more vintage appropriate....


That's what I used on my bike.

http://suzukisavage.com/yabb2.2/Attachments/IMG_20170727_071804829.jpg
[/quote]


Wow, this bike looks great. Any details about it that you can share? Such as what was need for the speedo relocate, fuel tank swap? Looks so nice..

Title: Re: I think I've solved the puzzle.....
Post by ohiomoto on 02/18/18 at 16:31:39


4D594A4D5F534E5F473E0 wrote:
[quote author=7671707674766D76190 link=1518758015/0#7 date=1518882372][quote author=7D464B5C4D415A5C474F425D2E0 link=1518758015/0#6 date=1518866877]...a 120/80-18 on the 2.50-18 looks more vintage appropriate....


That's what I used on my bike.

http://suzukisavage.com/yabb2.2/Attachments/IMG_20170727_071804829.jpg
[/quote]


Wow, this bike looks great. Any details about it that you can share? Such as what was need for the speedo relocate, fuel tank swap? Looks so nice..[/quote]-------------------

It's all in here: http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1472222031/0

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