| Author | Message | ||
     Meatstick81 |
I work at a Harley / Buell dealer and am a firm believer in the fact that there is a reason a bike comes with a certain size tire. I ran a 180 on my X1 for a short period of time and noticed it handled poorly. Now that was a friends race take-off (so the poor handling may have come from that). Main reason is I'm a huge Michelin fan. Ran 170/120 Pilot Sport combo couple years back. Want to try the new Pilot Power 2CT, but it's offered in a 180. I really want to try this combo out in the 180/120. Now if it's done with good tires, will I be better ok with this, or should I get the Pilot Road due to the fact that is offered in a 170/120 combo. I ride my Fatboy a lot, so when I take my Buell out, it's for aggressive purposes (Kettle Moraine-ish). Any luck anybody? Good or Bad? | ||
| Court |
>>>>there is a reason a bike comes with a certain size tire. Close. There is not "a" reason, there are many. There are thousands of hours of design, testing and certifications that go into sizing and specifying motorcycle tires. There is also a reason that far more detailed regulatory bodies, such as Tüv require that any change or deviation from that design be certified. Changing tire sizes involves consequences. The excellent engineers at Buell, Honda and Bimota never said "let's design a motorcycle that's 98% right". Change at your own risk and be aware that you are doing nothing but cosmetics and you are giving up something in the process. | ||
| Reepicheep |
IMHO, the profile of the tire makes a much bigger difference then the actual number. On my 2000 M2, I bought it with about 5000 miles on it, and a shot rear tire. The previous owner claimed it was the original tire, and the wear looked about right. It was a Dunlop D205 (or 207, I forget, whichever was the harder one), but it was a 180 series rear, not a 170. Who knows for sure, but it may have come from the factory like that. Regardless, I replaced it with a 170, and did notice a difference, but no more then the normal "old squared tire to new rounded tire". You could probably tell the difference between a 170 and 180 rear if they were both new and the same brand, but I suspect it would not be dramatic or unwelcome, just a little different. Now switching from a 170 like a Dunlop (with a triangle inspired profile) to a 170 like a Metzler MeZ6 (that is a lot more circular), now *there* you feel a *huge* difference. At least I did. The Dunlops "drop" into a turn, the Metzlers have a clean smooth transition. I assume the race tires had a *very* aggressive profile, as in a race you are probably either full lean or straight up, and quick transitions are important. You want it to "fall" into turns. And even if they didn't start that way, they probably ended that way, as race tires usually kill the sides before the middle. So I would not (and did not) hesitate to bounce between 170's and 180's on either the M2 (designed for 170) or the 9sx (designed for 180). I would run either size on either bike as necessary to get the tire and the price I wanted. CeeJay was running MeZ6's at a Mid Ohio track day, and had plenty of margin and plenty of lean left. He liked the way they turned in a little faster. I tried to get 170's for my 9sx, I think it would be a good fit for the nature of the bike, but the Syncs (which I *really* like) only come in 180's. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
From what I can find going to a wider rear tyre on the same rim will slow the steering, not really what you want on a Buell  Have a read of this: http://www.bmwmcnj.com/Articles/TireWidth.html Court would fully agree with one part - "It's also important to remember that each bike manufacturer develops their suspension system components in combination with the tires that they ship with the bike, so be cautious when you consider switching to tires that test well on a different brand of motorcycle. When you bought your bike, you paid for a lot of development and testing costs, so think carefully about whose advice to take when making changes. A lot will come down to individual riding styles and rider preferences. Be critically honest about your own riding capabilities and needs." I have heard people being happy with non-standard tyre/rim combinations, but I've always found using the standard tyre size for that rim gives the sweetest steering. The other option would be a 5.5" rim, eg the PM wheels, which came with a 180 on the X1's if I recall correctly. cheers, chili |
