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Looking at new tires and have a question

5K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  Underdog 
#1 ·
I am looking at putting some new rubber on my 08 King 750.

#1 -I am thinking about the Kenda Bear Claw tires. Anyone have any idea if they are good tires?

#2 - I currently have 25-8 on the front and 25-10 on the back. Should the fronts always be smaller?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
#4 ·
I have a set of the original Bear Claws my 300 King Quad. They are a great tire and do well in various conditions such as hard packed, sand, mud, snow, etc. If it ever came down to getting tires again i would not hesitate to get them. However, if i could I'd love to try out the new Bear Claw HTR's, but they do not make them in my size for my 300 KQ. But they do for your '08 750 AXI. (Bearclaw HTR) According to the size chart the HTR's come only in 25x8-12 and a 25x10-12 for 25" tall tires, which is exactly what your stock size is already. However, you can can run bigger tires if you want, but i would keep the offset sizes. Meaning if you want to upgrade to say a 26x10-12 on the (Front) and a 26x12-12 on (Rear), keep the 2 inch width difference between the two. And lastly, the bigger the tire you go the more chances are that you may either have to add a lift kit or a clutch kit, or both.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the info. I plan on staying with the stock size for now. What is the difference between the regular and the HTR Bear Claws that would make you want to go with them over the ones you have now ? Thanks for the link, I will take a look at them.
 
#6 ·
There are subtle differences between the two. The original Bear Claw are 6 ply rated and have way more size selection then HTR's do. And the original Bear Claws are not full on radials like the HTR's are, but do have very similar riding characteristics. The HTR's on the other hand are 8 ply rated and are full on radials, but like i mentioned are very limited in their size selection over the original Bear Claws. I have personally only tried the original Bear Claws. But if the HTR's are anything like the originals are but slightly improved upon, then you can't go wrong.
Original Bear Claws: (Bearclaw)
New Bear Claw HTR: (Bearclaw HTR)
 
#7 ·
I looked at both on their website. What advantage does the full radial have from an off road perspective? Is it more durable? Im just trying to justify the added expense of the HTR's over the regular Bear Claw.

Thanks!
 
#8 ·
ajl719

i have a 92 king quad 300
stock wheel and tires are
FRONT 24-08-11
REAR 25-10-12

i would like to get the same width tire all around and keeping the 1 inch offset as youve mentioned
FRONT 25-10-11
REAR 26-10-12

my question is this: will the 25-10-11 tire fit on the stock 8-11 rim? or would that extra 2 inch of width effect anything?
 
#10 ·
First off if you want to up in size that is not a problem, as long as you keep the offset sizes. But if anything i would suggest going no bigger then 9" wide on the front otherwise you may have contact issues with the steering knuckle etc. Lastly, when you read tire sizes the only thing you really need concern yourself with is the last number. This number here is your rim size, the other numbers are simply how high the tire is in inches and how wide the tire is in inches. Example: (25x10-12) The first number which is 25 corresponds to the height of the tire in inches. The second number which is a 10 corresponds to width of the tire in inches. And the last number which is a 12 corresponds to the rim diameter in inches the tire will fit on.

As you can see you can put almost any tire on you want as long as it fits that particular rim diameter. But you also need to be concerned with rubbing issues or steering interference if you go with to tall of a tire or to wide of a tire. Especially so if it's one for the later model Quadrunners or King Quads.
 
#9 ·
Radial tires make more surface contact with the ground then bias tires do. In general radial tires are better because of improved handling and traction. Each type has their own purpose, but overall the radials are better in my honest opinion. Here's a list of advantages and disadvantages over the two. First off, lets' start with the bias tires.

Bias Tire Advantages:

* Strong sidewalls, tough casing
*Better sidewall puncture resistance
* Good lateral stability (Hill Side Work)
* God in rough terrain and off-road
* Self-Cleaning
* Easily repaired
* Low Purchase Price

Bias Tire Disadvantages:

* Poor life expectancy, (50% of radial)
* Lack of flexibility in casing reduces foot print and traction
* Tread flexes more, generating heat and rolling resistance
* Greater rolling resistance and fuel inefficiency
* Profile of the tire increases soil compaction and reduces traction

Radial Tire Advantages:

*Good high speed capacity
* Longer lasting, (Up To 50% Longer)
* Wear resistant
* Low heat build-up
* Lower rolling resistance
* Better fuel economy
* Better floatation and larger contact area
* Less soil compaction
* Better stability and machine handling
* Smoother, more quiet ride
* Proliferation of tires in the last 10 years has mostly been radial

Radial Tire Disadvantages:

*More prone to puncturing
*More difficult to repair
* Higher purchase price

As you can see they both have their advantages and disadvantages. But if you decide on radials try and find the one with the highest ply rating, 8 is the largest that i know of. The original Bear Claws are 6 ply and pretty tough to begin with. I even had a nail lodged in one of the lugs and had it looked at by my local garage. He then called me and told me he just pulled it out and it was fine. Anyhow, just to show you the difference between the two read this: (Bias vs Radial Tires : ATV Tire Comparison : Mud-Throwers.com) It'll explain the differences between the two, which is also where i grabbed the advantages/disadvantages info.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for your help AJ! I appreciate it. I think that I am going to go wiht the original Bear Claw's for now. For what I will be using the ATV for the added cost of the HTR tire isnt worth it right now.

Thanks Again!!
 
#12 ·
As i mentioned the riding characteristic are pretty much the same. You will find that the original Bear Claw's ride like radials which is surprising they are not. Anyways, I'm sure you'll be happy with them. Let me know what you think of them when you get a chance.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I dont' know if you made the leap yet but last weekend I had the chance to take my first trip out with my KQ400 and its new Bearclaws. I only made it a few miles before my overly rich jetting fouled my sparkplug but from what I've seen of the Bearclaws I'm really happy with them. I put 26x9x12 on all four corners. The stock tires were actually only about 24 1/4 inch tall and my Bearclaws measured a true 26 inches even though many say they run short. They were also wider than the stock rears. Traction, ride, handling are all vastly improved. The tires feel soft and absorb a lot of bumps yet they don't feel like they roll to make the bike feel tippy. I won't have a chance to try them in some real mud until next time but I think they will be a major improvement over stock. One thing surprised me about them. Many say they are very tough and long lasting so I was expecting the rubber to be very hard but the rubber is actually very soft and the tires get a lot of traction. I don't expect them to perform like a true mud tires in the muck but honestly I want to be able to keep them spinning and not rob a lot of power from my 400. They were also pretty light feeling. There wasn't much difference from the stock tires and they don't feel heavy on the machine at all.

btw, I agree with the above the Bearclaws ride a lot like redials. They seem to squat down nicely without rolling like I expected them to.
 
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