Tire brands and Sizes

Hey, everyone! Newbie here, and like most of you, I'm ready to cross over into the darkside. Now, I've read a lot of posts and threads about frequently asked questions, but in typical greenhorn fashion, I'd like to bounce some of my questions to you all out there. I'd like to know if there's anyone out there running a 195 tire instead of 205? If so, what brand(s) is best? And, is there's an advantage over one or the other? I've got a 2006 VTX 1300s. It's been suggested to me by a local shop that a 195/65 15 would work well for my bike. I would have had them do the mounting of the tire for me, but they wanted to knock my head off with mounting costs. Would really appreciate any feedback on how to get the ball rolling.

195/65/15 tend to be a little shorter in diameter than your stock MT and cause you to rev higher at highway speeds and throw your speedo off even more in the wrong direction! Just so you know!

205/65 series will keep at where you are at right now. No higher RPM's or any worse on the speedo.


......................bobby

Welcome to the forum.

Are you considering a 195 because the local bike shop suggested it? A 205/70/15 or 65 series tire will fit with no problems
and it is what most people are using on their VTXs.
The taller sidewall of the 70 series tire will prolly be the easiest to mount and seat.
Are you going to seal your spoke rims? You can use a tube, but 3M 5200 works very well to seal the rim.
There is a great write up here somewhere on how to do it.
I had a local tire and muffler shop mount my tire, they charged me all of $8.

205 it is! Appreciate the feedback. I'll consider sealing the rims at a later time. Just really excited about getting the tire on, so I'll stick with the tube for now.

Well you already got the right advise.
Congrats and welcome.

I believe the 70 series will mount easier than a 65 since you are using a tube.

Jerry