Some do just fine with the trailwing tire until they dump the bike in the loose dirt or going over a wet branch or root. Shinko makes a couple good front tires in the correct sizes we use. The Golden Boy and the 241 come to mind. Your friend is free to do what ever he wants but I would make a suggestion and direct him here to read some of these tire threads.A friend of some guy's girlfriend I know, is new to motorcycles and is still riding around on his stock tire. So, from purely a safety standpoint, should this person change it? I hear there is particular brand that comes in a 4.0 x 18 size, is best? I believe those that have logged 1000's of miles on many different types of tires and motorcycles, in all types of conditions may or may not know something about what may or may not be true?
Truth or fiction?
I can attest to it's ability to "slip out from under you" first hand from a spill I had a few weeks ago. I would argue that it's fine on "most" pavement; however, if it's uneven at all, it can also be a death wing on pavementThis forum was originally started by Chopper Charles and if it was not him who coined the Death Wing term I would suspect Lizrdbrth had something to do with it. What is interesting about the front tire is that it is fine on the pavement and is surprisingly long lasting. Where it becomes the death wing is off road where it is absolutely famous for slipping out from under you in various conditions and you won't know it is happening until it is way too late.
GaryL
Tire age has been discussed here numerous times. Pretty sure the consensus of opinions placed the time frame around 5 years no matter how much tread they had left. Based on that, your tires are about 7-8 years well past their safe usefulness. IMO I would use them until they pop but only off road. I would not trust your 12 year old tires going down the road at 55 MPH.Well Gang,
I acquired my '07 TW with only 520 miles on it, about 2 months ago. It had, and still does have, both original tires on it from when it was new. The bike had been sitting for a five year period prior to me purchasing it. Long story short, I did a lot to bring this little T-dub back to life and, it runs like a charm. Now, as far as this "Death wing" front tire is concerned, well, I'm not here to argue with any of you seasoned vet T-dub riders but, I've put over 400 miles on it since I got it running. And, around at least 100 or maybe 150 of those miles are off road miles. And, of those miles, a fair percentage of them is in somewhat "ugly" terrain. I mean terrin with large ruts, rocks, side banking, hill climbing, hill descending, sand wash running and a whole lot more. I'm running about 15 psi in that original front tire and, well, so far, it has not let me down, not "slid out" or, caused me any real headaches of any type.
In other words, that original front tire, even though it's actually 12 years old, seems to be pretty sure footed in any and all operational conditions that I've thrown at it, up to this point. I have kept in mind, the warnings of how it can fail you at any given time, based on the terrain you're traversing at the time. But, so far, no issues. I think I'll eventually get some new tires simply because of their age.
Scott
When it slides out you will know how the name came to be.Well Gang,
I acquired my '07 TW with only 520 miles on it, about 2 months ago. It had, and still does have, both original tires on it from when it was new. The bike had been sitting for a five year period prior to me purchasing it. Long story short, I did a lot to bring this little T-dub back to life and, it runs like a charm. Now, as far as this "Death wing" front tire is concerned, well, I'm not here to argue with any of you seasoned vet T-dub riders but, I've put over 400 miles on it since I got it running. And, around at least 100 or maybe 150 of those miles are off road miles. And, of those miles, a fair percentage of them is in somewhat "ugly" terrain. I mean terrin with large ruts, rocks, side banking, hill climbing, hill descending, sand wash running and a whole lot more. I'm running about 15 psi in that original front tire and, well, so far, it has not let me down, not "slid out" or, caused me any real headaches of any type.
In other words, that original front tire, even though it's actually 12 years old, seems to be pretty sure footed in any and all operational conditions that I've thrown at it, up to this point. I have kept in mind, the warnings of how it can fail you at any given time, based on the terrain you're traversing at the time. But, so far, no issues. I think I'll eventually get some new tires simply because of their age.
Scott
In my honest opinion, I think the new owner should play with front tire air pressure before just switching to a new tire. I personally would run as low as 12-psi on the Trail Wing. I am currently running the Skinko 241 also down to low pressure (while in the dirt). I purchased the the Shinko 241 large in part to see if it was truly a big difference, but I feel that running the lower air pressure is the biggest part. Also, the rear tire plays a part in all this as it is so large and wants to stand the bike back up. But too, I don't think these bike are meant to be laid over as far as say a traditional tired moto... It's as though you ride the TW200 the same as you would a KTM 950ADV, you keep it stood up in the corners and modulating the throttle. Even on the 450-550cc dual sport bikes, finding the perfect tire is hard. The Dunlop 606 is OK... it's DOT approved and knobbied, but it's still a compromise. What is your priority? Dirt or street? FOr the larger dual sport bikes, they have great choices on both ends for the spectrum and some decent middle-ground choices. For us TDUBBERS, we do not have a lot of rubber choices, so we have to adapt and work on riding skill, which is not a bad thing. I would say too, there is a big difference between sitting down while riding in dirt vs standing up while riding in the dirt and that is the #1 skill set to work on, if you are attempting to ride the TW200 like a larger dual sport bike. If you are casually riding in dirt and sitting down, it's fine, but speed does not change the laws of physics as your butt (weight) on the seat is higher than your feet (weight of your whole body) on the foot pegs.A friend of some guy's girlfriend I know, is new to motorcycles and is still riding around on his stock tire. So, from purely a safety standpoint, should this person change it? I hear there is particular brand that comes in a 4.0 x 18 size, is best? I believe those that have logged 1000's of miles on many different types of tires and motorcycles, in all types of conditions may or may not know something about what may or may not be true?
Truth or fiction?