Hi,I have a little 81' CB125S w/ an XR185 engine and I'm looking for small,quality 18" tires for my bike. I have upgraded and installed a rear wheel from a 1977' CT125 which rim measures 18x1.85(the stock rear wheel for my bike was 17x1.60 with a 3.00x17" tire) and it works very well.I have done this rear wheel swap mostly for gearing purposes plus 18" rear tires are more common in this '3.00' width size than the 17" stock.I've been running a cheap P-rated.. rear tire(IRC NR21 3.00x18")back there which doesn't feel very confident under me as I weigh about 16 Stone now and should be 14+ Stone(ideally 200lbs.)plus I have a strong rack with Krauser hardbags and regularly carry luggage.I have a ContiGo 2.75x18" front tire and really enjoy the feel and longevity of it.I have looked for a ContiGo 3.00x18" tire for the rear(even the 2.75x18 has become Not Available here..)and Can Not find it.I can order from the U.K. but shipping Is expensive and I am on a very fixed income as I'm in my 'young 60's and SS is my only means of support.I don't want to run the IRC NR21 rear tire anymore as it's a cheap tire and gives me no safety margin.I picked up a roofing nail a month ago and the tire dismounted from the rim when it lost pressure(the sidewalls are very thin)but I was safely able to slowly maneuver/push-it back to my residence in town:I'm glad it didn't lose pressure at speed ! I have been looking online at what could be available for small 18" tires.. it seems the 90/90x18 rear is more available here in the States than 3.00 or 2.75 by 18".The thing is,I Really like the ContiGo 2.75 fr. and 3.00 Rr. but unless anyone knows of a special deal somewhere for a vintage Honda CB175 pair of ContiGo tires as a set(2.75x18 fr. 3.00x18 rr. stock)then it seems a bit of a challenge to locate a 90/90x18 rear with at least an S-Rating which will be stiffer sidewalls.I have had an Avon AM26 RoadRider 90/90V18 rear tire on it back in 2016' and was pleased with how it worked along with my ContiGo 2.75x18" tire.This bike is lightweight at 200+ lbs. and I want to have it continue to handle great which means I want to stay with the stock size front tire of 2.75x18 on my 1.60x18" rim.The rear can either have a 3.00 or 90/90,which ever I can find in the Great Big USA. thanks,Bill
Plenty of 90/90-18 choices: https://www.americanmototire.com/search-results/?q=90/90-18 I really like BT-45 for street-bikes. Got over 16k-miles out of my last one.
The thing I'm really hoping is to find the 3.00 x 18" (or 3.25 !) good quality rear tire.That size is best for my overall gearing
This is obviously in Australia but theres a few rear/universal 3.00-18s made ... might help to search one there https://www.motorcycletyrewarehouse.com.au/300-18
Yeah, look at bottom of page on my link. Or directly here: https://www.americanmototire.com/st...attlax-bt45-90-90-18-51h-front-066117-mc.html If you want stiff sidewalls, use the Kenda K671 heavy-duty tyre: https://www.americanmototire.com/st...-k671-90-90h-18-51h-front-046711808c1-mc.html They're both same as 3.00x18. Just uses imperial instead of metric measurements.
Tread pattern is directional, would just need to flip it for use on rear. well darn, they're sold out of both Kenda and BT-45s! Looks like there's two Avon models that's useable front/rear.