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help with new tire choices please- 190/50 possible?


Guest Kip2

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Recently got back into motor bikes, and am new to the forums. Have spent some time getting info here, and now posting this experience. I think my VFR 800 is a keeper, so I'm trying to figure out ways to make it better for me. Really looking forward to Power Commander, exhaust system, tire mods/improvements. Much thanks to forums........

At this point, I'm leaning towards Michelin Pilot Road 2 front and rear, or possibly the Pilot Power front/PR2 rear setup as mentioned in this forum. Would appreciate any clarifications/warnings and/or new opinions on these options if possible.

What about sizes? In the rear, I was thinking about getting 190/50 VR 17 (or 190/55?). 190/50 is wider but appears to have the same rolling circumference as the stock 180/55 VR 17- not sure if it would fit. The PR2 in 180/55 is narrower than the Bridgestone of same spec (!?). Has anyone installed a 190/50 (or 190/55) rear? I don't know if this might have a negative effect on handling. I am a relatively older/conservative rider, but I like to get frisky when I can. I like the look of the wider rear tire (I know- not a very technical approach). I could use any help available in turns. I think the bike now has the original Bridgestone Battlax BT021 in front, and a recently replaced BT021 rear- the turning is vague, unpredictable, and wide (due I'm sure to some extent to a worn front tire). Also, I've owned a Yamaha FZR 400 and FZR 600- so anything seems to handle weird compared to their natural predictable handling. Also, the tires seem hard and noisy- a lot of impact transmitted to bike on Bott's Dots highway lane markers. In the past, when I installed Michelins over original tires, ride got better/smoother. This bike will have Leo Vince exhaust and PowerCommander V with AutoTune. Kip...............

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Reading what you have written so far, I would recommend going with Pilot Road 2's in the 180 rear 120 front (STOCK) sizes.

You could manage to fit a 190 rear onto a VFR wheel, however, it will distort the tire's profile and have serious consequences on handling. Not good for someone who needs all the help they can get in corners.

Also, if you need help in corners, you might want to consider slowing down...

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Reading what you have written so far, I would recommend going with Pilot Road 2's in the 180 rear 120 front (STOCK) sizes.

You could manage to fit a 190 rear onto a VFR wheel, however,. Not good for someone who needs all the help they can get in corners.

Also, if you need help in corners, you might want to consider slowing down...

Could you elaborate on "it will distort the tire's profile and have serious consequences on handling"? Do you mean that the tire is made for a wider rim? Thanks, Kip.............

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You will NOT be happy with the results. That 180 gives you edge to edge grip without have to force it down. Go with the 190 and you will fight that bike to lean in and if you let off the gas it will try to stand up on you even faster. One thing I love about this bike is that you can change speeds and turn in and out with confidence. I have tried the 190 with really sticky tires and the results were the same. Slower times because I scrubbed off speed fighting the profile.

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Could you elaborate on "it will distort the tire's profile and have serious consequences on handling"? Do you mean that the tire is made for a wider rim? Thanks, Kip.............

Yes. 190's are made for wider rim's, so you'd be squeezing a wider tire onto a narrower rim.

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Yeah... Stick with OEM sizes. Them engineers knew what they were doing when they put 180 on the rear.

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From personal as well as anecdotal evidence, there is no better choice than PR2s in stock sizes. Finding out can be expensive. We wouldn't steer you wrong.

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From personal as well as anecdotal evidence, there is no better choice than PR2s in stock sizes. Finding out can be expensive. We wouldn't steer you wrong.

GOOD GAME!

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I could use any help available in turns. I think the bike now has the original Bridgestone Battlax BT021 in front, and a recently replaced BT021 rear- the turning is vague, unpredictable, and wide (due I'm sure to some extent to a worn front tire).

Also, the tires seem hard and noisy- a lot of impact transmitted to bike

I've run BT021's for the last 2 years on my 07, because they are haft the price here in Canada over the Road 2s. Read any of the testing from all of the mags and the 21 is just as good as the Road 2's so after that its who do you like better in your own mind. My last set had over 12,000miles on them before I changed them, and the only reason I did the change was, I was riding down to T-Mac this year (1000miles each way) and wanted new one for the trip incase it was supper hot on the slab and I cooked them on the way. Even on my 12k mile set, there was never a vague, unpredictable or wide feel to them.

Did you check the tires perssures? The way you discribe the feeling, I'd point to a soft tire not a worn tire.

As far as the noise and impact transmittion back to the bike, I'd say the suspention is set too hard, or really soft for your riding style. I get a lot of road feel off the rear if I forget to turn the pre-load back down from the 2 up setting, when I'm riding solo.

And don't forget the VFR is a much heaver bike over the FZRs so it could just be you need a little getting use to the extra 100 or so pounds the VFR is carring. I know the first time I let my kid brother ride mine, he had a hard time getting it to turn as he was use to his CBR600.

Yeah... Stick with OEM sizes. Them engineers knew what they were doing when they put 180 on the rear.

I agree, as much as I like to pick on engineers at work, there are a few in the world that know what they are talking about.

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I'd echo the sentiment to stick with the OEM sizes. Playing with a fatter tire just means slower turn in and other undesireable effects. The only time going up in tire width makes sense is if you find yourself losing grip a lot, and if you're consistently finding your VFR over-powering that rear tire you're either doing something incredibly right or incredibly wrong.

