Here is my dilema. I read these boards and found that for the money, 26" bearclaws for me were the way to go. I also thought I read where the rear tires weighed around 28 lbs. Wrong! They weigh more like 35 lbs. If I send them back to the mail order house, I am out another $80. Should I keep them and put up with the reduced performance and possible future mechanical problems as the result of these heavy tires, or send them back and get radial holeshots. (I plan on riding in rocky areas & snow but not in any mud bogs.)[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

no keep them, get a pipe and filter for it, also a K&N jet kit, and your performance will be restored and you won't have to worry about it for buying tires in the future. Bearclaws are awesome tires that will outperform the Holeshot ATR's in rocky areas and the snow, not to mention if you ever do come across a mud hole you want to play in.

 

I always wondered about that. Why are Bearclaws so damn heavy? They would be awesome if they could keep the weight down. Thats almost as heavy as some of the 27" true mud tires. The weight is the only thing keeping me from getting Bear Claws, because their design is awesome.

 

Bassham,

The Bear claws are 6 ply all the way around, sidewall and tread. Bear Claws will last just about forever. I ran a set on my King Quad and they looked like new with almost a thousand miles on them, wish I could say the same for my Mud Lites(6 ply tire but 2 ply tread). When these are wore out in 2 or 3 more years I am going to get a set of Claws for my Kodiak. They cost more but are realy worth it.

For rocks and snow they do realy well and they do hook up in the mud holes.

A clutch kit will offset the heavier tires and I found that they are around 200 dollars. I am planning getting one from my dealer come spring.

AlaskaBoy.

 

Thanks for the replys. My question to you Bassham is whether I would need a new clutch kit or would my bike just be a little sluggish with the stock set up? I was also wondering if the heavier tires would cause extra clutch wear??

 

hey guys, I have an 03 kodiak 450 with itp type-5 wheels and 25" maxxis bighorn radials. I noticed a considerable loss of power especially right at take off becuase of the heavier radial tires. i just put on an HMF pipe, filter, and jet kit which helped take care of my power loss. I am curious as to what the clutch kit would do to increase my performance. Any info would be great.

 

It will be sluggish. You won't be winning races against Kodiaks with stock tires, but it will pull them still. Will use low range a lot more for hillclimbs (rough stuff more so than trails). Your acceleration won't be as good either. But it will pull the tires good enough to do anything you want to do with it. It just won't be as quick on anything. My 500 Arctic Cat took a little hit with the 27" claws I put on it. So did my 660. Still pulls them ok, but not near as fast as with stock tires or as easy if I go up something steep in high range.

 

i had the 25" bearclaws. they didn't do well in the mud. they did do very well on rocks, however. the 26" bearclaws have the same tread depth as the 25's and the rears like you said weigh a ton. if you have an 05 kodiak, the irs does better with radials. i would say go with the maxxis bighorns, gbc dirt tamers, atr's, or bridgestone mudhooks. honestly, i would send them back or try to sell them.

 

TDlauber - get the atr's , they will be perfect for your type of riding and will blow away the bearclaws on anything but the mushy stuff. I've tried a lot of types of tires, and have logged 1800 miles on my atr's now. Love them.