Dunlop D250 180/60R 16 fitted

[Colonial Boy]

Talking to the tyre supplier, he reckoned there was an awful lot of "meat" on the outside of the tyre, and that I could grind even more of it off if it was still touching.

I would be more interested in what a tyre manufacturer thinks of this modification.

CB

[Xchoppers]

Removing excess rubber without touching the inner fabric has no effect on a tires integrity.
The area at question is significantly thick with unsupported rubber which serves no purpose other than cosmetic...
If you get someone representing a tire manufacturer to speak to you he's not going to tell you it's OK to modify a tire in any way due to his concerns about his legal liabilities.

Again, I will state I'd hate to live in a country where the government stifled customization and free thinking to the extent I've heard about here...

The idea that some government bureaucrat can stifle hot rodding to this extent is appalling.

[higgy]

Removing excess rubber without touching the inner fabric has no effect on a tires integrity.

Complete and utter uninformed bullshit, The worst sort of misinformation I have ever seen here on the Paso board. I have been biting my tongue for a while now on this subject..No More Any modification. ABSOLUTELY ANY MODIFICATION of this sort significantly shortens the life and reliability and performance of any rubber product and puts at risk your life and more importantly the life of others... you want to kill yourself,be my guest...put others at risk,kindly go fck yourself !!!!!
It is possible to cut or hot knife the tread of a tire without dire consequences in the short term
Side walls are off limits. Hands down,unequivocally it is a bad idea. You risk your life and the life of others doing any such thing on the street. There is absolutely no reason or excuse to modify any tire for any reason outside of the race track. Period. Common guys, WTF are you thinking here

Sorry G, Had to say it. It needs to be very clear Better to ride on 10 year old tires and stay off the limits

[Xchoppers]

Sorry paso grand pooh-bah but you are the one misleading people here.
Not all of us are sheep.
Some of us prefer to think for ourselves...

No one said anything about cutting on the sidewall where it is thin.

You obviously know nothing about American hot rod ingenuity.
It comes from living in a true Democracy and using your own brain rather than "follow the leaders" like mindless sheep.

I own a thriving business that relies on creative thinking and application of new ideas and I've been doing it a very long time. I am a licensed mechanicl engineer. I worked for the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 20+ years before going into business myself. I think for myself "outside the box" when necessary. If all people were afraid to try new ideas we would still live in caves.

I can just imagine how much bull crap you would have to endure to create and operate a machine such as my boat here:







Shown above at 105 MPH.

[907pasonut]

...settle down a little paso folkes...Xchoppers I know what you're saying, but I did cringe a little when you said...

Removing excess rubber without touching the inner fabric has no effect on a tires integrity.

to me that modification sounds a bit drastic...but in the expert hands if you know what youre doing it may be OK...but is there a need to resort to this modification, or are there better alternatives for the 16" wheels...I'm sure G and others have a couple of different ways to go on this and other posts without cutting rubber
...thats a mean petrol sucking supercharged V8 mongrel of a boat

[Colonial Boy]

Well I'm pleased to see some support for my concerns about removing rubber from the sidewall. I suspect that rubber is there for more than cosmetic reasons.

I went to a lot of trouble to document a way to fit a 180-60 without resorting to the kind of butchery displayed here. My tyre is off the shelf and clears everything (and so does the chain). Mobius' one has been attacked with a belt sander - and looks like it.

When it comes to cars and bikes I too am a "free thinker", but I won't bore you with pictures of my creations. What the hell are pictures of a boat doing on this thread?

CB

[higgy]

Well I'm pleased to see some support for my concerns about removing rubber from the sidewall. I suspect that rubber is there for more than cosmetic reasons

Automotively speaking there are some tires which use "cosmetic" rubber inserts, whitewalls for example. My wife,GBHS( Antti,thats god bless her soul ) has a habit of using her sidewalls as curb feelers. She also needs to replace her tires at twice the interval I do Motorcycle tires are different in both design and function. You would think a " 20+ year licensed engineer" would have more of a clue"
Asserting such practices with tires on this kind of public forum is irresponsible considering the gamut of
experience levels here. Someone will get in over their heads and have to face the consequences. Tragic.
On the subject of liability laws....Liability laws are to protect individuals from bad ideas whether intentional or just an oversight . Thinking they are to stifle innovation is paronoid

Just goes to show you where testicular thinking becomes an issue with critical thought and reasoning

When it comes to cars and bikes I too am a "free thinker", but I won't bore you with pictures of my creations. What the hell are pictures of a boat doing on this thread

As for the boat picture my issue, here is a guy doing 105 on the water on a public lake with only a pair of sunglasses for protection.Few cans short of a 6 pack

[paso750]

Man, where is this topic going ? It almost reads like for some doing whatever they want is a matter of patriotism and pride.

