A common question is how big can you go on rear tire with the stock rim. The answer is 180 without any other hardware changes. If you go any larger you may have fitment issues or difficulty getting a bead.
Understanding Tire Size and Material: Here’s a reputable site you can check out to gain pretty good general knowledge on the subject of tires.
https://www.denniskirk.com/learn/tire-sizes-explained
Should you go larger #
Getting a larger tire on the rear can give the bike a beefier look and aesthetically many are into that. However, the bike is not engineered or designed to utilize a larger size tire on the rear. That said you won’t gain any performance from it, rather you will more than likely lose some. If looks are the most important and you are okay with the trade-off then go for it!
Custom rear rims #
It is possible to change out the rear rim and use an even larger size tire. There are companies that can make a rim for your rear and there are also some that may provide them for sale. Here are some known sources who sell them or have been known to provide them for the Yamaha Bolt:
- Motor Worx
- SS Custom Cycle
Rim swaps with other model bikes #
There are a few guys who have made swaps of rims from other bikes with success. This is not an exhaustive list but should give some ideas.
Yamaha Raider, Stratoliner, & Roadliner #
These rims seems to fit with little to no modifications. This is easiest and most cost effective solution to get a larger rim most likely.
Yamaha Stryker #
The Stryker rim has been used and does fit with a few modifications to the Yamaha Bolt hardware. This is probably the biggest tire size adjustment you can do without fabricating something more custom. The modifications include dremeling/filing out the rotor holes to match the new rim, cutting down the rear brake caliper to provide extra clearance, and if you have ABS making a new ABS ring.
Tire fit on Stryker rim Brake Rotor holes filed to fit Stryker rim Rear brake caliper marked for cutting Rear brake caliper after cutting