Rim specification

[Fearless]

G'day all

Trying to find the specifications of the rims on our Spyders.

What I need is the rim size and type: eg J type.

Where can I find this information please.

We have this guy here in Oz that states that if you put car tyres on it will not be roadworthy. I believe that this guy has been brainwashed by BRP that only Crapenda tyres are to be fitted.

As we all know, there are many suitable alternatives out there.

Cheers from Australia (burning 2 weeks ago and now flooding)
Frank

[Ex-Rocket]

Well it all depends on what year Spyder you have. 2008-2013 had 14" rims on the front and 2014- present have 15" rims on the front. I believe that all the rims either the 14 or 15 inch are type J which is suitable for a car tire. Over here in the good USA that's what most owners are doing putting an excellent car tires on their Spyders.

[yellow peril]

I believe it is cast into the rim back side in the spoke area

[jcoats1]

08 thru 12 have 14" and 13 thru now have 15"

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I believe it is cast into the rim back side in the spoke area

…. annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd I remember reading on the KENDA tire sidewall that it REQUIRES a " J " DOT designated Rim / Wheel …… I have been stating this for years now ….. good luck … Mike

[Peter Aawen]

G'day all

Trying to find the specifications of the rims on our Spyders.

What I need is the rim size and type: eg J type.

Where can I find this information please.

We have this guy here in Oz that states that if you put car tyres on it will not be roadworthy. I believe that this guy has been brainwashed by BRP that only Crapenda tyres are to be fitted.

As we all know, there are many suitable alternatives out there.

Cheers from Australia (burning 2 weeks ago and now flooding)
Frank

Is he a dealer or a tyre fitter/tyre professional, Frank? If not, then what??

Regardless of the different rim sizes, at least so far all Spyder Rims are clearly marked as 'J' type rims and even if they weren't clearly marked as such, the bead profile is obviously a 'J' type CAR bead profile and NOT a Motorcycle bead profile, so if he's got ANY real knowledge & understanding of the Laws in Australia, he'd know that it's illegal for a tyre fitter to install a Motorcycle Tyre (with Motorcycle bead profiles) onto a 'J' type rim.

Expanding upon that a little, for any tyre they fit the Dealer/tyre fitter has a responsibility to ensure that the tyre profile matches the rim type & profile; and the vehicle operator also has a responsibility for ensuring that they don't use a vehicle on the roads that has a tyre with the incorrect bead profile for the rim it's fitted onto - so everyone involved in this has a degree of responsibility for ensuring that your Spyder ONLY gets tyres fitted with bead profiles that suit 'J' type rims, ie normal 'car type' bead profiles..... and that also means that any tyre that has a Motorcycle bead profile is OUT and if this bloke you mentioned fitted a Motorcycle tyre onto the OE Spec Spyder rims it definitely would make your Spyder Unroadworthy!! So he's got it all A*** about!

Ps: the 'Special Motorcycle Tire Only' marking on the sidewall of the OE Spec Kendas is apparently a 'made up' term decided upon by Kenda &/or BRP, probably in an attempt to limit their liability if anyone was foolish enough to fit such a lightly constructed tyre to a 'real car', since these Kendas are only legally allowed to be fitted onto car rims!

Pps: I purposely used 'tyre' most of the time in the above reply simply because Fearless/Frank is an Aussie, and here in Australia, the correct spelling of that word is 'tyre', unlike in the USA, where it's 'tire'....

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

According to US Federal regs all rim designs must be published, either by drawings or references to standard designs as listed in any one of several tire and rim manufacturers association annual digests. Now, finding one of them will be the challenge. You can buy one, I think, from one of the associations but the price will be in the hundreds of dollars. Your best bet most likely is to find someone who is in one of these associations who can show you the info. Maybe, you can get the info from the US National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I just sent an email to Kenda asking them to send me information about the rim design their Spyder tires are designed to fit. Let's see what I get back. The law says that information is to be made available to the public.

[BajaRon]

The Spyder comes with car rims and car tires. This has been long established and there is no reasonable argument to the contrary.

