140/70 18 front tire questions for a 2012

[pwhoever]

Right now I have a Bridgestone Excedra G709 tire mounted on the front that the previous owner put in there when it was a 2 wheel. It is a 130/70R18. I had decided to run that one down before replacing it. I'm seeing that the tread depth in center is very close to replacing now. I am very familiar with having rear tires mounted to front rim and that is my plan on this.

The popular choice besides the Avon trike tire (Short supply and very expensive) is the Bridgestone Battlax BT45 in 130/70-18. The load range for that is 63 and since it's now a trike, added weight has automatically been put on it. So I've been brainstorming options for a higher load range.

Looking at the 130/80-18, it ends up being about an inch taller overall so an extra 1/2" to the fender. It apparently does fit although extremely close to fender. I saw many reports though that at highway speeds, the rider can smell a burning rubber smell and that the rear front fender has taken a beating. So that rules out the 130/80. Now I have also seen some positive results with the 140/70 and that has roughly a 1/2" overall height difference and roughly 1/4" to the fender. So that sounds positive.

The load range on all the 130/70-18 tires I have found is 63 so 600lbs. The load range I am finding on the 140/70-18 is 67 so 677lbs. I like the sound of that.

In the 140/70-18 size, I have found the Battlax BT45 rear, load range 67. Now interestingly, Bridgestone also makes a radial rear tire in that size which is the Battlax BT54 140/70R18 and also has a load range of 67.

So has anyone here tried a 140/70-18 tire on the front of their 01-17 GL1800 and if so, how did you like it? And then the next obvious question is bias ply or radial, and why? I have found the radial at about $30 more than the bias ply. If the radial makes more sense, that extra cost could be worth it.

 

[pwhoever]

Well looks like I'm going to be the guinea pig I guess. I just ordered a Kenda K671 rear tire in 140/70-18 from Cyclegear and it's set to be shipped to my house. The price was pretty reasonable so if it doesn't work, I'm not out of pocket too much. It has a load range of 67 and speed rating of H so up to 130mph. I went through Cyclegear because they will mount the tire for $30 if you buy it from them. Otherwise it's $60. The closest is just over 40 miles away so not too far. And that's about as cheap as I can find any where to have a tire mounted locally.

It will be probably be a while before I receive the tire and can get it mounted but will update as I get some rides in.

Just some further babbling... Tread depth on the Avon AV91 trike tire is only 4.7mm or roughly 6/32". The BT45 shows a tread depth of 9/32". The Kenda shows a tread depth of 6mm so roughly 8/32". All the numbers for the Kenda look good as an option so fingers crossed it works out.

 

[Gorilla]

Mike I love it when you post to yourself. You only gave anyone a little over 9 hours to respond. LOL
Really I like your deductions.
As far as Bias vs Radial in a TRIKE application, the only difference because the trike doesn't lean is the side walls are stiffer on the Bias tire.
With the curved footprint and lack of leaning there should be little difference in grip and tread wear in my opinion.

 

[pwhoever]

@Gorilla sometimes I can't help myself, LOL!

 

[tourman]

@Gorilla sometimes I can't help myself, LOL!

The Bridgestone front tire is a BT46 now

 

[pwhoever]

The Bridgestone front tire is a BT46 now

That is correct. The BT46 is actually a 130/70-18 rear tire that gets mounted to the front rim. And they actually do come in 140/70-18, also a rear tire. And then Bridgestone also has a radial rear tire, the BT54 in 140/70R18.

Most tires in the 130/70-18 range are only load range rated at 63 so the same load range when it started out as a 2 wheeler. The conversion alone added some significant weight. I know that the 130/70 have proved themselves capable but I wanted to try something different to give me a bit of a buffer. It seems the only possible option is the 140/70-18 which ends up closer to inner fender by about 1/4 of an inch so I think it will work. The Kenda was cheaper than the Bridgestones. The Kenda has also gotten some really good reviews so I went for it.

Its supposed to get delivered tomorrow and then I just need to get it mounted and drive on it.