16 inch front wheel, Am I crazy...

[keny]

So, I actually thinking of doing the oposite what many CBR900/959RR owner is doing, They change their 16" front to a 17", I wounder about changing my 5th gens 17" to a 16".

Ok I know I will get a MUTCH slimmer selection of tires for the front.(mainly a few Avon (AV45, AV59, AV79) , BT016/S20, Conti sportcontact, Qualifer 2, Diablo and Metz M3, Shinko 006, Maxxis M-6029)

I like fast steering, that is one small point.

I like the look as front is smaller as rear, thats a bigger point

I have a 16" front rim laying around whit good brake discs, just need to find a tire, one point more.

Aside from some disc spacing (needs to go a bit outwards) its a straight forward modification. A 900RR owner suggested a steering damper if I do go the 16" route.

So your kind words of my modification idea? or

I guess I have to mutch to think of as I´m sitting whit my hurting left knee....

[Veefer800Canuck]

You can easily quicken the steering by lowering the front end, and raising the rear end.

They are even getting away from using 16.5" wheels in professional racing. Probably next year.

[Beck]

Why???!.....As noted by Veefer800Canuck, there are easier ways to quicken the handling without even spending any money. You might be just causing a bigger problem with your bike in the future as the choices for good 16" sport tires will just continue to dwindle.

Chombi

[SEBSPEED]

Well, I say try it. It can't hurt and it will be a nice easy project to keep you busy while you heal up.

You can always sell that 16" wheel later (with a good tire) if you don't like it as much as you thought you would.

[keny]

Thanks for your toughts.

Like I said, the looks is the main thing here. I just like the front beeing smaller than the rear, like on RC30/45 and so on.

I know speeding up the steering is possible, alredy have the fork tubes slided up some. I had them 18mm up on my old RC24 (-87 750F) and it was on the line to be unstable, but still just stabel. I did like that feel. As mine has a cat, rising the rear is not as easy unless I get a cat less heder =$

This is a simple mod, and cheap, as I got the wheel, and I can always but back the 17" stocker, I will not sell it. It will need new brake disc soon thro, a reson I save some $ whit a 16" front as it has like new brake discs, a tire is just cheaper.

I also like to round headlights of the RC30/first CBR900RR, tought if that would be possible to change on my 5th gen, but then again I would easyer end up buying a 92-93 CBR900RR, would have the 16" front wheel and a twin round headlights. Ofcorse that is not a VFR........

[Baileyrock]

What about brakes???

What rotors can you use? Are they floating?

BR

[keny]

What about brakes???

What rotors can you use? Are they floating?

BR

The wheel is a 94-95 CBR900RR I belive ( first ones whitout a odo drive at the front wheel), and has same size 296mm rotors. The spacing of them is a few mm in compare to the 5th gen wheel, so needs same spacers betwen disc and wheel, or calipper and fork. But the later is not possible on the left side whit a 5th gen. The wheel it self has same axle diameter as the 5th gen, and same spacing, so a direct fit.

[Baileyrock]

What about brakes???

What rotors can you use? Are they floating?

BR

The wheel is a 94-95 CBR900RR I belive ( first ones whitout a odo drive at the front wheel), and has same size 296mm rotors. The spacing of them is a few mm in compare to the 5th gen wheel, so needs same spacers betwen disc and wheel, or calipper and fork. But the later is not possible on the left side whit a 5th gen. The wheel it self has same axle diameter as the 5th gen, and same spacing, so a direct fit.

Sweet, Go For It!!!

[CatiePotatie]

If you really wanted to get the twin round headlight look on a 5th gen, then with some time and effort you could adapt the fairing stay from an older model onto the front of the vfr and acquire a set of chinese fairings.

Just off the top of my head I recall seeing fotomoto's CBR fairings on I think a 4th gen, MV Augusta fairings on a 4th gen also and my favourite - brand new CBR1000rr fairings and tail end on a brand new 6th gen. So it's definitely doable.

