The Hodaka Club Forum

I am restoring a Super Rat (98). I plan on showing this bike, so it will see a lot of sitting and very little riding. My question is what brand of tires would be the best option? Thanks, Linc

Assuming you want to use a knobby tire such as a Rat would have used, any brand still available in 3.50x18 rear, 3.00x21 front. I believe they came with Nitto, but don't believe Nittos are available anymore. Metric sizes are all much wider, and taller, than stock.

I have an 18" rear & 21" front wheel on my 125. I bought enduro tires from DennisKirk.com for $80 shipped to my front door. I got a 3.00-21 for the front and an 3.50x18 for the rear and they fit well. They are Kenda tires and are a good choice of you aren't going to ride the bike much other than moving it around for folks to see. If you were going to race it I would get the Knobbies, but otherwise the Kenda Enduro tires will do fine, even if you take it off road some! ; D Victor

Don at www.allmototire.com will have knobbies in your exact size. Vee Rubber.

I recall that Super Rats came standard with a 3 x 19 inch front tire. One can verify it on the Shop by Schematics. A 21 inch front was a very common upgrade and in my opinion handled much better. For a looker, keep it 19!

Yes but we are talking a model 98 Rat here. 21 front 18 rear.

On my 98 restoration, I put Kings on it because in my opinion they were the closest looking as the Nitto. I don't know how good they would be for actual riding, they have been sitting around for a long time. They gotta be like a rock! I found a 410 x 18 put it on to see if it would fit and it did. As I ride around the country, I always stop at shops and ask if they have any Kings or Nitto tires sitting around collecting dust.
They usually say "What brand?" That's how I found one set. Here are some pics.

The picture of the rear tire is a 4.10x18, which is actually a little smaller than a 4.00x18. All of the 4.00x18's I have seen would need to have some knobs trimmed off on the chain side to fit.