wide tires

what is the best way to put a fatter tire on a shaft drive xj? i have an xj 900 that has been bobbed, cut, mutilated....ect, you get the point. it needs a wider rubber in the back to finish the look. any help would br greatly thanked

 

Are you running a 120 at the moment?
Someone said they had fitted a 130, but I bet that is not the chunky look you want.
RickCoMatic has had experts look at it & it can't practically be done.

 

whats the widest tire you can put on a stock front rim ?

 

Yeah...tough one... I just replaced my tire with a stock size tire and the "Yokahama" tire had thick raised letters on it and they barely miss the shaft.

I think this is why so many that do a bob project switch out to a chain.

Godd luck! perhaps someone else knows how to get this accomplished.

Rob

 

YEA! Not even a lot fatter just a little :wink: ...

skillet

 

I'm running a bare shaft and can get a 150 on the rear

 

Checked out your gallery, can't get much from that, can you post a close up of that shaft mod'?

 

have a look at my build thread "crashed" you might get a better idea there

 

Where do I find that, Joe?

 

Click on his profile and then look at his topics.

 

That's a bit sneaky, Taff, like someone is going to go to all that trouble to fit a wider bowler.

 

I've read thet if you notch the drive shaft tunnel, you can run up to 150s. Practically speaking the taller tire would have the best straight line traction and the largest footprint, L E N G T H W I S E, In bicycle racng we can dish the rim (change the center-line) to get more clearance but I don't think that is very feasible as you"d have to use a wire wheel.

 

Switch out to a chain?

 

that caught my eye

its not really easily possible to do that...

and nice to see u on here kevin...

 

I actually saw one a few years back. I guess it was a nightmare but the guy had a boatload of parts bikes and somehow made it work.

Rob

 

I've got a 130 on with a little room to spare on my Maxim 650 with no shaft mods. I may be picking up another, and I'll probably be stretching the rear end, so shaft mods are gonna be part of the equation anyway. Gonna try to fit a 150 on there. The 130 doesn't look bad though.

 

got any pics of the rear tire in place so i can see fitment????

 

Check out my gallery, I might have one pic that shows it pretty good that I should upload though. I'm running out the door right now, I'll post it up here later.

 

Trike it and run two "steamrollers" :lol:

 

Bike looks awesome! Love the seat and bars... I need to get me a second maxim to experiment with I like the stock look but these bikes are a perfect candidate for custom work.

Rob

 

I just uploaded this pic. Shows the 130 rear tire pretty well, as well as a shot of the bottom frame tube without the mufflers in the way (I got a request for such a pic). Hope that helps!


I cannibalized the old shock for it's bushing and mounting hoop, removed the bushing, welded the hoop to the bottom of the tube, let it cool, reinstalled the bushing, and bolted it up to the gearbox.

 

im gonn have to get smaller rims. my 900 has 18's and the smaller 16 and 17 look better in the back. thanks for the pic 650

 

no prob

 

You sure it wasn't a 550 that was "switched out" to a chain?

 

Will the rim take a 150??? I do hope so

 

Hey all!

New user here I bought an unfinished '89 XJ900 chop a couple months ago and have been working on her since.

I'm getting really happy with her but the ride really needs different tires than the stock 100/90 and 120/90s.

From reading here, am I right in thinking I can get away with V rated tires at the following sizes?

front: 110/80-18 rear: 130/70-18

If so I'll order a set

Cheers!
James

 

I think so. Only one real way to find out though! Has any body else done it yet? I'll most likely be putting a 150 tire on my XS, which has the same rim dimensions, so I'll find out soon enough.

 

650Rigid, make sure and let us know how it goes. I also like the "look" of a fatter tire on the front, myself...

skillet

 

No doubt, I like that look too. I think That look is better pulled off the the front and rear wheel diameters are a closer match though, like within an inch. I saw a thread somewhere where a guy was modifying a rear wheel to work on the front so he could put a fat, short tire on the front. Pretty cool stuff, I wish I remembered where I was that.

I probably won't be finding out firsthand how the 150 tire fits on a stock 16" wheel until late spring/early summer though, and even then, it won't be on an XJ, so I won't be able to say if it would clear the shaft or not, but I'm betting on it not clearing considering how close I cut it with the 130.

 

I converted mine with a kit from a guy on the viragotech forum, He makes a billet adapter to bolt onto the drive side of the rear rim to place a disc brake in that location and comes with a drum filler cover. I am gonna run a 120/80 16 on front and a 130/90 16 on back. I am just finishing mock up and was going to start a thread when I am done.

 

AH, yes, that is where I saw the thread. Thanks.

 

The way 650Rigid explained it was what I was trying to say (THANKS :wink: ) and now you're going through with it. Be sure and post pics!!!

skillet

 

Tried to use my computer's search engine to find the pics I saw. Was looking for modified shaft drive swing arms and stumbled across this guy in Quebec on a KZ1300 Kawi, it's somewhere in KZ1300.com and he had a bunch of pics from mock up to finish. The swing arm was extended and had 2 universal joints to get around a modified corvette rim that he machined the KZ hub into. This was a serious swing arm! Still going to try and find the pictures.

