YUTAKA Tire Snow Chain SNOW417 - Winter Traction

[dmonkey]

With heated grips, Barkbusters, Hippo Hands, and knobby tires my Hunter Cub had been doing alright getting me places on most winter days, but there has still been the challenge of ice, and more commonly snow over ice due to the freeze and thaw cycles. These are the times when the bike gets really squirrely trying to pick a side left or right to slide right out from under me. I had spent many cold nights contemplating tire studs as the snow plows drive by, but they're a pain to install and semi-permanent where you're stuck with them in dry conditions once installed.
Inspired by a fellow Hunter Cub rider in the Honda homeland, I decided to give Yutaka snow chains a try.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaB7XZcJttB/

I saw that Webike sells the item for the Japanese market, but couldn't find it on their global site that ships to the USA so I filled out their part quote form with info from the Japanese item listing. Sure enough they sent me a quote for it. YUTAKA 2.50-17 Snow Chain ¥7,425 JPY (~$63.86 USD). Though it's labelled as being for a 2.5" tire, I knew from the Instagram post that it looks like it fits well on the OE 80/90-17 tire and hoped it would fit my Shinko SR241 2.75-17 even though the knobbies make it a bit wider than the OE tire.

Here is the box:



New chain


Mounting it can be done in minutes but still requires some patience to get everything lined up and snug. This was certainly made easier by having the center stand to lift the rear wheel rather than having to drive onto the chain. I tried to position the drive chain links so they fit between rows of lugs in the tire's block pattern tread. The mechanism for connecting the chain to itself are directional hooks and need to be facing the right way for forward movement of the tire, similar to a master link clip.


Here you can somewhat see the marks in fresh snow from the traction chains across the tire.






Clearances are all okay as long as the chain stays secured.


Road legal!




Some notes and observations for anyone else considering running tire chains:

• Tire chains are dangerous! If something goes wrong (chain comes loose, breaks) you can wreck your bike and yourself, they are to be used with much caution. With how cold it has been when I've used them, I'm in full gear anyway.
• It's a good idea to carry work gloves (good grip and dexterity) for handling the chains so you don't pinch or cut yourself, because after some use they'll be covered in debris, and because they're metal and if it's cold out so are they - without gloves your fingers might have a frigid time trying to install or remove them.
• After install Yutaka recommend riding 50-100 meters and checking the fit again.
• The flat sides of these chains are a nice feature for giving more clearance on the sides of the tire.
• Chains are a consumable wear item just like tires.
• The chains should be regularly inspected for wear, if any of the metal is broken or starts to look worn down it is no longer safe for use.
• Dry rock or pavement are tough on chains and will wear them down quick.
• Because the attachment method for the chains is directional, it's probably best to avoid backing the bike up, or check that it is still securely attached after you do back it up.
• The SNOW417 2.50 chains were the widest I could find for 17" wheels that I could also get shipped to the USA, with 2.25" also being another option (SNOW416) but definitely not suitable for my tires.
  • Mizuno make motorcycle tire chains for 2.75-17 but they were unavailable everywhere I could find them listed.
• Chain bands are an option for better securing the chains around the wheel, they pull each side together through the center and rest on the rim between spokes. I tried using zip-ties but they just break.
• These would fit the OE rear tire much better than the Shinko SR241 2.75-17. They do fit a SR241 rear tire with just over 1k miles of wear on it, and would maybe not fit a new one where the knobs are taller. They would fit a Shinko SR241 2.50-17 with much more ease. I don't know if they would fit any of the Shinko SR244 17" options, maybe the 2.50-17 though.
• A chain might fit up front with a raised front fender, but chains work best on drive tires. Having a chain up front on a motorcycle would likely ride like pushing a paddle tire in front and trying to steer with it.
• It does feel like riding with small sand paddles on the rear tire when you're on harder surfaces, but when there's enough soft snow it can be smooth.
• When riding it is important to minimize lean angle, hard acceleration, and hard braking. Only brake when the bike is upright.
• Ride slow. I haven't broken 30 mph with the chains on and have mostly ridden around 10-20 mph depending on the terrain and surroundings.
• In contrast to everything you've ever been taught, the rear brake is the way to go. Try progressive braking with a front tire that doesn't have traction and the front is going to wash out on you, especially going down a hill. The rear brake gives you control when there's a lack of traction.
• The chains are easy enough to take off and put back on (especially after you've had some practice) that it can be reasonable to do so when the terrain you're riding on changes.
• When riding on snow always be cautious of what is not visible under the snow. With light snow I can see when there's rough and bumpy ice under it, but with deeper snow it's a mystery until I'm getting thrown around side to side by it.
• I don't know how long the chains will last, and I don't really intend to find out when their time is near. Ideally I'll replace them or not be using them any longer for the season before they fail.
• Rear grip has been excellent. I've been able to use the rear brake to control speed and even come to a stop while descending a paved road covered in snow and ice. Intentionally skidding the rear definitely bites better in snow than with just the (slightly worn) knobby tire. Trying hard acceleration (which you shouldn't ) it can feel like dumping the clutch on a RWD truck with no weight in the back and getting that bit of rear wheel hop. Best to ride gently instead.
• Some fun is lost, you can't do donuts with the rear chain. Leaning the bike and giving it the beans with the front brake applied will just push the front tire forward.

