81 honda atc 200

Tires for split rims?

Most modern tires use a wire bead to secure the tire to the rim when there is pressure from the side (skidding, stump, rocks), the early atc wheels were split rims without a raised area (bead lock). They relied on the original tires (Ohatsu) having a very wide contact area with the wheel. The original tires had a bead area that was 1+1/4" (7cm) wide, most modern tires have a bead area that is 1/4" (6mm) wide. My local honda shop used to stock a tire 25x12-9 that had a bead area similar to the original tire. They no longer do because there are so few buyers for that type. They did not have a lead for where to get the old style tire, Do you?

I have mounted the new style tires that rely on a raised bead lock on splits rims many times over the years, and only knocked them off twice. 2psi just is not enough force to hold that bead in place under hard conditions. The original wheelers relied on a soft tire with low pressure to act as suspension and provide low ground pressure. These days I mount a soft tire (Heng Shin Knobby) on modern one piece rims and keep the pressure low, but would like to find a replacement tire for the split rims. Do you have any leads? What works for you? Thanks Den