Hi all, had a visit to my local bike shop todayand got on to the subject of tyre and pressures. Hang on a minute he said, have a look at these, just what you need for commuting. He then showed me a pair of Bridgestone BT45's in 90/90-21 and 130/80-17. A 21 inch ROAD tyre!!! Just the right size for my KLE500. They got them in for another local to go onto a Honda Dominator.
So good news for regular road users. I think I'm gonna need another pair of wheels so I can swap around.
Cheers, Richard.

Here in the states Harley davidson uses a 21 inch front on some of their bikes. So we see more steet tires for 21 inch. Also a very few harley owners have fitted knobbies for northern canada and alaska travel.

Hi there Wobbly - I see you're a KLE500 rider - I'm slightly off thread here - but could you pass on your thoughts on it for me.
I'm setting up a rental business and think at this stage of using a couple of KLE's and a couple of 650 Vstroms.
The KLE is new on our market and not widely known, but it looks the biz and seems like being reliable and economical.
Is yours stock or have you added any personal touches - apparently the engine can easily produce 10 hp more, and the exhaust is begging for a tune up !
I've also been asking the forums about panniers but it seems that no specific kits are available - have you tried ?
Thanks in advance
Howie

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Howie
V-strom 650, Transalp 650, DR-Z250

Hi Wobbly, there cool things, here in melbourne the bike couriers are using them all over, and we have a number of options, although more and more folks are starting to get the motard type set up. dito the harley riders here in Aus as well... have fun..

Hi Richard,
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the BT45 is a very old spec Bridgestone
tire. Also, its probably profiled more for a Harley than your KLE. I've seen the
KLE while travelling in Italy, UK, Spain, France et al. but don't know the bike
well as the US does not get it.

What is the stock tire on the KLE? This should be your guide. Don't try to
become a tire engineer in your spare time.

If the BT45 is the tire I think it is then its a late 80's / 90's design done before
the big late 90's break through into high Silica content tires. Modern tires
stick much better in the wet, warm much more quickly, are more stable and disperse water better. Win Win Win.

From what I've seen of the UK it seems you get a lot of rain. I would much rather fit something like a Michelin Anakee up front. I'm fairly certain this tire
is made in a 21" and the profile should be ideal for your bike. The Anakee not
only lasts well but is the best tire I've ever used in the rain, on grit covered
roads and sticks great on dry as well.

The 21" street tires we get here in the states are for Harley's mostly (as stated).That sort of profile may not work well on a dual sport type bike. The profile is too "flat". Look at the tire when mounted, you can see this.

I would go with either the Anakee or a Metzeler Tourance. Neither are cheap
but contain more modern elements in their rubber blend to make them far safer and better performing over all.

Cheers,

Patrick
San Francisco Bay Area

Hi Howie,
Here in the UK we've had KLE's for a while now,a very under-rated bike if you ask me.Seem to be pretty bomb proof(read idiot proof!) bikes with the de-tuned GPZ500 motor.The later ones have Catalytic converters in the exhaust so an aftermarket system will really free it up a lot,to say nothing for being able to have a bit of leaded now and again.Serious off road capability is as you'd expect(a really experienced rider can get just about anything anywhere,but you'll have to work hard) but the flip side is much better tyre wear and chain life than singles.They also seem very cheap for how much bike you do get.

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Just going for a short ride on my bike....

Jon
Thats something I haven't heard of before - how come you get lower wear and tear on chains and tyres with it being this type of bike , rather than a big single ?

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Howie
V-strom 650, Transalp 650, DR-Z250

I don't know if you'd actually get more or less tire life out of a KLE than a single. Maybe. Probably because the bike can't be ridden as aggesively! Tires on my KTM Duke (Pirelli's) would be toast in
1200 miles. Just too much fun.

Chains, on the other hand WILL last longer on a twin. Know why?

Power pulses. Singles pretty hard on the drive train. Chain, sprockets,
cush drive, hubs. Nature of beast.


Patrick

Hi guys, BT45's are a fairly recent tyre so benefit from silica techy stuff. I used them a couple of years ago so I know that they are ok for my normal everyday commute. I'll probably use them through the winter on our slick crappy UK roads.
I gather that the KLE can produce a bit more hp with an exhaust change and carb tuning. Currently about 45bhp with the cat equipped '05 model. Any recommendations for replacemant exhaust?
Later this week I'm expecting postie to turn up with a centre stand kit, made for late "A" models, but should fit my "B" model. I'll let you know how I get on if anyone is interested.

Cheers, Richard.