Fitting 13" wheels and wide tires on PCX 150

[ruddick]

Has anyone fitted a 2.5" wide 13" mag wheel with a 110/70-13 tire on the front forks. I just tried and the tire walls are very tight against the front forks so tight that the tire can only just turn. I can't find a tire less the 110 so I don't know how others have changed there wheels to 13". What am I doing wrong

Thanks

[Slickvic]

Why would you do this?

[mikelx5]

i believe it is the fact that the only aftermarket wheels are thirteens

[hatari]

ffs, words fail me........

[DAB]

ffs, words fail me........

Indeed x2

[dasshreddar]

Welcome, where are you located? and where did you get your 13's?
I think the biggest 13 tire you can fit is a 130-60-13...a 110-70 series may just be too tall and wide for the stock forks/aftermarket wheel.
try an aftermarket fork???
or you can run a 120-70-14 on the front(stock rim) and trim the "tire hairs", like I did.
powerbypcx sells 13's here is a pic of a 130-60-13.

[dustin91]

Without being snarky, why would you do this? What is the advantage of smaller wheels?

[maddiedog]

Smaller diameter == Less top speed. Greater acceleration.
Larger diameter == More top speed. Less acceleration.

People claim wider tires give better handling, and more stability because of the increased rotational mass. The difference is likely marginal. I think more than anything it's cosmetic, since the bigger tires make the PCX look more like a sportbike.

[dustin91]

Gotcha. Just Sunday I went on a motorcycle group ride, and those I hadn't ridden with the week before were surprised I had a scooter when they looked at it from the sides, because from the front it just looked like a small bike - the wheels were the big giveaway. Well, that and the leg-through. I'd take the higher speed over greater acceleration, but I get the possible stability of wider tires, if you can find some that fit.

[ruddick]

Welcome, where are you located? and where did you get your 13's?
I think the biggest 13 tire you can fit is a 130-60-13...a 110-70 series may just be too tall and wide for the stock forks/aftermarket wheel.
try an aftermarket fork???
or you can run a 120-70-14 on the front(stock rim) and trim the "tire hairs", like I did.
powerbypcx sells 13's here is a pic of a 130-60-13.

I am in Thailand and changed my wheels to 13" as they are the only after market ones I could find. The reason for wanting to change the tires is that it is part of a plan to get more suspension. Last week while driving at night down a very dark road I ran over a large pothole, so large that my back box broke away and end 50 yards across the road and my back wheel was destroyed. I am very lucky to still be here if I had fallen off I would have been run over. I am doing the modification to stay alive on the crazy roads in Thailand. I am a big heavy man and the standard setup isn't good enough. Don't care about losing speed just about dying.
I decided I needed something to handle the very bad roads. The back wheel is 13" and fitted with a 130/70-13 which is the same height as the standard 14" but with a lot more tire depth to help with the bumps. I have also fitted a set of YSS Z series shocks at the back. The back side modification was no problem at all and went on easy.

Now to the front the smallest 13" tire I can get anywhere in Thailand is 110/90-13. When this tire is fitted to the wheel the tire is binding with the inside of the forks at the top. I have taken off the wheel and front mud guard and measured between the forks. at the axle point the cap is almost 120mm but at the top it is only 105mm. So I guess hence my problem. Somebody mentioned grinding the forks on another forum which is very stupid and dangeruos.

I could fit the stock wheel and a 120/70-14 tire but I already have the 13" set and would really like to fit it. I have enclosed a picture of my problem. Are there any aftermarket forks around which could take the 110/70-13 tire.

[ruddick]

Fitting 13" wheels and wide tires picture

IMAG0124.jpg (210.68 KiB) Viewed 6906 times

This time with pictures

[ruddick]

Welcome, where are you located? and where did you get your 13's?
I think the biggest 13 tire you can fit is a 130-60-13...a 110-70 series may just be too tall and wide for the stock forks/aftermarket wheel.
try an aftermarket fork???
or you can run a 120-70-14 on the front(stock rim) and trim the "tire hairs", like I did.
powerbypcx sells 13's here is a pic of a 130-60-13.

I am in Thailand and changed my wheels to 13" as they are the only after market ones I could find. The reason for wanting to change the tires is that it is part of a plan to get more suspension. Last week while driving at night down a very dark road I ran over a large pothole, so large that my back box broke away and end 50 yards across the road and my back wheel was destroyed. I am very lucky to still be here if I had fallen off I would have been run over. I am doing the modification to stay alive on the crazy roads in Thailand. I am a big heavy man and the standard setup isn't good enough. Don't care about losing speed just about dying.
I decided I needed something to handle the very bad roads. The back wheel is 13" and fitted with a 130/70-13 which is the same height as the standard 14" but with a lot more tire depth to help with the bumps. I have also fitted a set of YSS Z series shocks at the back. The back side modification was no problem at all and went on easy.

Now to the front the smallest 13" tire I can get anywhere in Thailand is 110/90-13. When this tire is fitted to the wheel the tire is binding with the inside of the forks at the top. I have taken off the wheel and front mud guard and measured between the forks. at the axle point the cap is almost 120mm but at the top it is only 105mm. So I guess hence my problem. Somebody mentioned grinding the forks on another forum which is very stupid and dangeruos.

