1980 KZ440 LTD Belt Tire Options/Reccomendations

Hello everyone,

My '80 KZ440 is in need of new tires. Both the front and rear are beginning to crack on the sidewalls from dry rot. She takes a 3.25-19 on the front and 130/19-16 on the rear, according to spec. I do not have the best grasp on tire sizing when it comes to motorcycles because it's a bit cryptic. I have tracked down a set that I like, but I'm not sure if the rear will fit. The Front tire is an exact match at 3.25-19 and can be found here. www.motosport.com/irc-gs11-grand-high-sp...5d=IRC0009-X001-Y002 It's an IRC GS-11 Grand High Speed tire. They do not have an exact match in this tread style for the rear tire, but they do have a 4.60-16 sized rear tire which can be found here. www.motosport.com/irc-gs11-grand-high-speed-rear-tire?variant [IRC000A]=IRC000A-X001-Y003 I'm pretty sure that it would fit the rim on the rear tire just fine, but the width is what I'm unsure about.

Would this rear tire fit alright, you think? And even if it would fit, would it look "goofy" on the bike, given the difference in size from the original tire? The bike is all stock. Any info would be appreciated, or even if you have a particular set of tires that you recommend for this bike! Thanks

Just curious. Why did you pick those tires? Tread Pattern? Cost? or ...
That site has Shinko 712 tires in the needed sizes.
For metric-alpha-inch tire sizing >> do an internet image search for motorcycle tire conversion chart

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martin_csr wrote: Just curious. Why did you pick those tires? Tread Pattern? Cost? or ...
That site has Shinko 712 tires in the needed sizes.
For metric-alpha-inch tire sizing >> do an internet image search for motorcycle tire conversion chart

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I picked them because I liked the tread pattern on them, and thought they sounded like they would provide good performance. Admittedly, I have never bought a set of motorcycle tires before. I've been riding for 3 years and doing my own work the whole time, but I never had a reason to mess with the tires until just recently. Is it not a common practice to select a tire not only by the performance it provides but by the visual look as well? Or do most just find any tire that safely fits what the bike needs, and then buy them regardless of how they look? Honest question!

I think some riders do buy them based on how they look. Some guys like raised white lettering, often times the 1000 Ltd owners. I haven't bought very many sets of tires, but I just try to choose a tire with good traction. I'm currently running Bridgestone Battlax BT45s. my motorcycle uses the same sizes as your 440.

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Buying motorcycle tires can be confusing, even though with these older bikes there are fewer choices every year. For street bikes there are basically three major types of tires, touring, spot touring, sport and antique / classic.
Touring tires focus on long life and performance in the rain. Sport tires focus on dry traction. Sport touring tires fall somewhere in between. Classic tires focus on looks and durability. Yes, these are general characteristics.
Sizing is even more bewildering. In the old days in the U.S., tires used inch measurements like 3.25 - 19. That meant that the bead of the tire was close to 3.25 inches wide, and it would fit a 19 inch diameter wheel. European and Asian manufacturers used metric measurements, which has become the standard. In the 1970s, tire manufacturers began measuring the tasting between the tire width and sidewalk height, so we now have sizes like 110/90-19.
Decide how you will ride and find the proper size.

TexasKZ wrote: Buying motorcycle tires can be confusing, even though with these older bikes there are fewer choices every year. For street bikes there are basically three major types of tires, touring, spot touring, sport and antique / classic.
Touring tires focus on long life and performance in the rain. Sport tires focus on dry traction. Sport touring tires fall somewhere in between. Classic tires focus on looks and durability. Yes, these are general characteristics.
Sizing is even more bewildering. In the old days in the U.S., tires used inch measurements like 3.25 - 19. That meant that the bead of the tire was close to 3.25 inches wide, and it would fit a 19 inch diameter wheel. European and Asian manufacturers used metric measurements, which has become the standard. In the 1970s, tire manufacturers began measuring the tasting between the tire width and sidewalk height, so we now have sizes like 110/90-19.
Decide how you will ride and find the proper size.

Sheesh, they sure didn't make it that easy, did they? My main problem at the moment tho is that I can't seem to find 2 of the same exact tire that will fit. The user, Martin_crs, who posted earlier in my thread mentioned that the site I posted with the tires I liked had Shinko 712 tires in my size on it. However, upon looking, I see only 3.00-18 for the front tire which is not the 3.25-19 mentioned in the spec, and then a rear tire that would fit correctly to spec. I can literally only find mismatching tires, and I really want to avoid that, lol.

I think when the site lists tires for your specific motorcycle, they probably only list the 3.25-19 size.
Using a motorcycle tire conversion chart, a 100/90-19 is the metric equivalent.
I don't know much about Shinko tires & never had a set of them. I just happened to see them in the needed sizes for a matched set.
I did not search for any other tires.

motorsport.com >> Shinko 712 100/90-19 Front

motorsport.com >> Shinko 712 130/90-16 Rear
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According to Kawasaki.com the 1980 KZ440-D1 (LTD) uses 3.25/19 front and 130/90-16 rear tires. The metric equivalent of the 3.25/19 front tire is 100/90-19 (see www.maxxis.com/other-motorcycle-informat...torcycle-tire-school ).

So one option is to buy Pirelli MT66 Route 66 tires. See www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/pirelli-mt66...KfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds and you’ll find that Pirelli offers those sizes. I give that site as an example; you may find better prices elsewhere. Ed

Ah, now I understand. That conversion chart was very helpful. Thank you both. I think it's just a sad byproduct that a bike that is 4 decades old will simply not have a lot of OEM options left, typically. I think I'm going to go with the Pirelli MT66 Route 66 tires. They still look very nice, and are very reasonably priced.

I did find a set of Firestone Deluxe Champion tires that would fit, but they're quite expensive. Although I do like the way they look very much. I'm not sure which I will ultimately decide on, but I'll be sure to update once I do!

Here's the Firestone Tires that I found.
Firestone Front Tire
Firestone Rear Tire

Even though the word "Firestone" may be present on the tire those tires are made by Coker; Firestone has not made motorcycle tires for quite a few decades. I would not use them on any bike I planned to ride since their tread pattern was designed decades ago and is not nearly as good as any modern motorcycle tire tread pattern. Notice even the Coker statement says they are "extremely popular for pre-WWII American motorcycles." The link below explains. Keep in mind that motorcycle tires keep the rider from becoming a stain on the asphalt, so buying really good tires with excellent wet and dry traction characteristics is quite important from a safety perspective. A flat tire on a car is an inconvenience; a flat tire on a bike lead to a tombstone. Ed

www.cokertire.com/tires/styles/motorcycle-bike.html

How about these?
www.avontyres.com/en-us/tyres/?searchtyp...Z+440+LTD+Belt+Drive

I have had good luck with Avons

Try looking at denniskirk.com.

You can enter your year and model of bike and search for exact-fit parts, including tires. I bought a set of tires a couple years ago for my 440 project bike; now if I could only remember what they are.

They're still in the box. I'll try to check tomorrow or on the weekend.