 

[SneakyDingo]

Weirdly enough, I learned about these from... anime.



There's a slice of life anime called Super Cub (S01E10). You get zero points for guessing what it's about. It follows a very, very bog standard plot so similar I can point to something almost identical to it but with bicycles. Honda worked with the production studio responsible to make sure all the small details are accurate, even little things like sounds, control positions, even tread patterns*. Despite being a 2021 production and working closely with Honda, they kinda dunk on the new 125cc versions so it was mostly historical value for viewing and being anime it's geared very heavily to stuff you can find in the Japanese market, as opposed to Thailand or in the USA.

I'm not gonna lie, they spend a LOT of time crashing in this episode being general hooligans. The area they're riding in must have really soft snow. I actually learned a ton from this about the production of Supercubs and CT110's, as well as accessories that appear for CT110's and C50 Cubs upwards, and spent a decent chunk of my time googling whether the CT125 had an equivalent.

Still, it's kinda cool that you actually found something that I'd seen and googled mostly for amusement and the thought of, "is it really a thing?"

*The irony if this being in this one screen grab, it appears they've put the center stand on the bike twice, or put a non-OEM sidestand on the wrong side.

 

[dmonkey]

The Australian Postie CT110s have the right side kickstand, wonder if that's what they're modeling the anime bike after?

 

[SneakyDingo]

Well I'll be damned. I learn something every time from this.

 

[dmonkey]

Really need that luggage setup on the CT125, lol

 

[SneakyDingo]

I looked into it, even getting them secondhand because f**k me the eBay prices were ridiculous. The company that used to make them doesn't make them anymore, but was a little outfit in Victoria.

http://www.larosa.com.au/index.jsp

They no longer appear to make them as of something like 2018, but apparently they will last for years, which makes a ton of sense to me. There should be a bunch floating around as Aussie post decommissions their stock, but they'll be rarer than rockinghorse shit to get over here.

There's some knockoffs made here out of what appears to be Cordura, but look like a pretty solid set of bags. A lot of dollarydoos though, enough to make me look locally or think about other options. Still, that'd be a pretty mint kit once strapped to your bike. Molle straps everywhere too.

Adventure Postie Panniers - Australian Made Canvas

These Postie Panniers are a 20 litre plus capacity per side. Made from 18oz tough ripstop canvas, as is used in truck tarps & available in many colours.

www.nazbags.com.au

EDIT: I contacted NazBags and asked them what it would cost to get these bags shipped to the USA. $80 AUD and you're golden. The biggest problem is actually that for the CT110 and the CT125, you need pannier racks. I've seen a stack of side racks, but zero pannier racks for the CT125. So until that happens, these bags are a no-go.

 

[Umbre]

I looked into it, even getting them secondhand because f**k me the eBay prices were ridiculous. The company that used to make them doesn't make them anymore, but was a little outfit in Victoria.

http://www.larosa.com.au/index.jsp

They no longer appear to make them as of something like 2018, but apparently they will last for years, which makes a ton of sense to me. There should be a bunch floating around as Aussie post decommissions their stock, but they'll be rarer than rockinghorse shit to get over here.

There's some knockoffs made here out of what appears to be Cordura, but look like a pretty solid set of bags. A lot of dollarydoos though, enough to make me look locally or think about other options. Still, that'd be a pretty mint kit once strapped to your bike. Molle straps everywhere too.

Adventure Postie Panniers - Australian Made Canvas

These Postie Panniers are a 20 litre plus capacity per side. Made from 18oz tough ripstop canvas, as is used in truck tarps & available in many colours.

www.nazbags.com.au

EDIT: I contacted NazBags and asked them what it would cost to get these bags shipped to the USA. $80 AUD and you're golden. The biggest problem is actually that for the CT110 and the CT125, you need pannier racks. I've seen a stack of side racks, but zero pannier racks for the CT125. So until that happens, these bags are a no-go.

good news! amazon US has them now! There was one company in selling them ages ago but they sold out and weren't available for months. Looks like the same design if not the same company making them.

 

[HodagMule]

good news! amazon US has them now! There was one company in selling them ages ago but they sold out and weren't available for months. Looks like the same design if not the same company making them.

After seeing that NazBags have aussie camo as an option I started frothing at the mouth a little. My options came out to $440, add shipping for $80, add the side racks for $214, so anywhere between $750-$800 total for the set up. Nice.

 

[SneakyDingo]

After seeing that NazBags have aussie camo as an option I started frothing at the mouth a little. My options came out to $440, add shipping for $80, add the side racks for $214, so anywhere between $750-$800 total for the set up. Nice.

Yeah, that's the hard pill for me to swallow. Earlier on, @G19Tony shared his setup with a dual sided pannier mount that I was going to use for measurements. But when it came down to that price or a 3D printer that I could expense through work instead, I decided the 3D printer was more the direction I wanted to go.

I'd still love to have that. Maybe if I lose like... 100 lbs, I'll buy one to celebrate.

