I'm having trouble finding a good set of rear tires for my girlfriends 1999 yamaha Beartracker 250 (2wd). I''m still new to the whole ATV scene so any help would be appreciated.

We ride mostly at wayne national forest in southern ohio, which is all trails in the woods. We will also be going to Hatfield & McCoy next month.

I was thinking about something wider and flatter than the stocks because the thing tips pretty easily from side to side.

Any suggestions?

 

It would be helpful if you listed your stock tire size.

 

Oh sorry. The stock size is 22x10-10.

 

ITP Mud Lites or Maxxis Sur Trak in 22x11-10 or Kenda Bear Claws in 22x12-10 will give you a little extra width. The Bear Claws are the heaviest of the three. Go to DennisKirk.com for and do a search for each of these tire sizes for pictures.

 

I was at a dealership the other day and they had both the Mud Lites and Bear Claws there and, man, are those Bear Claws heavy.
The tire looks nice but I'm worried about all that added wieght and it only being a 250.

I've heard that the Mud Lites wear very quick and need to be replaced every season or two.

Have not heard much about the Sur Traks. It says its only a 2 ply tire. How is it compared to the 6 ply tires like the Bear Claws and Mud Lites?

 

Another thing to think of is: Do you want those big tires on the front? Not much need on a two wheel drive. I'd look at maybe Mudlites for the rear and 489's for the front. That way the steering isn't rough like it would be with Mudlites on the front. Also you'll save some $$$ because the 489's are less expensive.
Buck

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: IHaveToBorrowAnATV

I was at a dealership the other day and they had both the Mud Lites and Bear Claws there and, man, are those Bear Claws heavy.

The tire looks nice but I'm worried about all that added wieght and it only being a 250.



I've heard that the Mud Lites wear very quick and need to be replaced every season or two.



Have not heard much about the Sur Traks. It says its only a 2 ply tire. How is it compared to the 6 ply tires like the Bear Claws and Mud Lites?</end quote></div>


Yep, it's a trade off. The Bear Claws are heavier but have more puncture protection and wear like iron. The Mud Lites are are light but are more easily punctured and wear faster. Depends on what is more important to you. You will lose a little bit of acceleration with the Bear Claws as compared to the Mud Lites.

The Sur Traks are similar in tread design to the Bear Claws but weight is closer to the Mud Lites. I can't speak for them as I haven't ridden on them yet, but I have heard good things about them and plan to order them soon for our Ozark 250. Our other Ozark 250 has the Bear Claws. Go here for more info on the Sur Traks:

http://www.maxxis.com/products...oduct_detail.asp?id=48

 

Well, we just got back from a weekend of riding and the girlfriend tipped the beartracker on the side twice. Once was not her fault, she met head on with a 450r on a blind curve while going up a hill, but not to bad for only her second time out.

The front tires arn't to bad so I was only looking at replacing the rears.

Do the Sur Traks have a flat footprint? I think having a less rounded tire will help with the stability.