Subject: Re: Wheels and Tires
Author: Charles Mullendore
Date: Mar 4, 2001, 10:29 PM
Post ID: 1705720759
Hi Tom,
Continental's "Blitz" TKH23 110/90-18 front and TKH24 120/90-18 rear is a
great combination. Good longevity, excellent traction wet or dry, slightly
slow (but very predictable) handling and best of all - low cost! Right now
M.A.W. has them for $52 front and $59 rear. Conti's "Touring" TK17 could be
substituted on the rear for even greater (theoretical) longevity. Works very
well with the TKH23 front and doesn't cost much more, currently $65 at
M.A.W. I've never tried a 100/90-18 front, but may when I build a more
sporting Ambassador. I like the slow steering and straight line stability of
the wider tire on a touring bike - it doesn't seem to suffer any when the
road starts doing the twist either. One word of caution about M.A.W. - they
are a little slow on delivery. Usually takes at least 10 business days, plan
ahead. My $.02 worth. :-) Cheers,
Charlie
3 Ambos
Tom Bowes wrote:
| --- Sponsor's Message -------------------------------------- Wanna Throw That PC Out the Window? Not yet. First, check our technology forum for help. http://click.topica.com/aaaa4Ob1dfltb1rVuAa/rebootmypc ------------------------------------------------------------ I got around to removing the old tires off of the rims for the Ambo yesterday in preparation for cleanup and polishing of the wheels. The front tire was a 4.00x18, but the rear was a whopper, 5.40x18. Don't know what the previous owner was thinking as the tire obviously rubbed on darn near everything around the front of the swing arm. It was probably the reason the guy blew out the clutch on the bike since the tire was doubling as a brake. Anyway, much to my chagrin, both wheels have plated, not stainless, spokes. (Must have been old V7 stock that got used up on the early Ambos.) Unfortunately, a fair number of the spokes are very corroded and will need replacing. I am thinking about replacing all of the spokes with stainless ones and would like any opinions as to whether I am better off to go with Buchanan's or with Guzzi OEM's. The rear rim is kinda' spread apart in a couple of places, but is not cracked. What do you think, time to get out the plastic mallet and do some fine tuning, or is it time to go shopping for a new (and possibly wider) rim? I take it that most folks are running 110/90-18's these days, as the old 4.00x18 size is hard to find. Any thoughts as to front and rear tire combinations that will give good performance in the long distance touring mode? I was pondering going with a 100/90-18 on the front in order to help the braking and handling a bit. Tom '70 Ambassador '82 V50-III Shelby Township, Michigan ____________________________________________________________ T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01 |