The stock Kenda tires could be mounted to any suitable sized car wheel. However, they are constructed as to be too weak to safely carry the weight of a car. This is the only reason they state, for safety reasons, for 'Motorcycle' use only. The confusion starts with the fact that the Spyder is not really a motorcycle and does not use motorcycle wheels. But governments have to categorize it as something. And, for most, it is easier to call it a motorcycle than to make a special designation for it. So, the stock Kenda tires require a car rim/wheel, and vise-versa.

If someone attempted to mount an actual motorcycle tire to a Spyder rim, it would create a very dangerous situation. As a true motorcycle tire has a completely different bead design which is not designed to work with a car wheel bead.

So, the indisputable facts are these.
1- OEM Kenda Tires are a Car Tire Design
2- Spyders wheels/rims are a Car Design or the tires would not fit
3- You can safely mount a properly sized car tire on any Spyder Wheel/Rim

Though the discussion will surely go on forever. There is no logical reason for it other than clarification for those understandably confused by the unfortunate terminology used.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The Spyder comes with car rims and car tires. This has been long established and there is no reasonable argument to the contrary.

The stock Kenda tires could be mounted to any suitable sized car wheel. However, they are constructed as to be too weak to safely carry the weight of a car. This is the only reason they state, for safety reasons, for 'Motorcycle' use only. The confusion starts with the fact that the Spyder is not really a motorcycle and does not use motorcycle wheels. But governments have to categorize it as something. And, for most, it is easier to call it a motorcycle than to make a special designation for it. So, the stock Kenda tires require a car rim/wheel, and vise-versa.

If someone attempted to mount an actual motorcycle tire to a Spyder rim, it would create a very dangerous situation. As a true motorcycle tire has a completely different bead design which is not designed to work with a car wheel bead.

So, the indisputable facts are these.
1- OEM Kenda Tires are a Car Tire Design
2- Spyders wheels/rims are a Car Design or the tires would not fit
3- You can safely mount a properly sized car tire on any Spyder Wheel/Rim

Though the discussion will surely go on forever. There is no logical reason for it other than clarification for those understandably confused by the unfortunate terminology used.

" the Spyder is not really a motorcycle " ….. it is according to US Fed. DOT rules ….. which say if any vehicle has LESS than Four wheels, it is classified as a Motorcycle ….. Some proof - if you import a Morgan CAR ( which only has Three wheels ) into the USA , it becomes a Motorcycle and can only be registered as a Motorcycle. ( something I've posted about a couple of years ago …… your welcome ….. …… Mike

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

" the Spyder is not really a motorcycle " ….. it is according to US Fed. DOT rules ….. which say if any vehicle has LESS than Four wheels, it is classified as a Motorcycle ….. Some proof - if you import a Morgan CAR ( which only has Three wheels ) into the USA , it becomes a Motorcycle and can only be registered as a Motorcycle. ( something I've posted about a couple of years ago …… your welcome ….. …… Mike

The Fed will probably in time adopt the definitions many states use. That is, if it has three wheels, a handlebar, and you straddle it, it's a motorcycle. If it has three wheels, a steering wheel, and you sit in a car like seat, it's an autocycle. Licensing, seat belt and helmet use, and driver's license requirements are different between the two categories.

[Fearless]

G'day Peter

You hit the nail on the head. Not sure what this blokes qualifications are but was stated as "advice from a VicRoads registered Can Am Spyder roadworthy tester who won't pass a Can Am with car tyres through an RWC."

Glad I live in Queensland where roadworthy's are only required when you sell the bike.

I wonder if it has been pointed out to him the specs of the tyres from Crapenda verses any car tyre. Fronts are 55H (no load specified that I could find but 210kph) and rear is 76H 400kg and 210kph. A rear tyre Falken ZIEX ZE 912 225/50R15 91V (615kg 240kph)..

I know what I would rather have on the rear - Falken.

Cheers guys and girls for your assistance in this matter. (bit like a tyre discussion - long and with many thoughts).

Frank

[Peteoz]

Fearless, if a roadworthy inspector knocks back your aftermarket car tyres (and they would have to be absolutely anal to do so), then you have no choice other than to go back to Kenda or find another inspector.

