Rear tire size?

[jamiep24]

I've seen this before and would probably spend several hours looking it up on past threads. What size rear tire do I need to buy to 'almost correct' the speedometer? (Those stock 170/70/16s aren't the easiest size to find, either). And lastly, the best place to buy MC tires online? Thanks, Jamie

[dandolfn]

I've got the 180/70-16 Avon Cobra for my rear tire (150/80-16 on the front).

It gets the speedometer fairly close to accurate. I checked it against my GPS when I first got the tires.

Let me put it this way, it was close enough that I don't worry any more about how far off I am.

The independent shop I go to is a dealer for Avon, so I just ordered the tires from him. He charged me $65 to install the rear and $45 to install the front.

[poppy]

i can't help with the sizing you request but check cycle gear for tires....they usually have some on sale.

http://www.cyclegear.com/productlist..._Cruiser_Tires

[bigdave]

I ran a 180/70-16 elite 3 got it at dennis kirk

[dougster]

jakewilson.com has some pretty good pricing and shipping prices.

[Cajunrider]

Doug, I bought my Avon Cobras from Motoxoutlet.com
Best price that I could find on the web and fast reasonable shipping. Link is below.


http://www.motoxoutlet.com/index.asp...&ProdID=498818

[wheelie]

180/70R 16 ME880 gets the speedo pretty durn close to correct

[billmac]

I got my tire cheap from Ron Ayers for about $175 with shipping. It is a 180/75/16 Metzler 880. It made the speedometer just about right. I understand this is the stock tire for the Gold Wing.

That said I dont care for the tire. It has a tread vibration when I lean the bike, either left or right.

My next rear tire is going to be a car tire. 195/60/16 My speedometer will be off again but it should be a smooth ride.

[macmac]

Bill, If there is such a tire as 195/65 it might get closer..

Since 10% of anything is easy to work with I kinda like staying there so I can do a little math and be in speeds where a reasonable cop won't bother me.

All speedos are off thru out the industry. The cops know this and can use it against you.... I am talking trucks and cars too....

[nomad561]

Would a 195/65/16 CT correct the speedo?

[landman]

i went with the 160/80-16 dunlop e-3 on the rear which helped
with the speedo error but still displays about a 5% error
according to my gps.

[macmac]

Anything taller than stock will assist in curing speedo error, BUT then the next problem is that messes up the odometer, and you can't have both.

Bob Yellow Jacket can and has explained that else where.

I brought elsewhere here in Bob's quote. he says it better than I can, which he does often.

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

The speed sensor sends a single oscillating signal to the speedometer unit. The circuitry inside the unit distributes this signal to both the speedometer and the odometer.

You can vary the signal from the speed sensor by altering the size of the tire or by utilizing an electronic device such as the SpeedoHealer.

Unfortunately the speedometer is approximately 10% fast and the odometer is approximately 3% fast from the factory.

What this means is that you can never get both the speedometer and the odometer to be in sync.

The only way it could be done is to modify the circuitry in the speedometer unit. That would be a very expensive, if not impossible undertaking.

[markusmaximus]

Originally Posted by macmac

Bill, If there is such a tire as 195/65 it might get closer..

Let me get this straight. Adding a slightly taller tire will help correct the speedo. So, a stock tire (170/70) has 119mm tire height, a 180/70 has 126mm tire height and the afore-mentioned 195/65 has 126.75mm tire height. I'm running a 160/80 E3 with 128mm height. Is there an ideal tire height for a 16" tire to correct the speedo? (and yes, I'm aware that the odo and speedo cannot both be in sync).

I haven't tested my Dunlops with my GPS yet. I'll know more soon.

[oldbikers]

Jamie I just use my GPS and don't worry about the speedometer
I have had good luck with www.tirerack.com as far as price for tires.

[blowndodge]

Originally Posted by macmac

Anything taller than stock will assist in curing speedo error, BUT then the next problem is that messes up the odometer, and you can't have both.

Bob Yellow Jacket can and has explained that else where.

I brought elsewhere here in Bob's quote. he says it better than I can, which he does often.

Actually you can have both but its a little of a compromise.

Bob is correct in that the sensor handles both distance and MPH. What you would have to do is buy a tire like a 180/70 or 195/65 or 160/80 tire. All 3 of those tires get the "mileage" about right on the money. Now the residual speedometer error, about 4-5% with the above mentioned tires.

If one purchases a Speedo Healer you'd need to do the following: Calibrate it for the speedometer error. This of course would put the odometer off again right?! The wiring of the Speedo Healer plugs into the sensor in series like the TFI module does the injectors. There are multiple wires in the factory harness and the SpeedoHealer. Both are run by the correct "one sensor" as Bob pointed out.

One would need to use the color wire (not sure which one) that sends the signal to the odometer. In other words 2 of the wires in the factory harness and of course the SpeedoHealer control the odometer and speedometer. You'd need to take a "bypass" around the SpeedoHealer that controls the odometer and "jump" it around the SpeedoHealer. The signal from the sensor is then routed around the SpeedoHealer and since it is taking the path of least resistance would be sending the correct odometer signal to the odometer. Thus you could have both but this is the only way I have figured out a solution.