180 rear on a 1997 900SL?

A friend of mine races 600supersports and mentioned that he has a shed full of Rennsports, Racetecs, Pilot races and Supercorses – one race each and £10 ($17-18) a pair!

So I must know – will 180’s fit my 1997 Superlight (alloy swingarm) 170 normally?

Cheers!

Max



Modified by Maxyboy at 1:36 AM 5/17/2005

Yup, as long as you have the aluminum swingarm and 5.5" rim...keep in mind that many say the 180 will slow your turn-in; I have a 180 M-1 Sportec on my '97 SS/SP, and it seems fine, but I have yet to run the 170 to compare it to. I plan on making that change this summer, though.

For race/trackday applications, the 180 would likely be preferable.

DB:

My experience is exactly what you say - the 180/55 has a bit slower turn in (which can be rectified with some bike geometry) compared to the 170/60 I had been using for years. But on trackdays, the 180/55 seems more stable to me when leaned over. YMMV.

Some 180's (depending on profile) may have clearance issues though with the rear hugger.

I have a 180/55 on 6" marchesini n the rear and 120/60 in the front. A little adjustment to the preload is necessary to dial it in. I love the way it handles now. My bike is a 93 900sssp(at 350lb) and it has the same swingarm as yours. There is no clearance problem with the swingarm. The chain rubs a little tiny bit but its probably due to the 6" wheel.

I have a 5.5 180 on my SS with a steel swing arm, only problem is chain runs very close to tire and if adjusted on the loose side will rub