I've run PR2s in OEM size on my bike for years. For a street tire, you really cannot go wrong. Not that I'm the fastest guy out there, but I frequent the SoCal backroads very regularly and have never been able to outride these tires. Now, if you really want something stickier, I also HIGHLY recommend the Dunlop Q2s. However, that extra grip coms at the expense of tire wear. I use the Q2s for the track and have been very happy.

Mike

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190/50 is a very odd size for a 800cc vfr if you were able to find it I am sure it will be priced right out of the market, 180/55 is the most common sport bike tire and is up to $50 cheaper on all brands over the 190 sizes, UNLESS your talking about the vfr1200? I think bridgestone has the 190/50 only and not the 190/55 which is the stock size for the 1200?

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This is a response to all the posters in this thread:

I was away for a while. Just got back and read all the responses. Thanks for the replies and making things much simpler. PR2's, stock it is!

To respond to some specific comments:

*I've been using 36psi front and 42 rear.

*190/50 size is readily available in Michelin, several Pilot styles, with no price penalty.

Thanks again for your info, Kip..................

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"As far as the noise and impact transmittion back to the bike, I'd say the suspention is set too hard, or really soft for your riding style. I get a lot of road feel off the rear if I forget to turn the pre-load back down from the 2 up setting, when I'm riding solo.

And don't forget the VFR is a much heaver bike over the FZRs so it could just be you need a little getting use to the extra 100 or so pounds the VFR is carring. I know the first time I let my kid brother ride mine, he had a hard time getting it to turn as he was use to his CBR600. "

Good points- I'm going to check the forums for recommendations on suspension setup. I know I originally set it up for a "neutral/average" rider (I'm 155lbs, average riding skills), but I need to review exactly where it's set at.

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I'm looking forward to trying the 180/55 in the rear myself. I bought my bike with about 5800 miles on it at the local BMW dealer, they had put new Metzler Z6's on it, but used a 190/50 on the rear. I thinking that a Pilot power front and PR2 rear in 180/55 is going to make noticeable difference in how the bike handles. I'm 7000 miles in on the Z6's, maybe by the end of this season...

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I'm looking forward to trying the 180/55 in the rear myself. I bought my bike with about 5800 miles on it at the local BMW dealer, they had put new Metzler Z6's on it, but used a 190/50 on the rear. I thinking that a Pilot power front and PR2 rear in 180/55 is going to make noticeable difference in how the bike handles. I'm 7000 miles in on the Z6's, maybe by the end of this season...

How does it handle? Based on the actual experiences and opinions of experienced riders posting in this thread, this would not be a recommended setup (at least in the Michelin PR2 versions of this size). When looking at the cross section of a PR2 190/50, it seems a questionable match to the front 120/70 in a PR2. That's why I posted the original question. I've been pretty well convinced to stay stock by this thread.

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Given 100hp, you don't need anything wider for traction. Skinny tires are more flickable in the turns = more fun.

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You mentioned running wide in your OP. If that's a problem, I recommend checking your suspension sag, particularly the rear. If it's sagging too much the rear will try to squat coming out of corners causing you to run wide. You might also try raising the fork tubes in the triple trees or alternatively, adding a spacer to the rear shock mount to raise the rear end. The first is easy but costs a bit of ground clearance (not really an issue for a clod like me), the latter is a bit more involved but actually gives a slight increase in clearance.

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I'm looking forward to trying the 180/55 in the rear myself. I bought my bike with about 5800 miles on it at the local BMW dealer, they had put new Metzler Z6's on it, but used a 190/50 on the rear. I thinking that a Pilot power front and PR2 rear in 180/55 is going to make noticeable difference in how the bike handles. I'm 7000 miles in on the Z6's, maybe by the end of this season...

The dealler put a 190/55 on it? I would be taking it back to them and telling them to replace the rear tire for you. Not sure about the US bikes, but mine clearly list the tire size, and pressures on a sticker on the chain guard. Sounds like the BMW dealer just put on whatever he had laying around to get the bike to pass safety so he could sell it.

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I have to echo the logic of not increasing the size of the tire. a 180 is perfect on the VFR. That size will provide you with all of the handling and grip you can use on the street...as far as tires I am in the minority here on this board but I use and like quite a bit (I'm on my third set of them and have nothing but good to say about them) Metzler Z6's...that said I will in all liklihood change from the Z6's to the Z8's when the baby needs new shoes again.

I have also considered Pilot Road 2's as well as Angel ST's...but I've had such good luck with the Z6's.

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This is a follow up to all the posters.

Put the Michelin Pilot Road 2's on today (stock size), and it's beyond better. Whole different bike. There was something drastically wrong with other setup- not sure really what. The rear Bridgestone BT021 was about 80% remaining- the front:about 30% with some odd wear (probably original tire- 2004 year bike). Now when I lean, the bike turns: lean more- turns more. Also, as hoped, the Bott's dot thumping reduced alot. The PR2 setup seems to have a slightly larger front tire even though the nominal size is the same as the Bridgestone- the rear PR2 maybe a tiny bit smaller than the BT021.. The PR2 cross sections are similar, front and rear- the rear just larger diameter radius. I had no idea tires could make so much difference- you guys definitely steered me in the right direction. Thanks, Kip......................

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