 

KZ1300.com/canada 79' KZ1300 modified, owned by member Sylvain Boilard of Repentigny Quebec Canada. He speaks French so we don't communicate very well, but we sure like his bike so we'll forgive his other indiscretions. Like taking a perfectly good swingarm & making it longer. And then making custom wheels & a mono-shock setup to further improve the 1/4 mile capabilities. And what's that monster wheel laying on the floor there with the 1300 rear end attached to the side of it? You're not serious about..., is that a supercharger hanging off the right side of the engine? I thought this was a quarter mile bike. Why do you have that license plate on it? Surely you wouldn't run this thing down the street? Now we're really confused! Jeez! Where did you come up with that color? Is this guy got style or what? I like the way he thinks! Why don't we have more riders like this? Now here's a guy that appreciates a REAL motorcycle. We love you Sylvain!! Sorry about the language thing, but you're doing great!! Can you build me one in red, white, & blue??

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UPDATE! He sent me some text via a friend of his that translates English for him:

Hi David.

Let me explain the modifications I have made on my bike.

First on all I have this bike for 18 years and it has 185,000 km on it. Yes, I drive this bike on the road and I have had no problems whatsoever. You can see my 6 into one exhaust system that I have made myself. It sounds really great. All modifications made to this bike have been hand made by me. The fairing come from a 1986 FJ1200. The wheels come from a ZX7. The front wheel fits “bolts on” with wheel bearings from a Katana 1100. The rear wheel, a 5.5 inch is from a ZX7 and has been soldered into a wheel from a 1300 to keep the drive shaft. I have cut the frame in front to give it a better angle, and the front wheel is pushed forward by 4 inches. The swingarm is longer by 8 inches and I added a mono-shock from a 1986 Ninja 1000. The suspension is incredible. I added a radiator from a 1986 Ninja 600. You can imagine what a 1300cc would be in traffic on a hot day. With 2 radiators and 2 fans...no problem. Think of Laconia for example. I went to Laconia with this bike from 1986 to 1995.

I installed a hydraulic clutch from a Ninja 900. The pedals and shifters have been pulled back, the seat has been cut so the driving position is incredible. The are two Pro Comp auto meter gages on the handlebars, one for temperature and the other one for oil pressure. The belt you see on the side really freaks people out. As you might know, the 1300 model has a problem with electrical charge, that’s why I installed an alternator (generator) from a FJ1100. I installed that in 1987 and it works like a charm. The battery always shows full charge even at idle with the two fans on. A 1300 won’t always start properly when hot, because the starter needs too much Amperes. I installed a starter from a ZX6 with permanent magnets. The result is unbelievable.

I saw a lot of people looking for coils from a 1300 on sites on the internet. I also had an ignition problem. It is very important not to have any leaks in the electrical system. You can install a relay from the battery to the coil to obtain maximum voltage, but I found the solution: I got rid of the 3 coils from the 1300, and I installed a coil pack from a Chevrolet Malibu with a 3100 engine. The coil pack is compatible with the ignition box, and you give a 0.060 gap on the sparkplugs. The engine gives excellent performance. The engine starts when you show it the key. The engine is also more economical on fuel consumption. You can buy the coil pack at a scrap yard for nearly nothing.

The intake cam has also been altered. I have given it one “tooth” advance. This boosts the compression and torque. This bike is 22 years old and has 185,000 km on it and it feel like it’s brand new. I am flattered that you put my bike on your site.

I almost forgot “the wheel on the floor”. Another crazy project, but that’s the way I like them. That is a rear mag from a 1998 Corvette, 9.5 X 18 that I have machined with a wheel center from a KZ 1300. I will put two universal joints from a 1300, and it will fit like a glove, “bolts on” with a 280 tire. Yes, you heard right, a 280!!!!

If you wish I can send you a lot more photos of my bike. I was happy to learn I was not the only 1300 nut on this planet. Here in Québec you can see a few 1300’s once in a while. It took time to answer because my translator was not available until today. That’s about it. My email address is: greenmachine1300@yahoo.fr

Best regards, Sylvain...

Here's the latest images 6-17-02

These were earlier images as he was working on the Corvette wheel fabrication and the following were the finished project -

 

I was thinking of doing this as well with the driveshaft and u-joints. The first time I saw it done was on a Moto Guzzi 1100 shaftie, I have a buddy that is an awesome welder and will assist with the mods. I am looking to install a SV650 rear wheel on mine as I have the SV650 front nearly ready to go on. I have an extra swingarm and wheel to take to machine shop to get the depth right on the sprocket hub to run the shaft drive on the Suzuki wheel. I will take pics as it goes.