I could fit the stock wheel and a 120/70-14 tire but I already have the 13" set and would really like to fit it. I have enclosed a picture of my problem. Are there any aftermarket forks around which could take the 110/70-13 tire.

Having now had time to think I guess I have two options with changing the front forks.
1. Stay with the standard 14" wheel and fit the 120/70-14 tire.
2. Change the 110 tire as it is a no go for the 130/60-13 tire.

I have also decided not to try and do anything more myself but to take the scooter along with the 13" wheel to the PCX shop and ask them to sort it out.

Thanks for the mostly helpful comments.

[dasshreddar]

I'm with you, fat tires definitely help on rough roads and with the "suspension".
In your case, I think I would want the tallest/widest tires you can fit on the front (and back), I wonder if a 120-80-14 would fit the front... with a different fender?

[ruddick]

I'm with you, fat tires definitely help on rough roads and with the "suspension".
In your case, I think I would want the tallest/widest tires you can fit on the front (and back), I wonder if a 120-80-14 would fit the front... with a different fender?

I am now going to take it to a shop I have been told about and talk to them,ask them to sort it out. I may even be able to sell them the IRC 110/90-13 which we can't get to fit or do some part ex deal.
I would rather keep the original forks and see what can be fitted as meaty as possible without using a grinder or a welder. Stiffer springs in the front forks maybe needed will know once the tire issue has been resolved. After the accident last week and the damage caused I am trying to make sure the scooter is in better shape to take the really rough roads we have.

Thanks for your very helpful and useful advise. I will post again with pictures when the problem is sorted out.

[Honda4me]

From my end I always find skinny tyres are preferable on unsealed roads as they tend to "dig-in" more than wider tyres which have a tendency to skip and slide around over the surface and don't track well over cracks and ruts. Take a look at motocross tyres vs Motogp tyres. MotoX uses skinny tyres with big knobs for grip. All the weight is transferred through these knobs which bike like teeth to the dirt. Big round-profile tyres on the same surface spread the mass evenly giving less friction and less bite.

Hope this makes sense.

As far as fitting wider tyres goes, have you thought about widening the forks by extending the spindle and fitting an alternative or modified crown to spread the distance between each fork stanchion? The forks themselves aren't the real issue, it's the distance between each stanchion that needs addressed as far as I can see.

Good luck, and can we have a photo of the whole bike with the big-wheel setup?

[HawaiiJ]

I had the same style IRC tires when I first fitted the 13" wheels. I pretty sure the front tire size was not the 110/90-13 you are running. I went with Michelin Pure SC, 150/70-13 on the rear and 120/70-13 on the front. The rears requires YSS offset shocks, aftermarket air breather & just a little trimming of the rear tire plastic splash guard because of rubbing. The tires on the front required no mods and I'm not having the same problems you spoke of.

Larger tires definitely change the ride for the better in my opinion, the stock tires and wheels seemed to be rough on the roads here and a bit bone jarring at times.

Where in Thailand are you located?

[ruddick]

The PCX wheel and tire change problems are now behind us with the help of the very nice guys at X-Speed Bangkok. The IRC 110/90-13 was a no go and as suggested on this forum we ended up fitting a IRC MB99 130/60-13 on the front and an MB99 130/70-13 on the back. Also replaced the rear shocks with YSS Z series 310mm XXL adjustable gas shocks. Once the tire pressures were set the bike ran like a dream.
Only problem with fitting the 130/60-13 on the front was that a very small amount of grinding was required to ensure the tire didn't rub on the inside of the forks.

For those of you who are wondering why we changed the stock wheels and shocks etc. I have enclosed a photo of the rear wheel after the encounter with the pothole.
Once the bike is washed and clean I will post a photo of the completed bike. We are located in Bangsaen Beach, Thailand.

[Ben2talk]

Without being snarky, why would you do this? What is the advantage of smaller wheels?

Without being snarky, anyone without a wooden brain can work this one out. Smaller diameter wheels can leave room for more rubber. More rubber holds more air. What happens if you run over a 2" brick at full speed? Suspension doesn't really do a great job on scooters... but if you can maintain the diameter and change the WHEEL to PNEUMATIC TYRE ratio, you get a softer suspension; slightly reducing performance around the Isle of Man TT... but greatly enhancing the gentle 60mph cruising enjoyment over slightly unpredictable 'road' surfaces (you're not always free to avoid the blemishes, especially in Bangkok).

[waspmike]

Want 13 in wheels on a PCX? It is called a Yamaha Nmax!

[iceman]

Usually they say the larger diameter tyre, the better for pot-holes and other nasties as it does not 'fall' into the hole as much and can ride over it - one reason the PCX/SH scooters are given better reviews for riding on bad roads than smaller scoots with smaller diameter wheels. At most speeds, the rubber/air will not compress that much if it's at a certain PSI, but the larger diameter means a larger mass of rubber in the direction of travel to get over smaller pot holes.