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What difference do wheel diameter and width make for highway rides?

For a commute it can't much matter, save for the the larger wheel dealing with the incongruities of the infrastructure we call "roads" today.

For example, on the 91 down here, there are 4+ inch "channels" in the roadway. Where it appears road sections have drifted apart. They have grass growing in them. I make a conscious effort to give stay clear of them. They probably aren't but they sure look treacherous to me.

There's one section on the 15 that has similar artifacts, coincidentally located between the #1 and #2 lanes >.<.

Good times.

There's a reason folks commute on DR650s.
 
My opinion, for highway use it makes very little difference. For off road 21in hands down and for twisties 19 or smaller will preform better.

I'm more interested in #1 body position/ergonomics, #2 how does the motor make it's power (I want torque vs low torque high rpm HP), #3 tire size.

Also the street version vs off road versions are setup differently on some bikes, breaks, handle bar rake, ability to stand, etc.

I'd rather have a fun torqueie 270 degree crank P twin, VStrom or tripple than a 180 degree crank lawn mower motor even if it means sacrificing tire size for my use case. But I don't have good windy roads available.


Also I'll add, tire selection may be more important for commuting than size. Some tires are better than others on wet roads and such.
 
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Escape pod said:

What difference do wheel diameter and width make for highway rides?​

A larger diameter/less rotations per mile, . Have tendency too last longer.
A wider width/greater contact patch, . Have tendency too last longer.
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If the diameters are the same, a wider tire does not increase the size of the contact patch, it just changes its shape.
 
ScottRNelson said:
That's not what Kevin Cameron says: https://www.cycleworld.com/blogs/ask-kevin/amontons-laws-of-friction-and-motorcycle-tires/

The important point from that article is that a larger contact patch has a lighter load on the rubber, so you get more traction out of it.
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I don't see anything in that article that discusses the relationship of contact patch to wheel width.

Here is one of many, many articles that discuss it:
www.roadandtrack.com

Point(s) of Contact: Wider isn't necessarily better

Wider tires put more rubber on the road, right? Wrong. Jason Cammisa explains why upsizing your tires may not be the path to improved performance.
www.roadandtrack.com www.roadandtrack.com
 
I'm with Escape Pod: Wider/ larger contact patch. I'll pick that.
 
Arf Arf? Mayyyybe, Quack Quack?
 
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