what size paddle tire?

[kx666]

i like to scare the sh *! out of my self, but in the sand my bike cant pull the hills as well, yet...

many years ago a cop clocked me doing a wheele just under a buck thirty (or so he said, i thought it was more like  110mph)

i ride my Yz on the tight trails, the k5 is too heavy for them so she gets the wider trails and i found my self running out of gears, i also change gearing a lot depending on where i ride. 

[kx666]

i really like running lower pressure in the sand, usually 6.2 to 8.6 psi depending on how wet the sand is. my tires were lasting longer with the lower pressure but every one at the shop gave me a hard time but each time i run higher pressure my tire doesnt last but one or 2 rides..

i dont know, do we have a tire expert here??? 

[BDI]

According to my gear ratio calculator the theoretical top speed of your bike is 165 mph. A buddy of mine Jeff price of price racing (a full on Kawasaki factory backed team) went to a dry lake bed with team Honda to do an artical for Dirt Rider magazine. Their goal was to to gear the kx500 and cr500 factory race bikes so high that they would slow down. They started gearing them up a little at a time the cr500 peaked out at 129mph and the kx500 peaked out at 142mph. Jeff loves telling that story because the honda guys striped every thing off the Hondas that they didn't need to run. Jeffs team did not take one bolt off their bike they ran It just like they were in a desert race, skid plates, pipe guards and all. I plan on doing the same thing with my kx500 very soon we are going to use GPS and a radar gun, should be fun. I will be taking pictures and posting all results hear.

[BDI]

i really like running lower pressure in the sand, usually 6.2 to 8.6 psi depending on how wet the sand is. my tires were lasting longer with the lower pressure but every one at the shop gave me a hard time but each time i run higher pressure my tire doesnt last but one or 2 rides..

i dont know, do we have a tire expert here??? 

   I think with the lower pressure the paddles bend backwards and do not hook as well so It would make sense that your tires would last longer. I run the king paddle at 14 psi and it lasts just fine and it hooks awesome. It took some convincing to get me to try that paddle because it was a eight cup my ego kept telling me I had a big bad ass 500 and an 8 cup would never do but I was wrong.

[Arigato]

BDI...No complaints running the 8 blade turbo paddle.  I also run in the 15-20lb. range with it as well.  The only time I get excessive wear is running comp. hill at Dumont because all the sand is blown out at the bottom.

[BDI]

hill at Dumont because all the sand is blown out at the bottom.

                        It gets down to the bed rock,Yes that will kill a paddle in a couple of hours

[alan]

I found a pic of my KX with the monster 560X18 on it!

[mlstoner660]

I also run the king turbo 8 paddle. works good for me hooks up real good throws a killer roost and like BDI said it has little fins on the side between the paddles so its stable at low speeds. never noticed any excesive wheel spin and bike didnt get hot on me ran like a champ. raced some 450's with 10 paddles got off the line in front every time and didnt see them again till i was turning around to line up again. so i dont think i was having excesive spin from a stop

[BDI]

Alan that paddle is a biggen. They probably do not make that in a 19 inch do they.

[alan]

Nope they only make it in a 18" I had to get a special sprocket and chain for it because it has to be all the way back on the adjusters and even then it will eat the flap!  It gives unbelievable traction, the front wheel is never on the ground. You have to steer by moving your butt around on the seat! 

BTW the setup is Paul's!

[BDI]

I have to admit I have never ran that size but I did run a 19 inch 10 cup from those guys. At one time I had this grand idea about building a super moto wheel and having some paddles glued on a shaved street bike tire but that was a pipe dream that never happened.

[don46]

I have to admit I have never ran that size but I did run a 19 inch 10 cup from those guys. At one time I had this grand idea about building a super moto wheel and having some paddles glued on a shaved street bike tire but that was a pipe dream that never happened.

You can go to Skat Trac and get what you described, a street bike tire with paddles glued on. They will make them in any size you want, I have a model t 21" tire shaved with 21 paddles staggered. The problem is that most street bikes are 17", Yamaha uses some 18" and you can use a  18 core and have them build any configuration you desire.

I think your right, paddles tires need to run a higher pressure to prevent flexing.