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Radial tires for 16x3 Hallcraft wheels?

Pete

Pete

Member
I need new tires and am considering switching over to radials. Currently I have 15x10 Truespoke rears with Pro-Trac N50-15 tires (they look brand new, but were manufactured in 1993 :eek:) and 16x3 Hallcraft fronts with Cheng Shin 5.10-16 tires (from 2008). While I have found options for rear radials (e.g., MT Sportsmans or Hoosiers) I can't find radials for the front. I want to keep the spoke wheels because I really like the look. Any suggestions/recommendations for front radials? If I can't find ones for the front, how bad would it be to run bias fronts with radial rears? This car will be driven primarily in the city, although I'll be on the highway occasionally for regional events.
 
Pete said:
If I can't find ones for the front, how bad would it be to run bias fronts with radial rears?
Click to expand...

There are a whole lot of people doing just that.
 
Pete said:
Those appear to be bias ply tires. While I have found bias ply motorcycle tire options, I haven't found any radial ones that will fit my wheels.
Click to expand...

Thanks, 409T, for the info. Any recommendations for radial-rear/bias-front combos that have worked well for others?
 
mountainman said:
Possibility???

Tires for motorcycle Metzeler - Choose your best tire for track, road, touring, custom, offroad, enduro, scooter - ME 888 Marathon Ultra
Click to expand...

I took a look at the Metzeler tires but they don't make radials in a small enough size to fit my narrow wheels. I searched other tire manufacturers again with the same result; no one appears to make radials to fit my wheels. I guess it's time to give up on radials for the front and just go with bias ply tires.

hulkamania said:
In the past we used Dayton wire wheels and the size was a 16 inch x 3.5 inch wire spoke wheel. We used a 130/90H-16 motorcycle tire. I believe the brand we used was a Michelin Commander series 130/90H-16 black wall tire. It has a load rating of 803lbs. Most other tires are rated for 675 lbs.
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Thanks for this recommendation. I checked out Michelin Commander II 130/90H-16 tires earlier when I first was considering bias ply replacement tires. Now that I've given up on front radials, I am back to considering those Michelins. Another plus is that they are rated for use on tube-type wheels like my Hallcrafts. Given the differing characteristics of front versus rear motorcycle tires, I'm not sure which would be best to run on the front of a T-bucket. Did you put front or rear Commanders on your Dayton wheels?
 
Pete said:
I took a look at the Metzeler tires but they don't make radials in a small enough size to fit my narrow wheels. I searched other tire manufacturers again with the same result; no one appears to make radials to fit my wheels. I guess it's time to give up on radials for the front and just go with bias ply tires.



Thanks for this recommendation. I checked out Michelin Commander II 130/90H-16 tires earlier when I first was considering bias ply replacement tires. Now that I've given up on front radials, I am back to considering those Michelins. Another plus is that they are rated for use on tube-type wheels like my Hallcrafts. Given the differing characteristics of front versus rear motorcycle tires, I'm not sure which would be best to run on the front of a T-bucket. Did you put front or rear Commanders on your Dayton wheels?
Click to expand...
What about Coker tires? I thought they made radials in the old style and sizes specifically for hot rods and classics.
 
Pete said:
I took a look at the Metzeler tires but they don't make radials in a small enough size to fit my narrow wheels. I searched other tire manufacturers again with the same result; no one appears to make radials to fit my wheels. I guess it's time to give up on radials for the front and just go with bias ply tires. /QUOTE]
Click to expand...

The 130/90 in the link I listed is a new radial and will fit a 3" rim (according to several charts).
 
mountainman said:
The 130/90 in the link I listed is a new radial and will fit a 3" rim (according to several charts).
Click to expand...

While some sizes of the Metzeler 888 are available in a radial, most are bias ply. I checked numerous sites for the 130/90-16 size and some indicated it is a bias (reinforced) tire while others (including Metzeler's) didn't specify either way. I just called a local motorcycle shop that carries Metzeler tires and they confirmed that the 130/90 is a bias ply - they stated that unless the size is specifically labelled as radial (i.e., 130/90R16) that it will be a bias ply tire. I have limited experience with motorcycle tires, but I am very surprised to find that tire models listed as radials are available only for some sizes, while the rest of the sizes will be bias ply (or bias reinforced).

The motorcycle shop is checking to see if they can find a radial in my size. I'll post the results either way.
 
fletcherson said:
What about Coker tires? I thought they made radials in the old style and sizes specifically for hot rods and classics.
Click to expand...

While Coker does make a variety of tires for hot rods and classics, they don't tires that will fit my motorcycle rims.
 
choppedtop said:
The ME888 Marathon is a steel belted radial. 130/90/16. Tires for motorcycle Metzeler - Choose your best tire for track, road, touring, custom, offroad, enduro, scooter - ME 888 Marathon Ultra
Click to expand...
As you noted, the Metzeler ME 888 Marathon Ultra tires are described as steel belted radial tires under the general description. But if you click on the "All Size" tab in the "Dimensions" section you will see that some of the sizes include an "R" for radial (e.g., 180/60 R 16 M/C 74H TL), some include a "B" for bias ply (e.g., 130/80 B 17 M/C 65H TL), and some include a "B" with "reinf" for bias ply reinforced (e.g., 130/90 B 16 M/C 73H REINF TL, a rear tire). Some also include none of the above (e.g., 130/90 - 16 M/C 67H TL, a front tire) which is the same model/size as the previous example; I was told by the dealer that sizes with no designation are bias ply tires. This information is echoed by J&P Cycles' website which indicates that the Metzeler ME 888 Marathon Ultra front tire in size 130/90 - 16 M/C 67H TL is a bias ply tire:

Metzeler ME 888 130/90-16 Front Tire | 693-173

This is what I meant in my earlier post that not all of the sizes available for a "radial" motorcycle tire will actually be radial tires; it seems that only the larger tires are available as radials while the smaller/skinnier ones of the same model are bias ply. I wasn't aware that motorcycle tires were manufactured and marketed this way. This has made tracking down a skinny radial motorcycle tire very confusing and time-consuming for me. :confused::confused::confused:
 
I have Bridgestone 3.50 x 18 tires on Radir 3 x 18 wheels.
 
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