Tire questions (for suzuki DR200SE)

[Nikola]

Hi All

I am looking at purchasing a DR200SE Suzuki, mostly for riding in the city and occasionally on gravel/dirt country roads. I am wondering how much choice do I have in tires? I come from the car rally world, so I admit this is all rather new to me - I don't even know how motorcycle tires are tagged:
Front Tire 70/100-21 44P
Rear Tire 100/90-18 56P
(most of these numbers are Greek to me [and I don't speak Greek], except I assume 21 & 17 are inches, and 70/100 are probably width & height aspect ratio; is 44p/56p pressure?).

Is there any way to put a reasonably street-oriented tire on these wheels? Are there issues I should be aware of, like width, load, etc?

Many thanks!


edit: I guess my question is also... in cars, I can have a certain amount of lattitude putting different tires on the same set of rims. For example, on my 16" rims, I can put a 205/55 tire, or 215/50 tire. Is the same true here - could I put a 80/90 tire on my front wheel? Something like this might work for my usage pattern a lot better

[reciprocity]

Many manufacturers offer more street oriented rubber in those sizes, but with that bike, there's really no need, you'll never get past the available traction of the OEM tires with that bike

[Nikola]

Thanks!
Besides sheer traction (which I don't realy _want_ to push to the limits, being a new rider), my thinking was that knobby tires would make for a bumpier ride, and wear off faster when driven on tarmac, than more street-oriented tires would. I know my gravel tires seem to almost melt when driven on regular highways - would the same be true of the knobbies?

[reciprocity]

they'll be fine.

We use similar tires for mini(under 200cc) supermoto racing and they last forever with 200lb idiots sliding them around.

If you want something with less of an off road feel, try Michelin or Kenda, they'll have something in their lineup that'll fit.

[ts]

A little off subject...

but I have the DR200, and do not recommend it for street riding..especially for high ways or in that case anything over 80.

I would recommend going with mayb the DRZ400 or something eles, depending on your height

Just my 2 cents

As for tires, I bought Kenda's from Parker Bros, they are knobbies and i use them for dirt only

[Nikola]

Hi ts - thanks for advice; would you mind elaborating?

I don't personally want to go over 80kph, certainly never have the intention of taking it on 400-series (personal comfort, at least for a season or two), but I thought I'd do OK on city streets, puttering along at 50-60kph. Is it a comfort issue, stability, speed, or something else?

DRZ400S or even better SM would be great (or something like KLR650)... but absolutely prohibitive for me, insurance-wise

Thanks!

(edit: oh, and I'm 6'2" / 189cm, so the tallness of DRZ400 wouldn't be a problem, hopefully )

[ts]

Hi ts - thanks for advice; would you mind elaborating?

I don't personally want to go over 80kph, certainly never have the intention of taking it on 400-series (personal comfort, at least for a season or two), but I thought I'd do OK on city streets, puttering along at 50-60kph. Is it a comfort issue, stability, speed, or something else?

DRZ400S or even better SM would be great (or something like KLR650)... but absolutely prohibitive for me, insurance-wise

Thanks!

(edit: oh, and I'm 6'2" / 189cm, so the tallness of DRZ400 wouldn't be a problem, hopefully )

I hate the bike on the street for a few reasons, You have to red line the ****** out of it, you can't get yourself out of sticky situations. I know you say you don't want to go over 80, but you drive a car right?? When you are in the car and doing say 79 and want to pass another car or there is a car riding your butt, you can easily give a little gas and get away, with the DR200, if you are doing 80 the bike is shaking like you wouldn't believe, than you give a little gas and it hardly moves, I was more nervous riding this on the street than anything, every time I took her out i hated it. I do still have her but I use her dirt only.

With your height you can do something a little bigger, you are better off going with the DRZ400. Or even what Paul has, DR600..Ask any of these guys what they suggest and they won't say a DR200. At 6'2 you'll be alot heavier than me at 5'6" and 110lbs (ok 140lb) so its going to be even slower.

As for insurance, I had to call several places most DID NOT cover the DR200. Before you go and buy anything, call insurance companies and ask the rate of insurance on the DR200 and the DR600 or the DRZ400.

[reciprocity]

Most insurance companies will see the 200 and 400cc bike as the same and charge about the same for both

[ts]

Most insurance companies will see the 200 and 400cc bike as the same and charge about the same for both

Yap, you right, but when i called for insurance on the 200 most places said,
"Its a dirt bike, we don't insure them"
which it is not, its a dual sport....however, they did cover 400 and 600

[Nikola]

Hi guys

Thanks very much for the input! My experience with insurance companies has been very different though; I don't know if there is a significant difference between old DR200 and the DR200SE, but typically I am quoted twice as much for the DRZ400S/SM, as I would be for DR200SE. So far I've checked Kingsway, Statefarm, and a bunch of companies through my car insurance broker, and the pattern has held steady

Otherwise, I would absolutely be looking at the DRZ400... the SM is just to schexy for words! :>

[ts]

Good luck with you search and insurance...

[EasyD]

At 6'2" you would likely be pretty crunched up on top of a DR200. The 37" seat height of a DRZ400s would suit you better and, like TS says, you'll have that extra oomph if you need it. The 400 has still a pretty mild response so don't worry about it being too snappy or surprising, but the power is there if you need it. Plus there is a crapload of knowledge and aftermarket parts for the 400. See ThumperTalk:
http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25

They come stock with Bridgestone Trailwings which are fine on the street but not so good in the dirt. I used to ride mine with Kenda knobbies on it on both road and dirt and they were surprisingly good on the road, except when you go over stripped pavement or iron grate bridges, then it's a little squirrely, but you get used to it, sort of. Later I put Pirelli Scorpion AT street tires on it and used it for street only. They are 70/30 street/dirt.


It was fantastic! But there are certainly good cheaper street-oriented tires, though. The Kenda 270 is a good 50/50 street/dirt tire and half the price of Michelins or Pirellis. To answer your questions about sizes, you are correct with the 1st 2 numbers being width and height (2nd number is a percentage of the width), not sure what that 3rd number is but I don't think it'd be PSI. I used to run mine at 22 psi on street and 12 psi on dirt. You can have a 130 wide tire on a bike that came with a 110 tire, as long as the knobs clear the swing arm and stuff okay. I think with knobbies it's whatever floats your boat as long as the diameter matches the wheel.

Best of luck with your search.

[Nikola]

Thanks guys! Well, I ended up listening to practically unanimous advice here, and if all goes right, I'll be taking possession of a DRZ400SM shortly (sold to me by a member of the forums).

It's twice the price and twice the insurance - I just hope it's also twice the fun