BarelyAWake
New Member
Ooph! Glad yer ok & that it wasn't the front wheel man O.O
High speed tires
- Thread starter joabthebugman
- Start date
I don't know if this is possible, but it would be interesting to see some close-up photos showing exactly what part of the tire failed. Did the bead break? Did the sidewall rip?
When I look at those photos, I see that the tire tread is folded over to the RIGHT side, meaning that the left side let go for some reason..... and the left side is the side that the engine chain runs on. I would tend to suspect some cause related to that, but the bead might have simply broken on its own.
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biknut
Well-Known Member
I guess I need to point out the obvious. It's not a smart idea to run bicycle tires on a motor bicycle at 45 mph for extended periods.
Yes it may be true that some bicycles do 60 mph, but those bicycles weigh 20 lbs or less in most cases. Riders that typically ride that fast are themselves usually light weights. My motor bicycle weighs in at close to 60 lbs fully gassed, and any motor bicycle that regularly sees 45 mph better weigh at least that much if it's expected to stay in one piece more than a day.
I doubt any bicycle tires are designed to go that fast, carrying that much weight for long. Anyone desiring to go that fast would be doing themselves a favor buying a moped or motorcycle with tires designed to go that fast.
Having an accident and getting hurt on the street at those kind speeds won't be doing the rest of us, or our sport any good. Just because you have the capability to do something doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it.
Yes it may be true that some bicycles do 60 mph, but those bicycles weigh 20 lbs or less in most cases. Riders that typically ride that fast are themselves usually light weights. My motor bicycle weighs in at close to 60 lbs fully gassed, and any motor bicycle that regularly sees 45 mph better weigh at least that much if it's expected to stay in one piece more than a day.
I doubt any bicycle tires are designed to go that fast, carrying that much weight for long. Anyone desiring to go that fast would be doing themselves a favor buying a moped or motorcycle with tires designed to go that fast.
Having an accident and getting hurt on the street at those kind speeds won't be doing the rest of us, or our sport any good. Just because you have the capability to do something doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it.
Dave31
Active Member
Sorry guys I should have posted more info...
That is not my bike that is http://motorbicycling.com/members/easy-rider/ bike and tire failure.
I just thought you guys would like to see that.
If I remember right it blew out on him during a race, but I don't remember why it blew out.
That is not my bike that is http://motorbicycling.com/members/easy-rider/ bike and tire failure.
I just thought you guys would like to see that.
If I remember right it blew out on him during a race, but I don't remember why it blew out.
bairdco
a guy who makes cool bikes
i run Kenda Kiniption's on all my bikes. on my fastest bike (45+mph) i run 24x2.3's. the rear tire lasts about 5 or 6 hundred miles, and i've never had any flats or blowouts. i run that bike at WOT all day. i rode from Costa Mesa to Long Beach, down Pacific Coast Highway, where the stop lights are spread at least a mile apart in some sections, at top speed, non-stop, for 35 miles. if i woulda had a heat related blow-out, that woulda been a good place for it.
the only bicycle tires i've ever "blown-out" were on old vintage bikes with dried out tires, that shoulda been replaced, but i wanted to keep the bike original. i would never use those on a motor-bike.
a blow-out is unlikely. the biggest problem would be just picking up a nail or something and getting a puncture at speed. if the tire went flat rapidly and you were doing 45, the speed of the bike would destroy the tire, and might take you down with it.
i was looking into DOT tires, and checking out sites like Coker Tire and a few others, because they made antique motorcycles with the same sizes as bicycles. despite the outrageous prices ($200+ per tire) most of them don't show any load ratings or speed ratings.
i have heard a few horror stories about antique motorcycles losing a tire, but that was mostly due to the problems with fitment. back in the old days of motorcycles, there wasn't the technology to make a tire fit a rim like there is today.
a good rule of thumb for tires (and most everything) is the cheaper the price, the cheaper the tire.
tires like Duro's and any other tire that costs 10 bucks each aren't gonna be very good tires. i had some Duro's that came on a bike i bought and they weren't even round. they hopped up and down like crazy.
when i look for tires, if you go to the various websites, you can get a lot of good info about tire construction. most will tell you straight out what the tire is good for, how stiff they are, what they're made out of, etc.
you just need to relate it to a heavy duty bike. if a tire says it's ultra-lightweight, foldable, and used on hi-end road bikes, chances are it ain't gonna be the right tire for a 75lb whizzer.
Whizzers have been around forever, and they've used bike tires all this time. a good brand name tire and a thorn-resistant innertube is all you should need.
here's a Kenda Kiniption. it's got a cool round-y look to it:
the only bicycle tires i've ever "blown-out" were on old vintage bikes with dried out tires, that shoulda been replaced, but i wanted to keep the bike original. i would never use those on a motor-bike.
a blow-out is unlikely. the biggest problem would be just picking up a nail or something and getting a puncture at speed. if the tire went flat rapidly and you were doing 45, the speed of the bike would destroy the tire, and might take you down with it.
i was looking into DOT tires, and checking out sites like Coker Tire and a few others, because they made antique motorcycles with the same sizes as bicycles. despite the outrageous prices ($200+ per tire) most of them don't show any load ratings or speed ratings.
i have heard a few horror stories about antique motorcycles losing a tire, but that was mostly due to the problems with fitment. back in the old days of motorcycles, there wasn't the technology to make a tire fit a rim like there is today.
a good rule of thumb for tires (and most everything) is the cheaper the price, the cheaper the tire.
tires like Duro's and any other tire that costs 10 bucks each aren't gonna be very good tires. i had some Duro's that came on a bike i bought and they weren't even round. they hopped up and down like crazy.
when i look for tires, if you go to the various websites, you can get a lot of good info about tire construction. most will tell you straight out what the tire is good for, how stiff they are, what they're made out of, etc.
you just need to relate it to a heavy duty bike. if a tire says it's ultra-lightweight, foldable, and used on hi-end road bikes, chances are it ain't gonna be the right tire for a 75lb whizzer.