 

[dmonkey]

The DRC brand side bag supports work out to ~$171 USD shipped to the USA right now depending on what shipping option you go with. My impression of the JiaFour products on Amazon is that they're Chinese copies of accessories made by Japanese and Thai brands. Make of that what you will, and I could be mistaken. You can also find the JiaFour products cheaper on their official AliExpress store. The item prices are low, but shipping is high, still works out to be cheaper than that price on Amazon.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804916209756.html

I did just buy another YUTAKA Snow Chain to run on my Postie again this winter. I had a spare, but I left it in CO and my bike's in IL right now This time around WeBike said it wasn't available to ship to the USA when I filed the parts quote for it, which was a disappointment. No further explanation. I was able to buy it on eBay from the seller "afcbr-11". They only had a different size in stock, so I messaged them about it and they offered to buy and list the one I wanted with international shipping. Worked out fine and just received it... now I'm just waiting for the snow and ice to arrive

 

[NMCoyote]

Don’ Know if I need them, but I now what them!

 

[quinnsd13]

Weirdly enough, I learned about these from... anime.

View attachment 2181

There's a slice of life anime called Super Cub (S01E10). You get zero points for guessing what it's about. It follows a very, very bog standard plot so similar I can point to something almost identical to it but with bicycles. Honda worked with the production studio responsible to make sure all the small details are accurate, even little things like sounds, control positions, even tread patterns*. Despite being a 2021 production and working closely with Honda, they kinda dunk on the new 125cc versions so it was mostly historical value for viewing and being anime it's geared very heavily to stuff you can find in the Japanese market, as opposed to Thailand or in the USA.

I'm not gonna lie, they spend a LOT of time crashing in this episode being general hooligans. The area they're riding in must have really soft snow. I actually learned a ton from this about the production of Supercubs and CT110's, as well as accessories that appear for CT110's and C50 Cubs upwards, and spent a decent chunk of my time googling whether the CT125 had an equivalent.

Still, it's kinda cool that you actually found something that I'd seen and googled mostly for amusement and the thought of, "is it really a thing?"

*The irony if this being in this one screen grab, it appears they've put the center stand on the bike twice, or put a non-OEM sidestand on the wrong side.

That was a nice show. I liked the community aspect of it. Them having enough access to people and locations that had parts was awesome, made me jealous. I wish I had some old rider up the road willing to let me part out his bike!

 

[SneakyDingo]

Truth. He wouldn't give me anything for free, but I know the old rider up the road from me will willingly lend me a hand with doing anything on my bike and running out of tools.

 

[Umbre]

The DRC brand side bag supports work out to ~$171 USD shipped to the USA right now depending on what shipping option you go with. My impression of the JiaFour products on Amazon is that they're Chinese copies of accessories made by Japanese and Thai brands. Make of that what you will, and I could be mistaken. You can also find the JiaFour products cheaper on their official AliExpress store. The item prices are low, but shipping is high, still works out to be cheaper than that price on Amazon.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804916209756.html

I did just buy another YUTAKA Snow Chain to run on my Postie again this winter. I had a spare, but I left it in CO and my bike's in IL right now This time around WeBike said it wasn't available to ship to the USA when I filed the parts quote for it, which was a disappointment. No further explanation. I was able to buy it on eBay from the seller "afcbr-11". They only had a different size in stock, so I messaged them about it and they offered to buy and list the one I wanted with international shipping. Worked out fine and just received it... now I'm just waiting for the snow and ice to arrive

Hey is this the right size? I have a set coming from that seller next week. I'm running SR241s too.

 

[dmonkey]

That is a different part number and size listing. The one I bought both in the original post, and more recently on eBay, is No. 417 for 2.50-17.

Based on how the No. 417 fit on a slightly worn Shinko SR241 2.75-17 tire, it is my estimation that if the No. 416 sized for 2.25/2.50-17 is any narrower it may not fit well, or at all, since the knobs make for a wide fit.

There hasn't been snow yet to run it where my Trail is at right now, but I was able to confirm that the No. 417 fits the OEM IRC GP-5 rear just fine.

 

[Umbre]

That is a different part number and size listing. The one I bought both in the original post, and more recently on eBay, is No. 417 for 2.50-17.

Based on how the No. 417 fit on a slightly worn Shinko SR241 2.75-17 tire, it is my estimation that if the No. 416 sized for 2.25/2.50-17 is any narrower it may not fit well, or at all, since the knobs make for a wide fit.

There hasn't been snow yet to run it where my Trail is at right now, but I was able to confirm that the No. 417 fits the OEM IRC GP-5 rear just fine.

Turns out the width is fine but the 416 is about 3 links too short. Still useless so I'm ordering the right ones but if anyones curious there you go.

 

[Umbre]

Just got back from my first ride with the chains. Took a trip around the block without them, then put them on. They make a world of difference! The front gets washy in deeper snow (3-4 inches) but the back refused to break loose. Trails, roads, even some steep hills I wasn't so sure about, it tractored its way anywhere I wanted for the last 4 hours. Pick up a set if you can find some, snow riding is great!