That is one nice engine on that boat, I must say. Still I also don`t get why that belongs here. It only shows that there`re also other unsafe things one can do. In summer I see a lot of guys in shorts and Tshirt on big bikes and for some unknown reason they seem to have all the luck. While they usually walk away with a few scratches others in full gear are less lucky if something happens…

Regarding tires I`d be careful about putting it all in general.
The sidewall design is there for a reason. It will give you more contact surface if you lean compared to a tire that has a round profile or steep flanks like a car tire.
As there`s no carcass to support this overhang as below the cover of the tire the rubber is very thick there.
The width of tires varies depending on manufacturer. So it`s not that uncommon that a tire touches the chain slightly and gets grinded down by it.
I personally think it`s possible to remove 2 or 3mm of that edge (on the Avon) although that`s definetely not something I would do.
I would never recommend anyone to go for it with an angle grinder or knife. You never know who reads this and how knowledgeable and skilled someone is. A former colleague from Argentina would say that is like giving a monkey a knife.
So if, use a grinding block with sandpaper, nothing that cuts, do it by hand, do it evenly and carefully and only if you know all the possible consequences.
Also be very aware about which tires we´re talking about ! We´re talking about a 180/60 which is a strong tire with lots of rubber on it. Don´t think about doing this on any other and beware that even a 180 can have a different design depending on model or brand!

The Avon I have is wide and without spacers the chain would not only touch the tire slightly but it would put some pressure on it so I doubt that lowering the side edge minimally would really help. You´ll need to move the chain anyway.

To anyone who reads this. Don´t just blindly follow anything you find on the internet without giving it some proper thoughts yourself.

The argument that narrow tires improve handling is the same general statement which is bs.
It is correct, don`t get me wrong. Of course a bicycle handles better than a Paso but that is not what it`s about. I guess all manufacturers and race teams would be wrong then. They should put a 160 on a 6” rim which normally carries a 180 or 190 tire…
Narrow tires on a Paso will only improve the handling if you`d also change to narrower rims. Just pulling narrow tires on wide rims won`t do the trick.
That wider tires don`t handle well is bs as well. It totally depends on the bike, rim size (hence profile of the tire), suspension etc. I`ll bet my bike that a tire on a recommended rim handles better than a stretched one that is made for a rim three numbers smaller.

Merry Christmas to all.

G.

[Mc tool]

To anyone who reads this. Don´t just blindly follow anything you find on the internet without giving it some proper thoughts yourself.
G.

This should be rule #1

[Xchoppers]

I'm an engineer with over 40 years experience building custom motorcycles, cars, boats, you name it. If it's fast, most likely I've experimented with it.

I have run over 200 MPH more times than most of you have gone 120. The fastest I've gone was 237 mph at El Mirage dry lakes in southern Cal.

I am still in great health at 62 years old.

I have a very successful motorcycle accessories parts and customizing business.

I ride most every day and have ridden over 1 million miles.

I make a living doing what I love.

How many of you can say the same?

I am an engineer.
I didn't get where I am by being a pussy waiting for someone to Analise and approve my decisions for me.

If you have no faith in your own judgment and require your government or some other "authority" to make decisions for you, I pity you. I guess that's partially why Communism is the wide spread disease it is.

America has risen to be the major power it is because of innovative, creative people not being afraid to try new ideas.

Some of us are men, others are sheep.

[paso750]

those last few lines are the worst republican bullshit I ever read on this forum! How ignorant is that?

[higgy]

those last few lines are the worst republican bullshit I ever read on this forum! How ignorant is that?

You can lead a horse to water,but you can't make him pull his



G you surprise me, bout time

Merry Christmas to all.

Yes, to all who pass this way.May your Paso dreams come true whatever your season's greetings.
Peace to all in the coming year

Tanti cari auguri di buon anno da tutto


Antti,hope this works Monet onnea uudenvuoden kaikista

[higgy]

One more time for shits and giggles

I'm an engineer with over 40 years experience building custom motorcycles, cars, boats, you name it. If it's fast, most likely I've experimented with it.

So what ? That and a buck fifty will get you a cup of coffee at the convenience store of your choosing, I suspect yours has included a fair amount of bodily fluids.

I have run over 200 MPH more times than most of you have gone 120. The fastest I've gone was 237 mph at El Mirage dry lakes in southern Cal.

Again So what? Is that meant to impress someone with your testicles?

I am still in great health at 62 years old.

Guess you don't include mental heath in this category, Bet you have no PCP. Most likely don't even know what a PCP is.

I have a very successful motorcycle accessories parts and customizing business.

I ride most every day and have ridden over 1 million miles.

I make a living doing what I love.

How many of you can say the same?

The vast majority of folks that stop here do so out of passion. They come to learn and to share, not proselytize

I am an engineer.
I didn't get where I am by being a pussy waiting for someone to Analise and approve my decisions for me

.

I suspect that once upon a time you couldn't spell engineer,now you r one, at least so you claim to be.

If you have no faith in your own judgment and require your government or some other "authority" to make decisions for you, I pity you. I guess that's partially why Communism is the wide spread disease it is.

America has risen to be the major power it is because of innovative, creative people not being afraid to try new ideas.

Some of us are men, others are sheep.

Still others, the best part of them ran down the crack of their momma's ass.


I'm done, promise

[907pasonut]

....Im here doing some bookwork, and must say this post is interesting...
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY PASO NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Baaaa Baaaa!!!

[higgy]

Baaaa Baaaa!!!