19" front wheel or stick with the 18?

[justinope]

Hey again! I've noticed a lot of people on here have stuck with the 18" front wheel from the bike instead of going up to a 19". how have you guys found that to work on and off road? I was thinking it'd be nice for tire choices really mainly but I've noticed on the forums some people have found great functioning tires in the 18" size. Anyone tried a 18 and a 19 front and have an opinion maybe? I think this is my actual last concern before buying tomorrow.

I just figure they use 17/19 on the GS's for a reason and other bikes instead of 17/18 but maybe not

[SpudRider]

I'm happy with the 18-inch front wheel. If I make any change, I will switch to a 21-inch front wheel, but I don't have any current plans to do so.

[detours]

I have the 19" front wheel and love it. CSC sent the 18" with the bike, but I never installed it so I can't compare. The 19 feels very planted on road and dirt, so I have no reason to switch to the 18.

A larger wheel handles rocks and bumps better in general, but spudrider has done more technical trails than me (and most) with his 18" wheel. You might consider sticking with the 18 for now and rebuilding it with a 19" alloy rim later.

[DanKearney]

I swapped the 18" for a 19" and put the Kenda big block tires on the bike. The rubber is so different from the stock tires that I really can't compare the two. Conventional wisdom says bigger front wheel = better trail handling. I'm no expert.

I rode the bike, fully loaded from Denver area to Taos, NM and then a bunch of Forest Service road riding after I arrived. The Kenda's were much better on the packed dirt roads than the standard tires. I'd say the Kendas are just as good on tarmac as I remember the comparable Continental TKC-80's were (on my BMW F650GS).

With the 19" front wheel there are more tire choices in the 50/50 and 70/30 on/off road range that I like to ride on.

Cheers,

Dan K.

[justinope]

hmm I wonder if the 18" wheel would be resellable at all to someone looking for one somewhere either for this bike or others. if I could get back like $100 from it, it'd be a no brainer choice for me

[Huck369]

The 18" does fine, the difference is minimal between the 18 and the 19", the only real difference is choice of tires, but I have found plenty of 18" tires that I like.
I don't think an average rider will be able to tell a difference in the 2....but a 21" would be a big enough difference that it'd be very noticeable....

[DanKearney]

Originally Posted by justinope

hmm I wonder if the 18" wheel would be resellable at all to someone looking for one somewhere either for this bike or others. if I could get back like $100 from it, it'd be a no brainer choice for me

I plan to swap the original 18" front wheel and OEM tire back on when I am doing my commuting runs and put the 19" knobbie back on when trail riding is in the offing.

Cheers,

Dan K.

[Parker]

I am planning on tackling a BDR next spring and thought I'd try a 19-inch tire on the front of the RX-3 and a 13t sprocket. I figure this will give me a little more on the bottom end for the dirt without affecting handling on the paved portions of the route. Any thoughts?

[Lee R]

I've ridden both (friends has the 18 I have 19) No difference on road that I could tell. I bought it for the greater selection of tires but you have options with the 18".

The 13T sprocket helps a bunch on dirt, I swapped mine out. I'll probably gear even lower but it'll impact max speed on road.

[SpudRider]

I don't have a motorcycle lift, so I need to lie down on the driveway to check the flywheel inspection port for TDC. It's much easier for me to sit, and check the cam inspection ports for the timing marks.

[detours]

I think for any of the BDRs, you will appreciate the advantage of the 19" wheel, especially for only $200.

Also, the 13T front sprocket will be essential for your trip. You might also want to consider a 45T or 46T rear sprocket for some extra low gearing.

Spudrider has the 13T/46T combination and says he likes it a lot. I have the 13T with the stock 44T rear. But I plan to install the 45T rear before next season. I'm going with the 45T to more easily maintain highway speeds.

[RedSpruce]

I am currently running a 19" front wheel with Kenda Big Block tires on the front and rear. I also have a 13t front sprocket and 44t rear. I really enjoy this setup, my experience is that the bike is more manageable in double/singletrack without hurting it's pavement capabilities.

[StevieUT]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I'm happy with the 18-inch front wheel. If I make any change, I will switch to a 21-inch front wheel, but I don't have any current plans to do so.

Hey Spud, I dented my stock rear rim a little and I'm planning on taking the opportunity to lace up a a new warp 9 rim. However I'm thinking about going with an 18x2.5 rear and a lower sprocket. With a 18" rear would you recommend going up to a 21" front? I'm hoping that would make the bike more trail friendly. Any drawbacks to this config in your opinion?

[willy dog]

Originally Posted by StevieUT

Hey Spud, I dented my stock rear rim a little and I'm planning on taking the opportunity to lace up a a new warp 9 rim. However I'm thinking about going with an 18x2.5 rear and a lower sprocket. With a 18" rear would you recommend going up to a 21" front? I'm hoping that would make the bike more trail friendly. Any drawbacks to this config in your opinion?

the 17inc. rear can bottom out and scrape the inside of the fender and air box would be careful adding to rear tire

[surfndirt]

Originally Posted by willy dog

the 17inc. rear can bottom out and scrape the inside of the fender and air box would be careful adding to rear tire

Exactly, and this is a 18" with a K270, plastic shield guarding airbox has completely eroded away, and the screw holding the airbox sides together is no longer existing since its work down through the thread hole, mudflap hook is no longer there either. Added JB plastiweld as a temporary fix on some of these things

Airbox is about to get broken next, not to mention the caliper bolt dents in my muffler. Yes I ride it like a rally bike...but hey...I can't say it hasn't gotten through anything I've thrown at it. Currently in contact with CSC if they can work with me on somehow amending this issue.

13t sprocket and stock front size is fine for offroad, sand just takes some getting used to with this bike, as well as knowing it's limits with ruts.