1947 ul tires

[zombiescustoms]

I am the proud new owner of a 1947 ul and I am concerned about the tires, they are old cracked and dry rotted Avons, I plan on riding the bike as much as I can and I was wondering which tires I should put on it. I DO NOT want to use Cokers, they are garbage!!! I don't plan on having the bike judged for originality even though it is mostly original, so should I put a good quality radial? or stick with a vintage style tire??

Thanks Mark AMCA #3673

[Rub]

Mark, stick with a good modern tire such as Continental, Metzler, Avon, Dunlop. Don't use radials! The modern bias ply tires are great for daily use. Radials are designed for modern suspensions and do not work well with rigid/springer combos. Tire pressure is also critical. Don't try to run them too low or handling will suffer. That is one of the Coker problems people have is running too low a pressure. They need to be at about 28# to function or they wallow around. Also, try to find tires with a tall sidewall or ground clearance problems can occur. Enjoy your UL, I love mine! Robbie

[zombiescustoms]

also what size should I look for???

[djohnson]

I run Dunlop d402 on front and d404 on rear of my wifes 46 ul. 139/90-16 at 28# of air pressure with no problems after 2000 miles. They have good ground clearance and don't interfere with the frame or forks when installing.
good luck

doug

[djohnson]

amend that size to 130/90-16
doug