The big question is whether you are happy in your own mind that your insurance company MAY try to knock back a big insurance claim like lifetime medical assistance for you or someone you hit. That is most unlikely unless the aftermarket tyre can actually be proved to be the direct cause of the accident, so I have no issue running aftermarket, but everyone is different.

Forget about arguing with the guy in Melbourne. It will be part of your life you will never get back. He is one of those “anals” I mentioned earlier, who will not accept ANY viewpoint that differs from his own, regardless of any alternate facts. It doesn’t matter what your argument is, he will refute it. Just make your own call

Pete

[merlot]

What I need is the rim size and type: eg J type.

Where can I find this information please.

hi frank....i found said info on the kenda tyre...not sure if thats definitive enough tho

Front tyres

it says 5.0 J

Rear tyre it says 7.0 J

Kenda



Nankang



russ

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

What I need is the rim size and type: eg J type.

Where can I find this information please.

hi frank....i found said info on the kenda tyre...not sure if thats definitive enough tho

Front tyres

it says 5.0 J

Rear tyre it says 7.0 J

Kenda



Nankang



russ

This means ( for OEM Kenda tires ) the rims are 5 in. & the rear are 7 in. ….. and the legal rims MUST be … " J " type …..Mike

[Peter Aawen]

This means ( for OEM Kenda tires ) the rims are 5 in. & the rear are 7 in. ….. and the legal rims MUST be … " J " type …..Mike

And that means YOU CAN NOT LEGALLY FIT A MOTORCYCLE TYRE ONTO YOUR SPYDER while-ever it has these rims on it - rims which are the standard rims that come from the factory!! So all this crap from some Dealers about them 'legally' only being allowed to fit the OE Spec Kendas is just that - CRAP!

And at least here in Australia, if you are Legally running J type rims on your vehicle, then it means that you are legally allowed to fit ANY 'P' designated tyre (P for Passenger Car) that is within the legal size range and which MEETS OR EXCEEDS the specified load & speed requirements stated on the tyre placard... and when it comes to our Spyders & the OE Spec Kendas, that really isn't very hard at all!

[BajaRon]

And that means YOU CAN NOT LEGALLY FIT A MOTORCYCLE TYRE ONTO YOUR SPYDER while-ever it has these rims on it - rims which are the standard rims that come from the factory!! So all this crap from some Dealers about them 'legally' only being allowed to fit the OE Spec Kendas is just that - CRAP!

And at least here in Australia, if you are Legally running J type rims on your vehicle, then it means that you are legally allowed to fit ANY 'P' designated tyre (P for Passenger Car) that is within the legal size range and which MEETS OR EXCEEDS the specified load & speed requirements stated on the tyre placard... and when it comes to our Spyders & the OE Spec Kendas, that really isn't very hard at all!

Aahhh! Logic based on fact! What a unique approach! I'm afraid you aren't going to get very far with this tactic in some places... It lacks a certain amount of DRAMA that so many are looking for these days!

On a more serious note. A 'P' designation might matter Down Under. But I'm not sure it matters here.

And I've always been curious if anyone has ever experienced a negative outcome with a 'Car' tire mounted to their Spyder. If they have, I have not heard of it. With the number of owners putting car tires on their Spyder. You'd think we'd have heard of at least 1 negative report. I am currently on my 3rd car tire (rear). I'm not going back.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

And that means YOU CAN NOT LEGALLY FIT A MOTORCYCLE TYRE ONTO YOUR SPYDER while-ever it has these rims on it - rims which are the standard rims that come from the factory!! So all this crap from some Dealers about them 'legally' only being allowed to fit the OE Spec Kendas is just that - CRAP!

And at least here in Australia, if you are Legally running J type rims on your vehicle, then it means that you are legally allowed to fit ANY 'P' designated tyre (P for Passenger Car) that is within the legal size range and which MEETS OR EXCEEDS the specified load & speed requirements stated on the tyre placard... and when it comes to our Spyders & the OE Spec Kendas, that really isn't very hard at all!

Thanks for getting " Bold " about this ...... However I don't think the " P " designation matters, I believe the tire only needs to be a " J " fitment tire bead .... I certainly wouldn't recommend any truck / SUV tires ( waaaay too stiff ), but they usually are " J " bead in the smaller sizes …. Mike