81 250r front tire swap question

[ToddFrydrych]

hey guys how can i put a narrower tire and rim on my 81r. if i buy a 85 tire rim and hub off of ebay will that hug fit onto my 81 axle? or would i need a 85 front axle too? how would i go about putting a narrows tire on front?

[chris200x]

I think you may have to swap out the whole front end. (triples,forks, brakes..) I'm sure someone will chime in here shortly to correct me if I'm wrong. ;) maybe even a 200x front end???

[Saul]

hey guys how can i put a narrower tire and rim on my 81r. if i buy a 85 tire rim and hub off of ebay will that hug fit onto my 81 axle? or would i need a 85 front axle too? how would i go about putting a narrows tire on front?

You could have an adapter 'plate' made which would allow for a skinnier tire/wheel to be mounted OR you could do a front end swap like I and others have done from a 200x ... (and no ... an 85 tire/wheel/hub won't be a direct bolt on to what you have now)

Here is how mine looks with a 200x front end ..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/SaulAce/250R/lucky13/IMG_1933.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/SaulAce/250R/lucky13/IMG_1935.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/SaulAce/250R/lucky13/IMG_1938.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/SaulAce/250R/lucky13/IMG_1939.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/SaulAce/250R/lucky13/IMG_1943.jpg

I noticed a dramatic improvement in handling and steering after doing this modification. This was a direct bolt on - only mod's needed are to grind the steering stop down a small bit.

My next step is to modify my hub to accept a 10 inch wheel to open up many more options in tire sizes.

A friend over at airfoolers.com also bolted up a second generation R front end on his 1st gen R.

Good luck.