4.00 x 18 alternative tyres?

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I get plenty of work space, as I remove the front wheel and tip the bike on the front forks.  (after securing the centerstand - yadda yadda yadda...)


It's still just really tight between the two sides.  I wonder if my left side of the swingarm has somehow been bent inward, like, say, if a dummy (me) were to tighten the clamp on the axle before tightening the big axle nut.  
That would pull the left side over, and over time, might close the distance.

[montmil]

This is weird.  Rob and Brother Miller both have the same rear tire I do, a Bridgestone S11 Spitfire 110, and both have to deflate the tire to install or remove it. I don't.  I wiggle it in or out; the brake shoes have enough play that I can push or pull past them without hurting anything.

Besides the rear brake shoes and the fender interference during wheel removal, the lower mounting bolt on the left shock absorber also rubs on the tire's sidewall. This just adds to the degree of difficulty. Thankfully, rear tire removal is not on my weekly maintenance list.