Posted by don (Calgary) on February 16, 2010, 7:15 pm
Without getting into a stupid discussion about car tires on
motorcycles I would like to discuss the effect more subtle changes in
tire size or profile might have on the bike's handling
characteristics.
My Venture is a large ponderous machine at slow speeds. Now that might
be too harsh, as once you get used to the bike it can be fairly
responsive at slow speeds, but you have to concentrate on technique.
It is quite common for Venture owners to swap out the stock size front
tire for a narrower tire. I can't be bothered looking up the two tire
sizes, but can assure you the difference is minimal.
The first time I needed a front tire for the Venture I opted for the
narrower tire and will attest it made a huge difference in the slow
speed handling and a significant difference to the bike's handling at
speed.
At slow speeds the bike literally falls into turns. My first corner
after installing the new tire was, well, let me call it exciting.
After getting used to it, the handling was not too bad, but it still
falls into turns far too easily.
At highway speed the bike will roll from one side to the other quite
easily. I hesitate to use the term flick, cuz I am not sure a 900 lb
bike could be described as flickable but it does change from one turn
to the other far easier than it did with the stock tire. Probably far
easier than a 900 lb bike should, but I enjoy it.
The downside is riding at speed in a straight line is noticeably less
stable.
Bottom line, for my Venture, I have enjoyed two of the narrower tires,
but next change I will be going back to the stock tire. I think my
slow speed handling skills are far better now than they were four
years ago and I am confident switching back to the stock tire will not
be problematic.
Considering my experience making a subtle change to the Venture's
front tire, I would suggest anyone thinking of goofing around with
tire sizes give it very careful thought. It doesn't take much to make
a big difference and it might not be a positive change.
Posted by Mark Olson on February 16, 2010, 7:22 pm
don (Calgary) wrote:
> Bottom line, for my Venture, I have enjoyed two of the narrower tires,
> but next change I will be going back to the stock tire. I think my
> slow speed handling skills are far better now than they were four
> years ago and I am confident switching back to the stock tire will not
> be problematic.
>
> Considering my experience making a subtle change to the Venture's
> front tire, I would suggest anyone thinking of goofing around with
> tire sizes give it very careful thought. It doesn't take much to make
> a big difference and it might not be a positive change.
Thank you for posting your experiences. Even sticking with stock tire
sizes, I have had some surprising results when switching between various
tire models and brands. There are a million variables, including tire
pressure. I don't have the stomach or the wallet for exhaustively
testing all possible permutations so I stick with the stock sizes and
tend to limit my tire experiments to picking between the various top
quality tire combinations that are specifically recommended for my bike
model by Michelin, Pirelli/Metzeler, etc.
Posted by don (Calgary) on February 16, 2010, 7:35 pm
wrote:
>don (Calgary) wrote:
>> Bottom line, for my Venture, I have enjoyed two of the narrower tires,
>> but next change I will be going back to the stock tire. I think my
>> slow speed handling skills are far better now than they were four
>> years ago and I am confident switching back to the stock tire will not
>> be problematic.
>>
>> Considering my experience making a subtle change to the Venture's
>> front tire, I would suggest anyone thinking of goofing around with
>> tire sizes give it very careful thought. It doesn't take much to make
>> a big difference and it might not be a positive change.
>Thank you for posting your experiences. Even sticking with stock tire
>sizes, I have had some surprising results when switching between various
>tire models and brands. There are a million variables, including tire
>pressure. I don't have the stomach or the wallet for exhaustively
>testing all possible permutations so I stick with the stock sizes and
>tend to limit my tire experiments to picking between the various top
>quality tire combinations that are specifically recommended for my bike
>model by Michelin, Pirelli/Metzeler, etc.
I haven't experimented much between tire manufacturers.
I use Avon Venom X on the Venture. That's what was on the bike when I
bought it and I have found them to wear and handle quite well through
a variety of road conditions.
The HD has the stock Harley issue Dunlops. Once again they seem to
work quite well.
One thing I do notice, is with these big touring machines, once the
rear tire gets squared off, and it doesn't take long with our long
straight flat roads, I definitely feel the difference. I could
probably get another 5k miles out of the rear tire on the Roadking,
but as soon as spring arrives, and the roads are clear, I will be
installing a new one. Three reasons, one to improve handling, two, I
hate having to get tires changed during riding season and three I like
the confidence of having good tires on my bikes. Tire blowouts when
riding a bike are not fun.
Posted by Mark Olson on February 16, 2010, 8:58 pm
don (Calgary) wrote:
> wrote:
>> pressure. I don't have the stomach or the wallet for exhaustively
>> testing all possible permutations so I stick with the stock sizes and
>> tend to limit my tire experiments to picking between the various top
>> quality tire combinations that are specifically recommended for my bike
>> model by Michelin, Pirelli/Metzeler, etc.
>
> I haven't experimented much between tire manufacturers.
Just to be clear I wasn't suggesting mixing tires from different
manufacturers, or even mixing different models front/rear from
the same maker. I generally go with a matched set of tires from
the same model line front and rear. On rare occasions due to
necessity I have ended up with mismatched tires and I've never
accidentally found a great working combo. More often than not,
mismatched tires result in some strange handling quirks that are
not desirable.
> I use Avon Venom X on the Venture. That's what was on the bike when I
> bought it and I have found them to wear and handle quite well through
> a variety of road conditions.
>
> The HD has the stock Harley issue Dunlops. Once again they seem to
> work quite well.
Sometimes the OEM tires are actually quite good, and I have on a few
occasions simply stuck with them and had good luck. But with the
SV650, it had Metzeler Z4s, which I thought were good tires until I
tried the Pirelli Diablos... no comparison whatsoever.
> One thing I do notice, is with these big touring machines, once the
> rear tire gets squared off, and it doesn't take long with our long
> straight flat roads, I definitely feel the difference. I could
> probably get another 5k miles out of the rear tire on the Roadking,
> but as soon as spring arrives, and the roads are clear, I will be
> installing a new one. Three reasons, one to improve handling, two, I
> hate having to get tires changed during riding season and three I like
> the confidence of having good tires on my bikes. Tire blowouts when
> riding a bike are not fun.
I agree 100% on the squared off rear tire. I have had this happen twice
in 20k miles on the FJR, the back tire is worn square in the middle but
has plenty of tread. It is hard to make it turn in. When a new set of
tires is fitted it feels like a completely different bike. So far I
have replaced the OEM Metzeler Roadtec Z6 tires with another set, and I
would be happy trying a 3rd set of them, but have heard good things
about Michelin Pilot Road 2s so I will be giving them a whirl in a few
weeks.
I will say I had my most trouble with tires on the ZG1000. I never did
find a set of tires that worked to my liking on that bike. Either they
would feel squirrely going straight or give me no confidence in the
twisties. Avon Storms and a Dunlop combo were a couple of types I tried
on that bike without finding a tire model I definitely wanted to try again.
Posted by don (Calgary) on February 16, 2010, 9:39 pm
wrote:
>Just to be clear I wasn't suggesting mixing tires from different
>manufacturers, or even mixing different models front/rear from
>the same maker.
No worries. That is what I understood.
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> but next change I will be going back to the stock tire. I think my
> slow speed handling skills are far better now than they were four
> years ago and I am confident switching back to the stock tire will not
> be problematic.
>
> Considering my experience making a subtle change to the Venture's
> front tire, I would suggest anyone thinking of goofing around with
> tire sizes give it very careful thought. It doesn't take much to make
> a big difference and it might not be a positive change.