Whizzers have been around forever, and they've used bike tires all this time. a good brand name tire and a thorn-resistant innertube is all you should need.
here's a Kenda Kiniption. it's got a cool round-y look to it:
Nashville Kat
Well-Known Member
$200 per tire!????
Now tell me the oil companies aren't fixing prices on EVERYTHING.
Now tell me the oil companies aren't fixing prices on EVERYTHING.
The vintage-repro motorcycle tires that Coker sells will not fit on modern bicycle rims at all.
The load ratings are copied here:
The Vintagent: 'BEADED EDGE' TIRES AND SAFETY
Note that traditionally, cotton-cord-edged tires are termed "beaded" and steel-wire-edged tires are termed "straight-sided" or "wired".
Cars were using steel-wired tires as early as 1915, but I am not certain when motorcycles switched over.
Cotton-beaded tires were not really that much of a problem for the motorcycles they were on, since roads were so poor that you really couldn't go fast anyway. Before the mid-1930's the few main streets in a town would be mortared brick, the secondary streets and major highways would be gravel and all the country roads would be dirt. The Depression began in 1929, and many of the public works projects initiated were building improved asphalt roads.
The board-track racing motorcycles did use cotton-bead tires, but they also used bead-locking attachments to help prevent tires stretching off the rims.
Yea, but,,,,,,,, Coker and other vintage-repro tire manufacturers still make them with cotton rope beads, since the beads need to be able to stretch for you to get them on the real-actual-vintage rims that they fit on. You could not fit the same tires onto the rims if the tires were made with steel-wire beads. You cannot use those tires without facing that risk.
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Goat Herder
Gutter Rider
I have looked at these a few times .. Was looking for a rear wheel that would not go bald in a hurry and did not like the choices of slicks that I kept finding.
http://store.cokertire.com/26x2-50-simplex-cycle-blackwall-tire.html
http://store.cokertire.com/26x3-simplex-cycle-blackwall-tire.html
Got these from this page..
http://store.cokertire.com/tire-brands/motorcycle-bike.html?adjclear=true&limit=all
These sizes are not a industry standard?
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They are a vintage size, which might not mount on any motorcycle or bicycle rim of today.
The ONLY tire I've ever seen Coker say would fit on modern bicycle rims,,, was the 26"/559 ISO red Goodrich Silvertowns they were selling for a few years.
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Huh,,,,,, when did Coker start selling the "NON-SKID" Firestone tires? I looked around on Coker a year or two ago and never saw them.
That was the first bicycle tire tread design I was planning on making.....
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Mind_Reader7
New Member
I could do it with enough money. Really isn't that hard, but money is an issue.
Venice Motor Bikes
Custom Builder / Dealer/Los Angeles
WildAlaskan
New Member
wouldnt a shift kit make acheiving 45 that much easier
BarelyAWake
New Member
A shift kit won't help ya rev out yer final, it'll get ya there quicker tho 
WildAlaskan
New Member
i beleive a shift kit with a motor that has been cleaned up inside adjusted port timming a tuned expansion chamber maybe a higher compression head and a better carb can acheive fort five
and of course a bike and tires worthy of such speed
i would never go that fast with out a helmet
and of course a bike and tires worthy of such speed
i would never go that fast with out a helmet
joabthebugman
New Member
Or you just start with a 70 or 90 cc ATV engine and build the bike up to the engine
WildAlaskan
New Member
i asumme you mean engine and transmission
joabthebugman
New Member
Yes
In Florida anything less than 100cc is not a motorcycle and anything that goes faster than 30 is not a moped
So I might as well push it as far as I can and maybe even just eliminate the pedals all together
In Florida anything less than 100cc is not a motorcycle and anything that goes faster than 30 is not a moped
So I might as well push it as far as I can and maybe even just eliminate the pedals all together
C.C. Flyer
New Member
I have been researching hi speed tires for a project I"m working on. Coker tire has one motorcycle tire of the 26" size. I am combining heavy duty metal rims, tube liners, and thorn proof tubes. This seem like it should work over 50 plus mph. I have had bicycle tire up to 50 mph, and had no failures. The problem I had was the bicycle tires collapsed all the way to the rims on bumpy roads. Nothing like hearing your rims "sing" while racing along!
It is important to note that Coker makes a bunch of vintage-style tires with bead types that will not work on modern bicycle or motorcycle rims.
You can get reproduction motorcycle rims too of course (and the tires will certainly fit on those properly) but that's more $$$ and a lot more rotating weight. Using moped or motorcycle wheels usually includes using the moped/motorcycle brakes also, since they are WAY stronger than bicycle brakes.
That seems more like a problem of suspension rather than the tires themselves.
A motorized bicycle meant for high speeds would need a very strong frame with proper full-suspension, that has actual fluid dampening.
I don't think you'd need special tires really... There's people who ride MTBs down alpine ski runs in the summer and regularly hit 80+ MPH speeds. It's always possible that a tire can fail due to some slight manufacturing defect--but for the most part, they don't.