What's the widest tires you can (safely) fit on the stock '06 rims? Or are you stuck with the 110 / 130s?

Thanks

 

my guess you MIGHT be able to go up one size, it just spends on the room inbetween your swingarm, how close ur chain is to the tire and wheel size

 

I see many people putting 140r 120f on their riders. I also hear people that like/don't like it due to handling issues. It might depend on the tire brand/quality. Also, I heard people say that lowering the tire profile might help with it as well.

I believe we have 70's on a 2nd gen 500 so maybe a 65 (140/65/17) on the rear might work good...

Some food for thought.

 

What's the point of having a wider tire? To make it look more aggressive?

My '02 ZX9R came stock with a 190, but the bike handles much better and even feels lighter when wearing a 180. And the 190's don't last any longer, so what's the point of a wide rear tire?

 

Fatter the tire the slower the turns [&o]

 

that right there, is enough to convince me to stick with my skinny tires!

 

I was able to fit a 140/70/17 rear without any issues at all. I don't know if it is fact or the placebo effect, but I feel that I have a greater contact patch available with the 140. My old 130, I had zero chicken strips and all I do is ride the street. I actually have a .5 to 1' chicken strip on these tires, so either i'm not leaning as hard, or I have more tire available so I can push the bike over a wee bit further. I decided to stay with the 110 in the front, I was afraid a wider tire would slow steering.

Some folks have managed to install a 150/60 tire, however the rim is narrow enough that the beads on the tire are pushed in toward the centerline which transforms the profile of the tire to something other than what the manufacturer intended. I would say the 140 would be about the useful limit for tire width.

 

the wider the tire(to a point) the more contact patch you have and at max lean allowing faster cornering speed. a smaller tire allows for quicker turn in, but they do have less traction. case and point, motogp tires run 200's. Many people say when they first switch from the 190 to 180 its the best thing they could of done. I guess it depnds on your riding habbits. my 7 came with a 190 and its what i'll always run, and i have no chicken strips on it either.
also different brands/model of tire will handle differently. you can take 2 different tire that are the same size and one will turn in faster than the other.
side note the 190's cost a hella lot more than a 180

 

That's fine for a track day, as long as you're talking about a high-speed track like California Speedway in Fontana, but on a tighter track like Streets of Willow (or on the road), I'll take the quicker-turning tire. And on top of that, I can usually feel the 180 give a little bit when I'm really pushing it, whereas a 190 of the same tire and compound (D208-road) gives no warning. It lets go very suddenly and catastrophically.
I have a video of me shattering a $590 Arai and my bike cartwheeling like an Olympic gymnast if you're in SoCal.
-Chris in Carlsbad (just north of San Diego, near Palomar Mountain .)

 

I run the 180 rear and have liked it better than the 190. If you want increased contact patch you need to go with a taller tire not a wider tire.

cmChris: I am hitting Palomar and Montezuma Tuesday 19th. [sm=happy046.gif]