16" Rear Rim
 

Hey everyone - new to the thread but I feel like I've read all of your comments! My apologies to the forum moderator if this question belongs in a different thread.

I've got an '02 GZ and am interested in putting some dual sport tires on front and back but as I know many of you have experienced, finding that back 15inch Dual Sport tread is near to impossible! My end goal is to make a little than a scrambler type of ride that I can take down the legal pulled up railroad tracks up/down, and across the state of MN. Im not looking at doing heavy off-road riding, but it would ideally need to handle well in dirt/pebbles. Im not too worried about a drop in performance which I know is bound to happen when you start playing around with dimensions.

Question:
Besides ordering from an overseas vendor (which does exist), does anyone have any good leads on Dual Sport tread for the 130/90-15 wheel?

If it doesn't exist in North America, does anyone have experience in putting a 16" rim on the rear in order to support 16" tires?

I know some of you might think it's a bad idea all together. All I can say is that I am huge fan of Suzuki, have owned 4 in my day, and I just look at the GZ and it makes me dream of the outdoors.

Thanks!

Just giving it a quick glance, I can find plenty of these tires on Alibaba, but there doesn't seem to be a market for them here in the US.

When it comes to wheel swaps, there will either be something simple that's a direct bolt on that people have discovered, or you'll learn that it's just not worth the effort! lol. Speaking from experience, here. Even putting a wheel from the same manufacturer and same model, but Euro spec, tends to be a nightmare.

Anyway, I will add my two cents, if you're just looking at some very light trail riding, then basic all purpose tires are going to do just fine. You're not going to be leaning the GZ into deep ruts and cutting it in at 90 degrees, you know what I mean? For just pebbles and dirt and grass trails, you'll find that generic treads are going to be pretty good. The Pirelli Route 66, for example, looks like a great all around tire and should do what you want.

Thanks, Jonathan! I am not doing rut ridding - you are right! Thats for a dirtbike!

This is more of a fun project. I did end up going with tires from Alibaba. A note to the wise - if you are looking at Alibaba, make sure to weed out the options for 100 quantity, and 1 quantity. All in all I think I am paying $115 for 2 Duro wheels 110/90-16 and 130/90-15. If it doesn't work, at least Im not out a bunch of money.

The dream I love thinking about is that the GZ250 is small enough to fit on my jeeps back bike carrier. The idea of bringing a half road, half off-road bike on family trips is pretty exciting.

With the tires resolved, I am also looking at some custom muffler work to be done to remove the second pipe from going under the frame and connecting it to the to the right side pipe in-front of the motor. Unfortunately I have limits to my reach so I am having a pro shop look at doing it. I know that when you start messing with pipes, performance can drop and in some states, it's not allowed!

Great forum, I am looking forward to chatting with you all!

Glad you got the tires sorted for now.

I do a lot of business with DH Gate, which is like Alibaba light. No issues to this point. It's a great resource.

Keep us updated here as you work on the bike. People over the years start lots of really cool projects and then either don't finish or vanish from the face of the Earth (lol me). I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

I'll certainly keep you all posted!

My winter project is to get the bike up and running fora 40th Bday solo trip down the old railroad beds turned trails. If anyone is familiar with MN, I am planning on going from Minneapolis to Lake Superior (Duluth) with the goal of staying on trails and fire-roads as far as I can make it - hence the search for dual sport tires!

Love the forum and what everyone talks about!

When it does happen, we would like to see some pictures from your trip. Sounds like a fun jaunt.

This sounds really cool. I can't wait to see your adventures.

Got the tires (dual sport 110/90-16 & 130/90-15) from Alibaba! This tread is awesome too! It took about 1.5 months and a few days of searching to find the single sell option.

Awesome! Show us!

I am interested to hear how those new tires handle for you. Let us know, once you have done some mile on them.