[TECK]

I'm pretty excited. I decided few weeks ago to get a 280 kit from G&S Cycles.
It should take 3-4months before I have installed. I asked Eric to take his time and make something special...
I was wondering if other 280 warriors could share their riding/technical experience on the new phat tire.

I've been watching endless times this video. I can't wait to ride my baby with that monster on...
The regular 200 tire looks so thin compared to the 280 one, when they ride side by side.

I will include below any technical details other 280 owners reported.

Techical Observations from Other 280 Owners
Stronger pull toward the outer edge of the road, in fast turns - confirmed by Reddog, Judge2008, slammed280
Reduced tire wear - confirmed by Judge2008, slammed280
* Judge2008 confirmed that after 3,000 miles, the tire still looks like new.
Solid handling with either hard or soft riding style - confirmed by Judge2008, slammed280
Increased lean angle - confirmed by slammed280
* slammed280 confirmed that you cannot lean as much as you would normally do with a 200 tire.

 

[Ruckus]

Gratz Dude! It'll be ready for riding season!! Ruckus

 

[Scoper50]

I like it. How come your not doing the work yourself? Thats half the fun. I mean your name is Teck

 

[Gilly]

You have to muscle it around in the tight turns,but other than that it rides like a dream. You will not believe how much attention your bike will get. It will be hard for me to go back to a small tire again because it looks so much better to me being wide like the gas tank.You will miss all the fun of installing the kit yourself, but doing the fender is a b-atch. I only wish I could see your face when you see it the first time.Good times ahead.

Guy

 

[arizonawarrior]

If I could afford to have the stock rear fender widened I'd go 280 but that's out of the question right now. I like the shape of the stock rear fender too much to change it, and it would taketoo long to save up for the custom widening. I'll have to limit myself to a260 when the time comes. That being said, I can't wait to see your bike's pics with that monster installed!

 

[bikebudha1]

If you don't mind me asking, what did the kit set you back?

 

[Judge2008]

I have the 280 Kit you have used in some of your posts with the white wheels. It is so fricking awesome. Looks tough and the tire wear is better than the 210. It takes a little getting used to and is not as sure in a hard turn but worth every penny.


Congrats,


Aaron

 

[TECK]

I like it. How come your not doing the work yourself? Thats half the fun. I mean your name is Teck

Chris, I wish my name is related to my motorcycle skills.

I have this nick on other forums because I'm a full time web developer, not skilled mechanic.
However, I'm proud to say that since I got my Warrior, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. Right now, I can pretty much take anything of the bike (beside the engine) and put it back. I did all the mods by myself and the bike ran better every time something was changed. To me this is a great accomplishment. I spent over one grand in all kind of tools to make my little mechanic life a lot easier. I must admit that I enjoy it a lot. It is this satisfaction you get from having it done by yourself, the right way. How many times we went to a bike shop and wanted to kill the guy for doing a bad job? You see it he does it wrong and if you tell him, he will get upset... Is OK, nobody will bother me in my garage. I relax on weekends and work on my bike to make it better. It is a great occupation of my free time, beside riding the Warrior every day (well not anymore now). Plus, I like to get things done the proper way. You will not see me using electrical tape on a wire split or tighten a bolt without knowing what is the torque value for it... Having good tools helps a lot and I don't regret at all spending the extra money. I worked hard all those years and I can finally use some of my savings on something that makes me happy.


I have to say that many of the skills and tips I acquired here on those forums, because of guys like you.
I want to thank everyone (especially Alan and Mike aka AW) for being so patient with me.

If you don't mind me asking, what did the kit set you back?

I think is best to email Eric and ask him how much he will charge you for your own custom kit.
Personally I'm very happy with the price. He is more expensive then other vendors but I decided to give him the business because he took his time to explain the DO's and DONT's for a kit like that.

Sometimes, paying more is worth it and Eric is one of those guys who deserves to get paid a higher price. I learned many new things from him, it shows he is a **** good mechanic. His honest and straight up answers made me decide he is the right vendor for my bike. Just to give you an example... he showed me 6 type of fenders I could chose from and he explained for each why should I pick it or not. He helped me pick a cheaper one that is better and thicker then the others... He is also the closest from my house, 350miles. So I can always drive to his shop to see how the setup is coming along.

Back to Topic:
From reading the forums, I noticed that you might have to push a little harder then usual on your bars when you lean over in curves.
Anything else guys? Thanks for your advices... I know my eyes will pop when I will see the bike for the first time...

EDIT: That was a long post, wow. Well, I feel close to you guys and I enjoy talking to you about something we all love: Warrior.

 

[kichigai]

Teck, Congrats to you! I know how you feel. I felt excited too when I placed my order for my 240 from Cycle Image about a year ago! It still make me smile everytime I look at it!

Enjoy!

