[GSS]

Thanks GSS. Hey so you put a 19 inch on the front?
Whats the benefit of this? im curious.

Many early C5s had a tendency to wobble at high speeds due to their frame and fork geometry.  RE corrected this by first adding 19" front wheels and calling it a C5 "special" and then they completely changed the front fork to straight shocks without the offset at the lower end to fix this issue.  Nfieldgear sells a 19" wheel and spoke kit for this and Hitchcocks sells complete 19" slightly used wheels for the C5.  I had cured most of the wobble by other tweaks, but decided to put it to rest by lacing up a new wheel.....best decision ever and the resulting ride with the K70s is perfect.

[gremlin]

.......does it matter if the front is a k70 and the back is the stock tire?

for everyday riding you will be fine.  However, a racetrack star would probably have a different opinion.

[barenekd]

.......does it matter if the front is a k70 and the back is the stock tire?

If you have a Skidmaster on the back, it will make a big difference on how well the bike steers. Since the Avon is designed for sidecars, it is very flat across the profile. This slows down the steering considerably and doesn't have much rubber on the ground as the bike leans. The bigger question is how do you ride? Do you just putter around and never challenge a turn? Or do you like to kinda to "tear up the Twisties"?. If the former, it doesn't really matter what tire you run. If the latter, your best bet was to have gotten rid of that rear tire yesterday! You would like the way the bike steers much better if you do get rid of it. Just about anything is better!
Bare

[barenekd]

Bare, how do you like that Moto Guzzi? It looks like one hell of a great machine.

The Guzzi is quite nice. I've got just about 4000 miles on it now,and we are getting on quite nicely. it handles great and sticks really well with the Pirellis. It's not particularly fast, but it will do the ton. It's been averaging 52 mpg, a long way from the Bullet, but it's got the performance to justify it. It's not quite as comfortable as my Bullet was, but it's close enough for gummint work.
It's not much of a challenge to ride as the Bullet was. I don't have to judge car passes or steep hills, it just goes!
It does get attention, almost as much as the Bullet. Most people think it's an old bike. I wish I could've waiting for the RE Continental, but that was 3 months and 4000 miles of riding I would've missed and still be missing, so I'm really glad I bought it!
Bare

[Ducati Scotty]

The V7 Racer is just a super cool looking bike.  I'm betting if you really want the Continental when it gets here, you could sell/trade the Guzzi and have enough capital to get it.  Though at 535cc and with more HP, it may be closer to Guzzi perfomance than your old steed.

Scott

[boggy]

3.50-19's are mounted front and rear on my Iron Barrel.
I should raise the front mudguard by a bout 3/4 inch just to be safer.

Same, but on my AVL.  That k70 4.0 will rub.  3.50 front and back have felt great so far.  Sounds like you need a new shop.

[barenekd]

I'm betting if you really want the Continental when it gets here, you could sell/trade the Guzzi and have enough capital to get it.  Though at 535cc and with more HP, it may be closer to Guzzi perfomance than your old steed.

Jack and I discussed getting another one, but we kinda decided we'd "been there, done that", and it was time to move on!
However, the dealership where I got the RE has been considering getting the Guzzi dealership. They're in the process of buying a new location and when they finish moving, they are going to look into it. Be fine with me, I like those guys!
Bare

[Ice]

Same, but on my AVL.  That k70 4.0 will rub.  3.50 front and back have felt great so far.  Sounds like you need a new shop.

 Plenty of clearance in the rear and just enough up front for road riding.
We do ride in the rough however and a bit more space between the front tire and fender will be welcomed to more easily pass rocks picked up by the tread.

[Ducati Scotty]

Jack and I discussed getting another one, but we kinda decided we'd "been there, done that", and it was time to move on!
However, the dealership where I got the RE has been considering getting the Guzzi dealership. They're in the process of buying a new location and when they finish moving, they are going to look into it. Be fine with me, I like those guys!
Bare

I was going to buy a bike I had had before.  My wife talked me out if it, said to try something new.  She was right

[Craig McClure]

I'm going to get a pair of k70's once my front tires wear out/go flat. Btw, I know both tires are 19" but does it matter if the front is a k70 and the back is the stock tire?

Only thing that matters, is not the mixing of the two, but that the stock rear "skidmaster" just i'snt good enough to keep using. I didn't feel safe on mine, & suggest you replace yours. I'm running a 3.50X19 CHING SHIN  K70 Clone on the rear, they were great tires but no longer available. My new front Dunlop 3.25X19  K70 was "made in Japan" with a more modern rubber compound than the old Brits had. They both work great for general utility, or sporty riding.

[Ducati Scotty]

When mixing and matching front and rear tires the most important thing is never to get a stickier back tire.  If one tire is going to let go at the limit, you don't want it to be the front.  That said, when mixing tires the profiles and lots of other characteristics of the two may or may not work well for any given bike.  Also a bad idea to mix one bias ply with one radial.

Scott

[Ice]

 The Safety Mileage is a good rear tire for plodding about and served me well as a commuter tire. It outlasted three Speedmaster MkII front tires. I only replaced it ( with another SM ) due to age hardening and cracking.  The replacement SM is still serviceable and is tucked away along with the SMkII front for just in case.

 The square shoulder of the S.M. does make for an "interesting" riding experience at hard lean angles. By that I mean that in a good lean when the tire is riding up on the shoulder it feels like a tug of war is going on in rear and the bike wants to both dive down and stand up at the same time.

 The contact patch in between tire and road at that position is incredibly small and the rubber is of harder compound. There is absolutely no room for error.

 In theory a K70 up front would be an improvement over the straight rib SMkII front especially in the wet and on steel deck bridges but I would not mix it with a S.M. rear as it would make it that much easier for me to get up on that tires square shoulder.

 Out of necessity I have mixed and matched tires types in the past as a short term "get me by for now" type of thing but was acutely aware of the risk and consequences. I recommend against it.

  The K70's mounted on TIMEX now have more grip than the K70's I remember from the past. Certainly they allow for a more sporty ride than the standard tires. Whats more important though is the increase in traction that affords a wider margin of safety in normal riding.

[mattsz]

I've been discussing the mounting of a K70 3.5x19 tire on the front wheel of the B5, which has the fully strutted fender and fork cover tubes like the C5.  I currently run 3.25 front, 3.5 rear, but it's just too darn cold (below zero F) in my garage right now for me to go poking around trying to estimate how the larger front tire would fit under the fender.

Am I correct in stating that the only difference between the sizes is the width?  If so, the tire should easily clear the fender - except maybe for where the fender bulges inward on the sides to clear the fork cover tubes.  Anybody put any thought into this, or try it?

EDIT:  I found this other post

http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,16727.0.html

discussing this very issue, but no real resolution.  Boots, did you ever mount the 3.5 K70 on your B5?

[Ducati Scotty]

Tires with that sizing standard have a 100% sidewall, so a 3.5 is .25 taller than a 3.25.  Should be fine.

We once tried to fit a 4.1 on a G5 front.  It fit but the clearance was too close for comfort so we didn't run it.  I suspect the 3.5 would fit just fine.

Scott

[High On Octane]

The small number in non-metric tire sizing is the cross width of the tire, not the height.   A 3.5" tire is going to be .25" WIDER than a 3.25" tire, not taller.  To it can be confusing because when you put a wider tire on a narrower rim it forces the tire upward making people think it's taller.

Scottie