Topic: Rear tire for a cb750k8

[Quail "Owner of the comfortable k8"]

The  rear tire on this bike is a 160/70/17  and it clears the chain guard by 1/16 inch. Is there an advantage to this wide a tire.  The previous owner said it made a world of difference.  What size came on it.  Are tires that look like they have just grooves better than the original knobby type tread.  I read the post on crashes and started to second guess why I bought this fantastic machine.  Then I read the post on helmets and now I want the best tire to stick to the road.  And yes I am new to motorcycles and will ask a heap of dumb questions.

[SteveD CB500F]

There must be a thousand posts on tyres on this (plus the old) site!

These bikes were designed in the days of skinny tyres so I can't really see the point in trying to fit super-wide modern stuff.

In the 70's we used 425/85 as the biggest we could fit.  My current 500 has 100/90 Avon Roadrunner on the rear (4.25 inches = 108mm) so this is slightly narrower - but it's fine!

160mm is 6.3 inches so not surprised that it's a tight fit!!

[El Taco]

I like to stuff as much under the back as I can manage. My chopped CB500 has a 5.00-16 (prehistoric) on it, and my CB550 chop is going to have one a bit bigger.

I say the bigger the better. Whatever will fit without interfering too much. Check the wheel alignment. The swingarm has notches in it that correspond with notches in the chain tensioners. Make sure the lines on the tensioners line up with the same lines on the swingarm, then check your fit. I often find it necessary to bend the rear brake stay a bit to clear the tire, but I run a 16 on the back regardless of what kind of bike.

[Steve]

Hello all,
I,m new to this forum but not new to sohc Hondas. I'm from South Australia and bought my first 750/4 in 1972 - a K! ,and had intermittent periods over the years riding various bikes and recently bought an old 1978 750 f2 to remember the glory days and that is what has lead me here , I can't believe after all these years there is sites like this celebrating those old bikes, it just shows there is others out there who have been touched by these bikes and left such strong impressions on peoples minds.
I recall the original rear tyre on a k1 was a Bridgestone with a ribbed tyre up front and they were skinny by todays standards but they were not the best and some of us back then tried Avons and Pirelli but with the racing I did in the hills I used Dunlop K7 standard on front and one size over on the back. They were the best ,slightly raised inthe middle so more rubber was biting the road when cranked over, don't know if they make them or something similar ,just hope there is some one old enough to back me up!