Dirt Bike Question

[AngloSaxon]

I am new to the dirt bikes and was not sure who to ask, but it seems there are few riders here who might help me out.

So I got a 1991 Honda XR 250L that has original 50/50 tires. The size is:
3.00-21 and 4.60-18. My question is What is a good mud/trail tire and what are the metric (mm) sizes that I can replace the originals with?

Again, I know this is not a Dirt Bike forum, but I am getting a headache from all the sorts of brands and sizes out there.

Thanks for the help,
Anglo

 

[Ozwynn]

That dual purpose tire sucks ass for the dirt and the street. you might be able to clear a 4.75-18 or a 5.00-18. find a narly nobby tire for it but they will not work on the street .... not even aproved for the street and i can tell you that nobbies are down right dangerous on the street (got more road rash from riding dirt bikes on the street when I was 14 than anything else) and for dirt bikes (as long as you stay off the pavement) a cheap tire is as good as an expensive tire, specially on the 250. I wouldn't change size on the front tire. you can't really change the tire diameter without changing the rear sprocket (like changing axle ratio) and a 21 is all that will fit on the front.

 

[AngloSaxon]

Right, This bike will never see the street, and I need something that will have a good bite, the problem is, what are the metric equivalence size of 3.00-21 and 4.60-18? or the closes thing to it? Since the only tires that I can find are in mm.

 

[Ozwynn]

ok I am guessing that a 3.00-21 is a 80/100-21

and looks like something close to a 130/80-18 replaces the 4.50-18 and the 4.75-18

looks like 140/80-18 is a 5.00-18........

ofcourse I could be wrong. I could not find a cross over chart and an guessing by the fact when i priced tires and it asked for the size, some brands (all were meteric) had the standard sizes next to the metric sizes..... so thats what I'm using to cross.

 

[milje]

What kind of terrain are you riding? I have a Pirelli MT16 on the back of my XR400, I love it. Works in the rocks, somewhat well in the sand (not great, but it's doable), haven't tried any deep mud, but muddy trails are pretty good.

I'm running a MT32 on the front (not made anymore though), and it seems pretty good. I've never had a good front tire before, so I can't compare it to any other ones.


On a XL250, I wouldn't want to go too much wider than stock on the back, the engine will have a hard time spinning it. I went with as close to stock as I could on my 400 (which is modded a bit) because I wanted to be able to get power to the back tire. With the right tire pressure you'll still have plenty of traction with a narrower tire.


You might want to check thumpertalk.com, Dwight Rudder (moderator for the "Offroad Riding Tech" forum) knows a lot. He's also a big fan of the MT16 (he's the one that turned me onto it).

 

[AngloSaxon]

I ride mostly on hard dirt trails with some mud, and 50/50 do o.k. but there are some spots where they will not go.

I've heard good things about the Mt16, and most likely will go with these.
The only sizes I see are the 80/100-21 and 110/100-18, are they a close match to 3.00-21 and 4.60-18?

Thanks

 

[Ozwynn]

the 110/100-18 would be around 4.00-18. from what i can find the 80/100-21 IS a 3.00-21

 

[AngloSaxon]

The Only other size they sell is 120/100-18, I know I sound like a broken record, but will I be o.k. with that?

Thanks

 

[Ozwynn]

yeah, thats close enough

 

[AngloSaxon]

I'll run with that, Thanks for the help

 

[motocross]

i would say if its a pretty tight budget to get the hardest tires you can get so they dont where out michelin makes good tires, my friends dad pays for all of his stuff so he gets new tires every 2 weeks, mine have to last awhile so i just get hard tires, usually cheap tires will get worn out easier, i ride a 2004 RM 125