Page 1 of 2
Kawasaki Ninja 250 Tire Quality
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:10 pm
by RhadamYgg
Hello Everyone,
I have my own tire question. In this video (mentioned in another thread, but oddly enough something I watched in the last couple of days)
Ninja 250 vs Hyosung Gt250 - the reviewer call the Kawasaki tires equivalent to riding on wood.
This isn't the first time I've seen/heard that comment on the Ninja 250's tires.
Now, personally, I don't think the tires are that bad. But I've got a strong case of the "don't know any betters".
So, without starting a flame war about who makes the best tires, what is a good set of tires that I can put on the bike? How much of a difference will it make? Is it worth it to get new tires because of the benefit(s) or is it a wait until the manufacturer set of OEM tires are done and then upgrade.
RhadamYgg
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:19 pm
by HYPERR
What tires do you have on your Ninja?
Current Tires
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:32 pm
by RhadamYgg
(Front) Dunlop K630F 100/80 - 16 M/G 50S
(Rear) Dunlop K630 130/80 M/G 64S
At least as much as I can read in the dark - garage light really doesn't work all that well.
Thanks,
RhadamYgg
Re: Current Tires
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 5:52 pm
by HYPERR
RhadamYgg wrote:(Front) Dunlop K630F 100/80 - 16 M/G 50S
(Rear) Dunlop K630 130/80 M/G 64S
Those are your typical budget tires that OEM put on their lower priced bikes.
The funny thing is, in the video, the tread pattern looked like Bridgestone Battlaxes which are far better tires than the K630 IMO. The new 250R also went to the 17" too I believe which will give you much wider range of choices for tires.
That being said, if you are content with the K630s, I would leave them on but I would definitely upgrade when the time comes for new tires.
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:14 pm
by Brackstone
Yeah those are the standard tires.
If you put your hand on someone elses tires that are higher rated like my bikes and then touch yours you can feel the difference. My tires feel sticky almost and your tires are just smooth.
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:53 am
by gsJack
Here's a link you can save showing Ninja 250 replacement tires, they are mostly 90 profile tires since there isn't too much available in the exact 80 profile oem sizes. I'd go with the Lasertecs if I wanted to spend the big bucks or the Roadriders for a very good tire at a much better price, I've used both on my GS's:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_tire_ ... port_Demon
Here's what they said about your oem tires:
Dunlop K630
Sizes: 130/80-16 rear; 100/80-16 front
Loudboys: I don't know what kind of situation the OE tires are designed for, but it sure isn't regular street riding. They don't handle predictably, they don't stick very well, and they don't last very long. The stock tires are fairly unforgiving compared to most of the good replacement options. Once they're unstuck they tend to stay that way.
Ian: Dunlop K630's are pieces of crap, and you're doing yourself a huge dis-service by riding on them.
The new 08 250R comes with BT45 tires, a big improvement and in popular 17" sizes.
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:38 am
by HYPERR
gsJack wrote:
The new 08 250R comes with BT45 tires, a big improvement and in popular 17" sizes.
Yeah I noticed that the bike in the video had the Battlax, which isn't a bad tire even in the lower end BT45 incarnation. If they thought those were made of wood, I wonder what they would think of the K630s.
Re: Current Tires
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:28 am
by RhadamYgg
HYPERR wrote:RhadamYgg wrote:(Front) Dunlop K630F 100/80 - 16 M/G 50S
(Rear) Dunlop K630 130/80 M/G 64S
Those are your typical budget tires that OEM put on their lower priced bikes.
The funny thing is, in the video, the tread pattern looked like Bridgestone Battlaxes which are far better tires than the K630 IMO. The new 250R also went to the 17" too I believe which will give you much wider range of choices for tires.
That being said, if you are content with the K630s, I would leave them on but I would definitely upgrade when the time comes for new tires.
They seem fine, so I guess I'll keep them until the tread is at a point where it sucks... But I do wonder if sometimes I'd take turns faster and more confidently if I had better tires.
The wheel size is another reason I wish I'd had the bucks for the '08. But right now I'm not interested in competing with everyone else for an '08.
Funny thing is, I don't actually feel like upgrading to a bigger/faster bike, but I might not mind the newer Ninja 250.
RhadamYgg
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:30 am
by RhadamYgg
Brackstone wrote:Yeah those are the standard tires.
If you put your hand on someone elses tires that are higher rated like my bikes and then touch yours you can feel the difference. My tires feel sticky almost and your tires are just smooth.
Maybe I'll feel up some tires next time I'm at a dealer
I'll take your word for it as I'll probably forget to feel them up when I actually make it out to a dealership again.
Then again, I'm up around 3200 miles and I need to get the 3200 mile service soon.
RhadamYgg
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:38 am
by RhadamYgg
gsJack wrote:Here's a link you can save showing Ninja 250 replacement tires, they are mostly 90 profile tires since there isn't too much available in the exact 80 profile oem sizes. I'd go with the Lasertecs if I wanted to spend the big bucks or the Roadriders for a very good tire at a much better price, I've used both on my GS's:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_tire_ ... port_Demon
Here's what they said about your oem tires:
Dunlop K630
Sizes: 130/80-16 rear; 100/80-16 front
Loudboys: I don't know what kind of situation the OE tires are designed for, but it sure isn't regular street riding. They don't handle predictably, they don't stick very well, and they don't last very long. The stock tires are fairly unforgiving compared to most of the good replacement options. Once they're unstuck they tend to stay that way.
Ian: Dunlop K630's are pieces of "crumb", and you're doing yourself a huge dis-service by riding on them.
The new 08 250R comes with BT45 tires, a big improvement and in popular 17" sizes.
Thanks for the info, man. It is kind of funny that in the situation when you definitely want good tires - to inspire confidence of handling and learning how to ride... And they put junk on the bike.
Will they have these tires at a Kawasaki dealer, or should I order them (when the time comes) and bring them to the dealer to install? I'm not sure how all this works since for the past 10 years I've bought all my tires at Sam's club or BJ's.
RhadamYgg