Does anyone know why a 09 wheel is listed to fit only a 09 bike?
Does it have to do with the bearing or axle size?
thanks,

 

Bigger wheel altogether.

 

~130mm (MU85B16) rear tire in '08 and older and '09 Rear tire is a 180mm tire. Therefore you go from a 3.00" or 3.5" rim in '08 & older to a ~5.25" wide rim in '09.

Front wheel is 17" in diameter in '09 vs a 16" diameter for '08 and older.

The '09's also have a totally new tire, developed by Dunlop. The claim is that these new tires are supposed to last 2x as long as before...so if you were getting 9,000 miles on a tire with the old D402, you 'should' get close to 18,000 on the new D407.

Of course, that is all subject to reality, how hard the bike is ridden, road conditions, etc. Time will tell...

Dunlop D407 info

 

Ya, I'd like a reality check on that one. 2X the mileage that is... I'd certainly be happy to see it...

 

I believe that raw was asking is if the hubs are the same. It is well documented that the rim sizes are different. I am sure that the swing arm, rear sub frame, fender et al. must be changed to a wide type if someone wanted a 180mm tire which is a given. I am fairly sure the front would work minus hub dimensions but you would never know until you measure. I would also like to know if someone actually makes measurements. It appears the triple trees, fork sliders, calipers, and rotors do not have new part #'s which is an indication but not a substitute to to measuring.

 

I would like to know too. Rebuilding my '07 Ultra & would be nice to have the bigger tire up front & wider in rear. Is there a wider swing arm avaiable ?

 

So will the 407's be available for older bikes?

 

The width naturally controls how wide a tire is if you are referring to bigger = wider. A 17" rim and a tire is no real amount of taller but depends on what tire profile you buy.

I have been using 17" wheels on my bike as I make (have made for me) Carbon Fiber wheels and a 17" offeres the best "Rubber" for my application. When looking at the tire profile and width, I run a front 140mm but they are the same height (diamater) as a 130 mm 16".

Less sidewall means the harder your bike will ride under stock suspension applications. The less sidewall also means your tire is a bit lighter reducing your weight under motion.

Download the Metzler catalog here and compare

 

hi Howard,

can you tell me what width tyre will fit in the pre09 swingarm? A 5.25" rim should be able to fit down to a 150 or 160 shouldnt it?thanks

Dale

 

I can tell you from talking with a 'lop rep at the York open house that Dunlop will not in the near future offer the d407 in retro sizes. Only for the '09 at the moment. I was also told by the rep they cannot keep up with demand right now. If the upper part of the triple tree is the same for the front, then I could not see why if some one was inclinded to get a chrome lower '09 and retro it in. For the rear of the bearing sizes are the same as a '08 would it just mean a 180 kit to fit an '08?