[Alaskan]

Just buy my 1984 VF750F. It already has the wheel you want.

[keny]

Just buy my 1984 VF750F. It already has the wheel you want.

I had a 1987 vfr750F, and I do reget selling it......

[keny]

Well my crazy plan got a bad hit. As I changed the headset, I did try out the 16" rim, and yes, it easylly fit the fork, as long as you ither dont have brake calippers, or brake discs....

Bummer, thouse 3 piston sliding front brake calippers are just to massive to fit betwen the brake disc and rim, at least when mounting the calipper to the brake disc.

So I guess my plan went south... man I need a new set of brake discs to the stock wheel then, at least for next season....

[Baileyrock]

another option to quicken steering would be to run a 120/60-17

vs the stock 120/70-17 front tire .

Sent from my SCH-I405 using Tapatalk 2

[timmythecop]

I am fairly sure that the only reason the 900rr came with a 16" front wheel was for weight saving reasons.

[keny]

Well, I never uppdated this. It didnt work out, mainly becorse the stock 5th gen brake calippers are just to large to fit in betwen the rim and the barke disc to mount the wheel.

I guess only way to go is to get a fork swamp....but thats not a thing I will do in near future, if ever.

[Roebling3]

In the 70's and 80's Moto Guzzi put 16" wheels on the front of their 500, 650, 750, 850 and 1000cc sport bikes. Having had at least one of each and still ride 2 set up with 16" fronts, 1 with a 17". I would not put a 16" on the front of anything larger than a 650, as in ~450#'s. The smaller wheels have a smaller contact patch. They nibble and move about on uneven road surfaces in an exciting way from maybe 20 m/h up. All straight line irregularities are exaggerated. The heavier bikes 850 and 1000, make me wish for 36" bars, because the steering feels heavy/slow. The limited tire size and type should be answer enough, in my view. I have ridden the same year and model with a 17" front. The difference was like night and day. BTW: Nearly all of the bikes I owned had modern rear shocks and upgraded front ends.

Good fortune, R3~

[BusyLittleShop]

Mercy the 16 was never the culprit on the CBR900RR... it was the CBR's flexy frame

that caused all the unwanted wiggle problems...


I raced Mr.RC45 on the stock 16 and it felt neutral and secure at all
times... in fact it saved my bacon when the exhaust pipe crunched and lifted the
rear wheel off the ground while negotiating a hairpin at 90+... the front
tucked so bad that I was looking for a soft spot to land on... but
that big meaty 130 x 16 bit as I squirmed about and recovered before I
could sh*t me drawers... so I think Honda called the 16 right... in
fact I'd still run a 16 wheel if I could find one in magnesium and fit
it with race rubber...

130/70/16 tire diameter = 294mm

120/70/17 tire diameter = 299mm

Difference = 5mm or 2.5mm radius

So all in all it's possible to subtract 2.5 mm of trail to your VFR

Basics of Trail...
Trail gives a motorcycle stability because of the self-centering effect caused by the front wheel being
behind (or trailing) the steering axis. Too little trail, and this self-centering effect is decreased to the
point of instability. Too much trail, and the effect is so great that steering becomes heavy.

Pipe Crunch

[JamieDaugherty]

Well my crazy plan got a bad hit. As I changed the headset, I did try out the 16" rim, and yes, it easylly fit the fork, as long as you ither dont have brake calippers, or brake discs....

Bummer, thouse 3 piston sliding front brake calippers are just to massive to fit betwen the brake disc and rim, at least when mounting the calipper to the brake disc.

So I guess my plan went south... man I need a new set of brake discs to the stock wheel then, at least for next season....

Consider that a blessing - that 16in front wheel would have only caused you problems. It does not quicken the steering, in fact quite the opposite. I think you would have found it to be a big step backwards in the handling department.

[Alaskan]

Not to mention limited tire choices . . .