 

[miami_warrior]

That tire does look awesome but unfortunately in Miami you need manueverabilty more than speed due to the knuckleheads in cages.

 

[TECK]

Miami, that's what I'm trying to find out from other fellow warriors with 280 installed.

To what point you lose the maneuverability, compared to a 200 tire? From my readings, it is noticeable a little... only on tight curves.

Let me know guys. Thanks.

About the drivers, I have a friend living in Florida and he told me about some cager horror scenes... Not funny.
I feel you, it's best to keep that distance in front of cars and put some loud pipes on your bike...

 

[Pep]

I didn't notice a lot of difference from the 200 to the 240. But I did notice a considerable difference from 240 to 260. I'm going to 250 as a compromise.

 

[slngshott]

I love my 240, bike drags everything just as hard as with the 200

.I have riden a warrior with a 260 and the handling is less.I have also rode a full custom with a 280 and all I have to say is I would not put one on my warrior.They look cool but unless you only like going straight or on the highway I say no.My freind hates riding on back roads with his 28,.me andmy 240warrior.He just cant ride the turns,so he rides like a old man

.I dont fly through the turns but do have fun.I always have to wait for him

.

 

[TECK]

Thanks Rich and Duke for the good feedback, still... 280 is the way to go for me.

I would like to get more input from 280 riders... So far only two 280 owners replied.

This thread should be helpful for other guys who plan to purchase a 280 kit also.

 

[slammed280]

Hey thats me in the video with the 280, you will love it. I feel way more comfortable with the 280 on it I use every bit of the tire and scrape my pegs all the time I feel I can ride more agressive with it now than before prob. because it doesnt lean as far as it did before. what I notice the most is that if you are going slow and on uneven pavement the bike will push you in a different direction like if you are slowing up to a light or pulling away from on. you wont regret it. I get sooo many compliments you wouldnt believe. I could go on and on about it haha

mike

 

[BOSSMAN2677]

That is one Bad A$$ Fat a$$

 

[Judge2008]

Tech,


I ride hard and fast (80+ with 60-70 MPH turns). My 280 is rock solid. Takes more pressure to hold her in hard fast turns. That is all! You will not regret the purchase. Plus I am getting better wear than my 210. I have almost 3k miles on the 280 and still looks new. Enjoy my friend.


Aaron

 

[TECK]

EDIT: 280 owners, I'm including updates in the first post, with all technical info you posted/experienced.
In this way, anyone else could find out easier what technical aspects were discussed into this thread. Go ahead and read the first post, near end. Let me know what else I should add.

Hey thats me in the video with the 280, you will love it. I feel way more comfortable with the 280 on it I use every bit of the tire and scrape my pegs all the time I feel I can ride more agressive with it now than before prob. because it doesnt lean as far as it did before. what I notice the most is that if you are going slow and on uneven pavement the bike will push you in a different direction like if you are slowing up to a light or pulling away from on. you wont regret it. I get sooo many compliments you wouldnt believe. I could go on and on about it haha

mike

Hi Mike,

Your setup looks awesome, like many other warriors who decided to go for the 280.
You had a great idea to put 2 warriors on the video, so people can actually see better the difference between the stock size/look.

I will not change my mind related to the 280 kit, even if the handling is bad.

But from what you 280 owners say, overall... it might be actually better and it does "push" you to ride more aggressive, compared to a stock setup. In a way, it might be little psychological, you know you ride on something wider so you feel more comfortable to lean deeper... I'm sure there are many experienced riders who can do better things on their 200-240 wheel, compared to myself. But I'm not the type of guy who will chase you at 130miles/hour.

I ride hard and fast (80+ with 60-70 MPH turns). My 280 is rock
solid. Takes more pressure to hold her in hard fast turns. That is all!
You will not regret the purchase. Plus I am getting better wear than
my 210. I have almost 3k miles on the 280 and still looks new. Enjoy my
friend.

Aaron, thanks for the great info. It is good to know the tire will last longer.

Guys, keep on coming the technical comments related to handling or anything else you think it should be mentioned. I'm sure there are many other warriors who want to hear you out. So far, this is the first thread where 280 owners share their technical experiences. I searched before and could not find something relevant (beside Mike's video's), that's why I decided to start this thread.

Floren

 

[aznwrr]

Ifyou want to keep some of your handling with a 280, see if you can get a 9 1/2" wide rim instead of a 10". I use a 300 on a 10" rim and my ride handles better than the 280. The tire will round out more but sacrifice some mileage.

 

[Gilly]

Anzwrr, could you possibly tell me how much wider the 300 is compared to the 280. I have a 280 swingarm,and the 280 tire has about 3/8 inch clearance on both sides. I would love to be able to run the 300 avon. At least I would have 2 choices. I think my swingarm comes from BMS. Thanks for your help.