Roadracing tires?

[bender647]

Hey guys, I have a road track day coming

up, and I'd like to try a little something

different--leaving the RS250 home and

taking the WR400. I'm wondering what's

a reasonable road-only tire for the stock

rims and where can I mail order one fast?

A few guys I race with have supermotard

YZ426's, but they all run 17-inch rims

and slicks.

On the same note, some jetting targets if

I pull the exhaust plug for the day?

And what's top speed with stock gearing?

I'd like at least 75 mph, more than 90

with these brakes would be turn-one

suicide I think.

-Ken

[TeamScream]

Bender;

dont know much about the "enduro' type tires that you may be referring to here but I can tell you that I am doing the same thing to my new '01 WR426 that your buddies have done, I have the rims and tires already but White Bros screwed up and sent me the wrong hub/wheel configuration for the front so I couldnt mount the front brake rotor yet. I was really bummed because as I write this i was supposed to be at a track day with my "Motard" as well.

The trick setup is however the 17" front and rear and going wayyyyyy up on the gearing for faster top end. I currently run a 15/46 on mine and this is still probably too high.

GOod Luck!

and keep in touch here so we can get the super motard info flowing!

Dauv

[linmag]

I tried a WR400 with street tires on stock rims at a track day, but I don't remember what brand they were... It worked much better than I thought it would. That bike had 15(?)/42 in gearing, topspeed about 160 km/h. The stock brakes worked fine at that track since it is a track with no hard braking points.

It was really fun to overtake sportsbikes on a 45 hp dirtbike!! Now, I have ordered a set of SM rims for my WR.

Good luck hunting sportbikes / Magnus

------------------

Yamaha WR400F '99

Aprilia RS250 '99

[Mitch_from_Oz]

Hey there Ken,

I have been racing SM for more than three years. To answer your question, try the following:

- Front, 21", Dunlop Gripster or Pirelli Equivalent

- Rear, 19", You can fit a flat track tire.

Now, make sure you warm the front up as this is a relatively hard tire. Ride agressive, meaning put your weight all the way forward to avoid the front wheel dissapearing on you. Gearing 15/42 actually gave me about 200km/h, but the bike was heavily modified. Oh, one more thing, if you want to back it in.... Approach the corner at high revs. Just when your about to apoply the front breaks and turn in, gear down 2 gears real quick (using the clutch) and then release the clutch (not all the way) resulting in engine compression/breaking. This is what allows you to back it in. BUT, by all means, practise.

Good luck and have fun.

Mitch

[bender647]

Backing it in... yes that would be nice.

Don't know if I have what it takes though.

Did you run any type of sliders? What

gets damaged on this bike when you have

a get-off?

I have a set of tire warmers, but I don't

think that will be necessary.

I'm ignorant of the stock gearing-- can

you get this ratio with the stock chain.

It's only a track day--I don't want to

spend a fortune on the bike until I know

I like it.

Originally posted by Mitch from Oz:

Now, make sure you warm the front up as this is a relatively hard tire. Ride agressive, meaning put your weight all the way forward to avoid the front wheel dissapearing on you. Gearing 15/42 actually gave me about 200km/h, but the bike was heavily modified. Oh, one more thing, if you want to back it in.... Approach the corner at high revs. Just when your about to apoply the front breaks and turn in, gear down 2 gears real quick (using the clutch) and then release the clutch (not all the way) resulting in engine compression/breaking. This is what allows you to back it in. BUT, by all means, practise.

[Gilly426]

I run a WR426 on the road with 17" road tyres I've tried most gearings, the best I've found and use is 15/40, still wheelies off the throttle in 1st & 2nd and will pull to aoubt 100mph.

Gilly

[bender647]

Can I run 15/40 with a stock chain?

[ronwest99]

Here's what I used on my 99 with stock rims this last weekend at FUSA/Super TT:

Front 21": Avon Gripster

Rear 18": Metzler me551. I wish I could have gotten the 140/80 but I had to settle on the 120/80 (only one I could find in town that day).

[bender647]

Here's what I did for my lo-buck track day:

Avon Gripsters front and rear. Not even

wider sizes, a 110 rear!

16 tooth front sprocket (kept the 50

tooth rear).

That's it. I didn't even have time to

adjust the suspension. I ran my Aprilia

in the "fast" group, and switched to the

WR in the "middle" group. It was a riot.

The tires stuck so much better than

I had hoped for. I did back it in

twice, both times by accident (forgetting

I was on a four-stroke!). What a riot.

The straight was boring (you're in 5th

gear and topped out before you even get

to start-finish), but the joy was holding

it open and embarassing open-class

sport bikes by passing them on the outside.

Some priceless moments.

I recommend anyone who lives near a

tight road course try this.

-Ken