Tyres &Tubes

Are Inner Tubes measured the same as Tyres ?

i.e. if I have a 110/80 17 tyre do I need a 110/80 17 inner tube ?

cheers

 

Inner tubes suck, why would anybody want one of the danged things inside
their
"tyre"...

Not really, if tubes actually did *suck*, the tyre would never go flat, it
would be self-inflating...

As things go, inner tubes chafe inside the tyre carcass, get hot, and chafe
and
pinch and blow out and do nasty, unpredictable things to the shape of your
tyres, which you wish would remain firm and relatively round, not flat on the
bottom side where the rubber meets the road...

Tubes are usually measured in inch sizes, according to my Dennis Kirk
catalog,
but you can find metric sized tubes if you look really, really hard...

Nope. A "tyre" has steel or aramid fiber belts to ensure that it remains
approximately the same width and diameter. A tyre has a relatively finite
volume...

An inner tube, OTOH, is extremely flexible and will expand to fill up the
space
inside the tyre's internal volume...

There are two possible ways to screw up. First way, is you get a tube that is
really too small for the volume inside the tyre and when you inflate the
tube,
it bursts...

Rubber does stretch a lot, you'd have to fit a really small tube into a large
tyre to have it burst when you inflate it, but who wants to ride down the
road
in heavy, high speed traffic wondering if the next *bang!* he hears is the
tube
popping?

Second possibility is that you select a tube that is much to large to fit
inside the tyre, and you manage to pinch the tube with your tyre tools while
installing the tyre, and then the tube leaks and you have to go back to the
same parts counter guy and buy another tube and he asks you if you aren't the
same guy that just bought a tube a few hours ago, and what the fug did you
do,
pinch the tube with a screwdriver and you have to grin and admit it and watch
him shrug his shoulders and grimace as he gets another cardboard box down off
the high shelf and writes up another sales slip...

Is that a front tire (sounds kind of small if it's not a front tire, is this
some kind of Munchkin bike you're talking about, with a 110/80 *rear* tyre)?

Now, a 110/80-17 tyre is a low profile version of an older symmetrical
section
that was 4.25 inches wide and had an identical section height of 4.25
inches...

110mm X 0.0394 = 4.33 inches wide, but, with an 80% section height, the tyre
itself (discounting the rim diameter) is only 3.46 inches tall...

I see in the DK catalog that Michelin makes a 4.00/4.25/4.60-17 tube that
might
be a tad large for your application and a 4.25/85-17 tube that looks like a
better choice than the preceding offering for about $15 USD...

And Metzeler makes a 4.10-17 ~ 130-17 which also sounds a bit large for your
application about $22 USD...

Michelin makes a 4.25.4.50/5.10 tube that belongs in the rear tyre of a
fairly
large motorsickle for $9.99 USD

So much for the "premium" tyre manufacturers...

Duro makes a 2.75/3.00-17 tube that is really a bit small for your
application
for $6.99 USD and a 4.30/5.10 tube which actually belongs in a rear tire of a
fairly large motorsickle for $8.99 USD...

And Kenda makes a 3.25/3.50-17 tube that might be a little small for your
tyre
and a 4.00/4.50-17 tube that might be just a little too large, both for $6.99
USD...

But, the Taiwanese company IRC does make a 110/90-17 innertube, which is only
marginally larger than your 110/80-17 tyre. You wouldn't have any problem
stuffing that tube into your existing tyre for about $7.99 USD and you can
send
me a check for the money you saved by reading my screed ;-) today...

The other item of information to know about is the tire valve stem
configuration. The ordinary straight metal valve stems with securing nuts
used
on the majority of motorbikes are TR-4 and TR-6 stems, TR-13 and TR-15 have
rubber-covered stems, any TR-xxS
stem is a side-mounted stem (like for ATV's or some such) and a TR-87 stem
has
a 90-degree bend in it so cruiser riders with small diameter, but very wide
rear wheels can get the air hose on the valve stem...
[/QUOTE]


Now I'm really confused. Does anyone have an online source for a good
explanation of tire and tube sizes? Does 3.50 x 19 mean anything
anymore?

 

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-tires/tire-data.htm

Nothing there about tubes, but they are a little more flexible. A lot of
dirt bikers carry a spare 21" front tube and in a pinch will stuff it in
the rear. Ain't pretty, but it does get you out of the woods.