Me again!
When the bike - 1966 650SS engine in a 1963 88 frame - was rebuilt and the wheels needed new rubber I chose the Avon Road Rider 2 which is a 100/90 19 wheel. These are fantastic tyres and I am very impressed by how the bike handles on them.
However since running the bike on the road I have a persistent and ongoing issue with the front mudguard. I've tried a few versions:
1. The original valanced mudguard does not suit the new tyres at all. The bridge is far too narrow. The front wheel does not spin at all with this set up.
2. I then tried the version from the early Commando fastback but the bridge is again too narrow. The tyre does spin but there is almost no clearance - fag paper at best. The mudguard seems to suit the tyres profile quite nicely though.
3. Version three was a lightweight Triton style mudguard with Y brackets but this produces a horrendous booming noise and vibration and as I still have the fork shrouds fitted it's just not suitable and is marking the brackets badly. It's not really what I had in mind for this bike at this time.
What do others using the Avon Road Riders use for a front mudguard? Are there any tricks or some advice I might use to get the bridge from version 2 to work? So far I have not used brute force but this can't be far away....... Help!
Front mudguard and tyre
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Sadly I gave up. Does…
Sadly I gave up. Does anyone want an unused RoadRider? The previous RoadRunner (with the same nominal size) just fitted in. It's possible that a brave person would abrade the extreme outer pointy sides to get it to fit. I don't know if that's either legal or safe.
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Wider fork yokes
From Lance's comment, is it possible to replace the narrow fork yokes with the later 7.3/8" yokes?
You would have to find a wider bridge as well to suit these forks.
As tyre choice for 19" rims is now limited it could help with future tyre replacements as well.
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Fork width
What your post does not say is what width your fork yokes are as the frame being '63 may have the earlier 7" yokes, by '66 they should be 7-3/8, there is also a 325x19 roadrider which is narrower than the 100/90x19.
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Nothing on the bike is…
Nothing on the bike is standard so I'll have to measure this tomorrow and let you know. It also seems that the narrower tyres are getting hard to find in a 19 inch. It's never easy hey?
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As our Previous supply of…
As our Previous supply of European made tyres suitable for fitment to classic bikes has dried up we may have to focus on looking to eastern Europe or the far east . 3.00 x 19" ribbed front and 3.50 x 19 block tread rears appear to be a problem . and the metric " equivalents " are no such thing being measurably wider . Some machines have the extra space needed ,but some have not. Perhaps a regularly updated list of availiable suitable tyres and stockists could be a worthwhile inclusion in Roadholder ?. Members will need to post on the forum their successful experiences with the relevant information. Do we care enough ?.
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I am looking for a 19" rear…
I am looking for a 19" rear tyre for my rigid Inter. Wheel rim is already reduced from 20" original. 18" would look even more wrong and ground clearance would be even worse. Avon seems to be listed at over £120 but not actually in stock. I fear people turned away from Avon Speedmaster/ SM2 in the more popular 18" sizes and now we can't get 19 or 21. 20" has been lost for some years.
Suggestions?
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I've just bought a 3.25 x 19…
I've just bought a 3.25 x 19 Mitas h-06 for my Velo - haven't tried it yet, but a mate has on his velo and it seems to handle well and so far is wearing ok. The 3.50 x 19 h-02 Mitas doesn't last long at all (about 3,000 miles on my ES2).
John
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Thanks John. I now find…
Thanks John. I now find Vintage Tyres has Mitas H-06 at £66 or Dunlop K70 at £148! I think Mitas will do.
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Heidenau K34 is also possible
I bought a Heidenau K34 3.25x19 for my1960 Dominator which turned out to be to wide and fauled the bolts of the mudguard. I then put that tyre on my BMW R100Rt and put a 3.00x19 on the Dominator. It used to have an Avon Speedmaster 3x19 on it, which after 40 years was so stiff that you didn't even have to pump it up.
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It's definitely a 7 3/8 wide…
It's definitely a 7 3/8 wide set up. Thanks for all the tyre related info. Is it possible to mix tyres on the front and rear? I did not think this was wise. Is it legal? Does anyone care?
I'll keep looking for a 90/90 19 to suit but may need to consider a custom setup for the mudguard if not. Changing the tyre looks like a real faff this side of the winter when there are miles to be ridden.
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Very surprised it's 7 3/8…
Very surprised it's 7 3/8 for 1963 model year. The 7 3/8 has the steering lock keyhole on the top crown. RoadRider nearly fits the 7" forks so should be an easy fit in 7 3/8". As it should be in Commando.
Changing from 7" to 7 3/8" needs new top and bottom crowns plus lower stanchions with 3/16" inside extensions to fit the original wheel.
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Hi Kit.
I have a 1966 650SS and I run an Avon Roadrider 90/90 19 on the front and a 100/90 19 on the rear, Additionally my front forks are the wider variety and I suspect yours are the narrower 7" ones, which won't help. Whilst the tyre runs fine it is still fairly close to the mudguard supports (I have the deeply valanced mudguards) and I think your main problem is having too wide a tyre on the front.
HTH