140/70-17. What do those numbers mean? How is the size/width determined? What's the typical range a rear wheel will mount on a street/tourer? Thanks!
140 : tread width in millimeters 70: side wall ratio to tread width; i.e 70% as wide as the tread. 17: rim diameter in inches. Manufacturer's engineers decide the tire width. You can talk with a reputable motorcycle tire shop about the different sizes that will work well with your particular bike. A 140 is kinda skinny. Tires in the 200's are fat, like on a sport bike, or a custom chopper.
Unless you *like* being cold and wet, instead be being warm and dry, get a car. As long as you do not abuse the motorcycle, keep up with maintenance, don't crash, the bike will last over 100,000 miles. Later this year Harley will be selling their new 750cc. Or you could find a used Honda 750 cruiser.
The tire is 140 mm wide / the tire height from the bead to the top of tread when new is 70% of that 140 (aspect ratio)- it fits on a 17 inch wheel. The US has been using this system since about '68 and I don't know why they still mix metric and inches just US arrogance.
You'll also find a load rating and speed rating. The load will be something like 64, 68 and so on with each number correlating to a certain load limit. The maximum speed limit will be absent for the S rating, the lowest, or will have H or V. The wheel width is the distance between the shoulders of the wheel and tires are nearly always going to be wider than the wheel. The amount depends upon the individual tire and application. The tire width/diameter is pretty much up to the manufacturer. Actual need and safety is considered, but a lot of it is styling and nothing more. Well Dan, wheel diameters the world over are measured in inches, and even if it is a millimeter measurement, it's still an inch wheel. It's called standardization so everyone in the world is in the same track. And don't think it's American arrogance because spark plug diameters have been measured in mm's for over a half century. Hmm, so is that Continental European arrogance? Dan, grow up and wise up.
you can tell a bike thats been taken care of and garaged if its got crash damage and most of it is corroded that is obvious, and it should start easy and run smooth price can vary alot mostly depending on the year you could probably pick up a decent running and looking old ricer, say 2003 for example, for a couple of thousand it may need tires or something, alittle fade on the details, but looks pretty good basically sat most of its life in somebodys garage with 15k on it theres lots of deals like that around alittle spit shine and new tires and maybe a seat re-cover and you have a pretty good ride
