Dirt bike tire question

[Urban Surfer]

I have very limited experience on any kind of dirt bike, so I was wondering, why are there a few off road bikes with big wide tires, even two wheel drive bikes. What do wide tires do for you?. Is it catering to people who don't know any better?

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

One reason for the wider tires is load carrying. Wider also reduces the contact pressure for soft terrain like sand.

[r77toy]

The only 2wd with wide tires that I can think of, is the Rokon Trailbreaker, it was a motorized Pack mule with a top speed of about 20 mph.

http://www.rokon.com/1_4_Trail-Breaker.html

The only other bikes with fat tires that I know of, are the BW's from Yamaha, kind of a 2 wheeled ATC. Good for beginners in sand or snow.

 

[CoarsegoldKid]

I have very limited experience on any kind of dirt bike,

Me too

 

why are there a few off road bikes with big wide tires,

Not sure where you are going with this question but tires can only be as wide as the rim allows. Normally the front is narrower than the rear.

 

What do wide tires do for you?.

More traction, wider foot print/contact patch, less headache and lifting.

 

Is it catering to people who don't know any better?

??

[Paul Mihalka]

May be talking about something like this:

 

http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/yamaha/2013-yamaha-tw200-ar132064.html

[Urban Surfer]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I ask was that a good friend of mine who knows less than I do about dirt bikes was looking for a small motorcycle for hunting, and fishing. He was only keen on something with big fat tires, and he would use it for an off road pack horse. There are few dirt bikes that have tires like that, so I assumed they were not usually effective, and possibly catering to people who think they may need big tires in the woods, because off road trucks and ATV's all have them.

They don't seem practical to me except as mentioned snow and sand.

 

 

[szurszewski]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I ask was that a good friend of mine who knows less than I do about dirt bikes was looking for a small motorcycle for hunting, and fishing. He was only keen on something with big fat tires, and he would use it for an off road pack horse. There are few dirt bikes that have tires like that, so I assumed they were not usually effective, and possibly catering to people who think they may need big tires in the woods, because off road trucks and ATV's all have them.

They don't seem practical to me except as mentioned snow and sand.

 

 

There's a reason ATVs and off-road/crawler rigs have those wide, soft tires - gives a lot of flotation (yes on snow and sand, but also on mud, soft trails, mixed forest floor terrain with moss/sticks/pebbles/ruts/etc) and the ability to flex to maintain contact on uneven surfaces. I would think if you were looking to pack a lot of weight on a bike, and presumably move at slow speeds, it would be to your advantage to have a good contact patch and a nice hefty sidewall to support your load at low enough tire pressures to still maintain good contact with the ground.

 

Also, I think those fat knobbies, like on the Yamaha linked to above, look pretty cool. Why wouldn't you want your new bike to look sweet?

[eddd]

As a former owner of a TW200, I can testify that the bike's tires are practical for a variety of on and off road tasks.

 

There is a reason that the TW has remained almost unchanged for 26 years including those rather unique tires.

[Urban Surfer]

I did some reading up on the TW 200, I would like one myself.

Thanks Eddd

[cris nitro]

There is a reason dirt bikes don't have fat tires, they handle like crap. They are fine for crawling around, ala Yamaha BW, Rokon, etc. But, they just don't turn, which is what riding a dirt bike is all about. Too fat and heavy. If you want to crawl/poke around in the brush or snow or bog mud, get the fat tire bikes. if you want a dirt bike, buy a dirt bike.

[SuperG]

the TW IS the only bike (I would not call it a dirt bike)with such huge tires. Except may some other out-of-wack copies with lawmover engines they sell at harbor freight tools.

 

Eddd wrote:

"There is a reason that the TW has remained almost unchanged for 26 years including those rather unique tires."

 

the only reason it has not changed because they can not sell what they made 26 years ago.

drum brake, air cooled, over weight and underpowered.

 

Those fat tires on a dirtbike only good for one thing.

not to get stuck in sand of any king... as in mom or little Jonny riding it around in the flat river wash sand at 5 mph steady and slow. or may be in the snow (but unlikely)

the key word with dual sport is: not really good in the dirt and not really good on the street. Basically it is made to do a decent job only at about 50% at each place. <-(yes I owned a few)

In general the Tw is for someone just starting to learn to ride a offroad.

Fat tires on dirt bikes are basically sand-cats.

[outpost22]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason I ask was that a good friend of mine who knows less than I do about dirt bikes was looking for a small motorcycle for hunting, and fishing.

 

 

Honestly, your friend would be better off with a quad. I do a lot of hunting and fishing with my GS, but then again I have over 30 years off road riding to go with it. By the time you load a backpack, rods/bow/gun/etc on the bike, it changes the handling dramatically, not to mention the CG of the bike. If your friend does not have much off road prowess, he can count on bending up some expensive gear when he falls over (and he will).

[eddd]

the TW IS the only bike (I would not call it a dirt bike)with such huge tires. Except may some other out-of-wack copies with lawmover engines they sell at harbor freight tools.

 

Eddd wrote:

"There is a reason that the TW has remained almost unchanged for 26 years including those rather unique tires."

 

the only reason it has not changed because they can not sell what they made 26 years ago.

drum brake, air cooled, over weight and underpowered.

 

Those fat tires on a dirtbike only good for one thing.

not to get stuck in sand of any king... as in mom or little Jonny riding it around in the flat river wash sand at 5 mph steady and slow. or may be in the snow (but unlikely)

the key word with dual sport is: not really good in the dirt and not really good on the street. Basically it is made to do a decent job only at about 50% at each place. <-(yes I owned a few)

In general the Tw is for someone just starting to learn to ride a offroad.

Fat tires on dirt bikes are basically sand-cats.

 

Read the ride tale. It seems the TW is capable of a bit more than "mom or little Jonny riding it around in the flat river wash sand at a 5 mph steady and slow."

 

 

[roadscholar]

Contrary to what may seem logical, skinny tires are better in sand than fat ones, particularly the rear, it digs in and helps steady the bike.

 

Though not to say the TW200 isn't a great little bike in it's element.

 

[eddd]

The video shows exactly why I bought the TW, my Sherpa, and now my XT. All of these bikes allow me to get my feet down when I felt the need.

[roadscholar]

I missed that ride tale the first time Eddd, nice one!

[lawnchairboy]

As did I, thanks eddd.

[kmac]

I think you may be looking for one of these:

 

http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkK6jaORQmB8A.y6JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26va%3Dhonda%2Bfat%2Bcat%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701-s%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=800&h=600&imgurl=img.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv622%2FAnna78%2Fhondafatcat.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dirtbikeaddicts.com%2Fthreads%2Fhonda-fat-cat-1986-sks-tr200.2007%2F&size=194.5+KB&name=Stroke+-+%3Cb%3EHonda+Fat+Cat+%3C%2Fb%3E1986+sks+TR200+%7C+Dirt+Bike+Addicts&p=honda+fat+cat&oid=d843e530cc6e4be9f133e962d090823e&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-701-s&tt=Stroke%2B-%2B%253Cb%253EHonda%2BFat%2BCat%2B%253C%252Fb%253E1986%2Bsks%2BTR200%2B%257C%2BDirt%2BBike%2BAddicts&b=0&ni=96&no=2&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=129l7ip50&sigb=13d463l52&sigi=11mavt56b&.crumb=mKKkrM7.m4j

[kmac]

Maybe this will work

 

http://motorcycles.yakaz.com/honda-fat-cat