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Knobblies


ckyuk
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Hi, earlier this year while enjoying the couple of days of summer we had i decided it was time to stop talking about it and finally go out and get my cbt done. So with that out the way i went straight out and got myself a '05 Yamaha Dt125R SM and have loved every minute of owning it. However with winter now coming up fast i'm not sure i want to just put it away and leave it sitting there for months, so instead have been playing with the idea of fitting some knobblies to her. Only thing i'm not sure about though is what i can fit. Will i be able to just go out and buy a secondhand set of DT125 RE wheels off e-bay and bolt them straight in or is there a difference in anything like swinging-arm length on the SM and RE models?

Thanks in advance.

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I know for certain the front wheel wont fit straight on as youl need a different brake caliper bracket as off road wheels have smaler discs.

I dont think the sm has a shorter swingarm so the back wheel should go straight on as everything else is the same, You'll also find that theres not as much travel on your forks to the RE model, the front fender might also hit the front wheel,

Most people are always looking at doing the complete opposite to you, I wouldnt bother unless you fancied some green laning to as knobblies wont make it any easier in the winter.

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When you say 'knobblies', do you really mean knobblies or dual sport ?? On a supermoto something like the Avon Distanza's will be perfectly OK, these are a road bias dual surface tyre - and I've seen guys take XT660X's with Distanzers over some very rough ground.

With 17" wheels your choice of tyres is limited, and you can't just swap wheels, you have brakes to consider and your lower fron mudguard. Not only that but once you start sticking a 21" front on the bike the whole geometry of the bike changes and your steering becomes much slower.

To be honest, you just need to adjust your riding for the winter, remember that leaves are very slippy when wet, frost can linger in the shaded areas on the road, the sun will be much lower - and in your face, your visor will mist more, you will get cold, treated surfaces can be slippier than ice at times, etc etc the list goes on.

But the best advice is to slow down a bit, look further ahead, keep your visor clean and your body warm, then you'll be fine.

Unless of course you want to do some off-road work?? in that case, buy a cheap off road bike that you don't mind dropping.... lots!

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Good idea, try putting knobblies on your sm wheels, i know that mitas make a 17" co2. Looks fun and seen them on r1's.... :D

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Hi, earlier this year while enjoying the couple of days of summer we had i decided it was time to stop talking about it and finally go out and get my cbt done. So with that out the way i went straight out and got myself a '05 Yamaha Dt125R SM and have loved every minute of owning it. However with winter now coming up fast i'm not sure i want to just put it away and leave it sitting there for months, so instead have been playing with the idea of fitting some knobblies to her. Only thing i'm not sure about though is what i can fit. Will i be able to just go out and buy a secondhand set of DT125 RE wheels off e-bay and bolt them straight in or is there a difference in anything like swinging-arm length on the SM and RE models?

Thanks in advance.

Shhhesh winter roads and knoblies, no ta

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You big girl ! :lol:

Been there done it, knoblies are for proper dirt not dirty tarmac. If you are fitting tyres for winter you should be going to full road spec, not them silly semi sliks the power rangers use either.

I ran my DT on knoblies for a couple of years, nothing rash just medium surface jobbies. Superb on the trail and perfect for the back of the van on the way home.

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ooooo i think i caught the wrong end here, thought he might of wanted to go have some fun in the snow aswell otherwise no point. :unsure:

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, nothing rash just medium surface jobbies. Superb on the trail and perfect for the back of the van on the way home.

Ah, there's the problem. I had MT70 on the TTR, great trail tyre,great dry road tyre, crap in mud and awfull on wet roads. Changed to the Michelin Enduro III and they are superb on the road, in the wet, trail and mud - but you get speed wobbles anything over 60mph and they last around 800 - 1000 miles if I'm easy on them!!

I have TKC80's on the Tenere, these are a large footprint off-road bias tyre with a knobbly tread pattern(same as they fit to the BMUU GS-A's), much better than the dual sport stuff (Tourances / Sirac)on the road and off, but you get restricted lean angles (there's no chicken strips on even the easiest of riders), you do tend to slide out on tight bends and get funny vibrations at low speeds as the tyre wears. Again these are soft compound tyres and 3000 miles is about the limit.

Up here, in the grim north, I find that knobblies give better grip, but they do slow you down alot on the road, and you just never know what the local farmer has left for you around the next corner!!!

It's a tade off really, go soft compound and you loose distance but get great grip, hard compound give you miles but at the cost of grip. The bike suspension setup has alot to do with it too, the TTR has USD forks, Ohlins rear, progressive springs all round, adjustable damping, compression and rebound - but it still won't stop as fast as the XJR... :o

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Thanks for the replies everyone. Just got paid so gonna have a look at fitting some trail tyres like those Avon Distanza's to my 17"s this week then, they need replacing now anyways so either way i'd need tyres. :)

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