I know this topic has been beat to death but I was wondering if I could get some feedback on what types of tires people are using and what sizes. Specifically what is the largest tire that will fit on the rear and if I put a 120/70 on the front will it adversely affect handling and will it even fit.
I know this topic has been beat to death but I was wondering if I could get some feedback on what types of tires people are using and what sizes. Specifically what is the largest tire that will fit on the rear and if I put a 120/70 on the front will it adversely affect handling and will it even fit.
I'm curious as to why you want bigger tires. If you're looking for race rubber I understand many tires have limited sizes.
If I were you I would run a 110/80 on the front and a 150 or 160/60 on the rear. I realize the 80 series in the front can be hard to find too. I think Avon has a pretty good selection. As far as the 120/70, that's a pretty big tire on a 2.5" rim. I'm afraid the sidewall angle would get a little funky.
I used to run a 120/70 on the street, but the first time I went to the track I pulled it and went to a 110/70. It looked tiny but it worked much better.
The 120 will be "pinched" on a 2.5" rim, therefore the treaded part of the tire will be more rounded than it's supposed to be giving a smaller contact patch. Tuck the front, down ya go!
A 160 works great on the rear...any bigger and it's the same problem again. Bigger tires will result in a smaller contact patch.
I thinking that the 110/70 is the way to go in the front and the 160/60 in the rear. I'm still wondering on compounds. I was thinking about going with the Pilots but which ones? Any help.
I use that exact combo 110/70 and 160/60.
Aside from the 110/70 "looking" small, I was a little horified at first when I saw in on the bike, the sizing works great.
Not sure for race compounds. I am using the Metzler M1, but don't scrape the pegs a lot.
I'm running the above combo, Pilot Powers and they are some of the best tires I've had. The M-1 is a decent tire but the M-3 is better. Right now it's my opinion that nothing touches the Michelin Pilot series or the Metzler M series. Except Pereilli's (sp?) , but those are pretty high dollar, and with oil prices going the way they are, it's going to get worse.
Just finished putting on a set of michelin pilot powers on my hawk and was wondering if any had done the same. The rear feels like it's on rails but the front feels a little iffy. (160/60/17 on the rear and 110/70/17 on the front) Just wanted to see if anyone has had the same experiance. Thanks.
I too just put the Pilot Powers on my Hawk. I love them. It does feel a bit funny at first (I had the OEM Dunlop K505's), but after cruising up to Red Rock Overlook this morning (in Vegas), I got used to it...and man does it stick!!
I am using 110/70 in front and a 160/60 in the rear too. The speedo is only off by 5mph (slower).
The guys at the shop said the Pilot Road tires were a bit harder compound and were for more straight line riding, where as the Powers were softer and more for turns. I would have gotten the Roads but they didn't have the sizes I needed.
It's all goooood. I love em!!!
Off to Chicago in two weeks....I wonder where I will ride.
__________________
If I can't fix it....throw it away
Southern Wisconsin offers lots of neat roads and takes about one hour to get to the border.
Blue Mounds out west of Madison, 67/NN SW of Madison and a little North of Lake Geneva.
39 across southern WI in to New Glarus is a road I love. Nice rolling hilly and good elevation to see the landscape. Its very surreal at times.
You can head out west to the Mississippi and up to Galena.
Rt 2 along the river is nice.
I like to ride Lake Shore Drive early morning on a Sunday is really nice watching the sun come up.
Starved Rock is a nice little trip.
If you have a dirt bike or track bike, let me know and I can keep going.
I live in Palatine if you're interested in taking a ride sometime.
As Wirednut mentioned, there are quite a few places to ride but it takes a little time to get there...I prefer the Kettle Moraine area in Southern Wisconsin (LaGrange area).
I recently move to Aurora and look forward to your arrival. Pm me and I will send you my contact info.
definitly the best tires for the hawk when you factor in availabilty and performance is the 110/70-17 front and 160/60-17 rear. the 110/70 front is designed to fit on a 3" rim, vs. the hawk 2.5" rim, but it's close enough to work well and most good rubber is available in a 110/70-17. the 120/70-17 is definitly too wide to work well on the stock wheel. if you are running an Fx (F2/F3, etc) front wheel then the 120/70 is fine...
the 160/60-17 rear is good in the back as well. I've run just about all the tires out there on the track and street but mainly just use my current track bike with race tires on it. I just got another one that will be more street use with a 929 front end and VFR rear wheel, so need to get new rubber for that one. the front's easy (120/70) but need to see if I go with a 170 or 180 rear. Not sure if the VFR rim that's on mine is a 5.0" or a 5.5". I can't even remember off the top of my head how many spokes it has. It's got a 170 M1 on it currently.
anyone know what year and size the VFR rear wheels are and what fits on the swingarm (Pirelli or Metzeler)?
Another Tire Question......
Linear Mode
