mzbk2l
Active Member
Back in 2007 or so, I bought a rear wheel on ebay and had Kosman do the 17" conversion, but I've never gotten around to putting a tire on it... the ME880s that were on the bike seemed to wear so well, it just never bacame a priority. A nail in the tire on the Hayabusa finally forced me to buy some tires last week, so I went ahead and got four - two for that and two for the Max.
I went with the Michelin Pilot Road 3's for both bikes; the Vmax got 180/55ZR17 for the rear and 110/80ZR18 for the front.
Because of several comments on the forum, I was curious as to the effect of mixing a radial and a bias ply tire. I swapped the front only and went for a 20+ mile ride with a RP3 up front and my old Metzeler ME880 on the rear. All I noticed was a VAST improvement in handling. I did not notice any issues with quirky or squirrely cornering or riding. I was too anxious to get the rear mounted to go any further, so that's the end of my contribution to the debate on mixing radial and bias ply tires.
I came home and installed the Kosman wheel (which I had already mounted the RP3 onto) and took it out again. WOW! It's like riding on a different motorcycle. It sounds the same, but almost no part of the handling feels like my Vmax. Taking a curve on the ME880s, the bike always felt like it was "tipping over" as I leaned into the curve. With the RP3s, it's as stable as if it was on rails. If I lean a little bit, it holds that until I lean more or straighten out. If I lean more, it holds that angle. Completely different from the old tires. One oddity (to me) is that the handlebars almost feel "locked" into the straight position while I'm cornering. The slightest lean absolutely instantly sends the bike where I want it, but those bars do not want to let me give any input the way they used to with the old tires. The bike turns much more quickly and precisely and confidently, but it's a different method of riding than it was on bias ply tires.
Another great difference is the way it handles bumps in the road. Many exits here have the raised dots as you move over into the exit lane, and on the ME880s, it was "hold on for dear life" time as you crossed bumps like that, or a shift in the level of the pavement. The RP3s hardly notice such things - the bike now crosses smoothly with no side-to-side shifting as it goes over. Much more confidence-inspiring to ride.
The only negatives (or probably neutrals) are 1) that I'm not sure I like the look of the wheel yet, and 2) that the bike no longer feels "planted" in the upright, straight ahead position. I used to be able to shift my hips or butt all over the place and the bike just motored along the path it was on. It's so much more responsive now that rearranging myself on the seat has the effect of moving me as if I was starting to corner. That's going to take some getting used to.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the results and kind of bummed that I waited so long to do it!
Some before pics:
And as it sits now:
P.S. - no swingarm clearance issues at all. In fact, I was able to move the washer back to its stock location, after 10+ years of sitting in the differential making room for the 170mm cross-sections of the numerous ME880 tires the bike has been wearing.
I went with the Michelin Pilot Road 3's for both bikes; the Vmax got 180/55ZR17 for the rear and 110/80ZR18 for the front.
Because of several comments on the forum, I was curious as to the effect of mixing a radial and a bias ply tire. I swapped the front only and went for a 20+ mile ride with a RP3 up front and my old Metzeler ME880 on the rear. All I noticed was a VAST improvement in handling. I did not notice any issues with quirky or squirrely cornering or riding. I was too anxious to get the rear mounted to go any further, so that's the end of my contribution to the debate on mixing radial and bias ply tires.
I came home and installed the Kosman wheel (which I had already mounted the RP3 onto) and took it out again. WOW! It's like riding on a different motorcycle. It sounds the same, but almost no part of the handling feels like my Vmax. Taking a curve on the ME880s, the bike always felt like it was "tipping over" as I leaned into the curve. With the RP3s, it's as stable as if it was on rails. If I lean a little bit, it holds that until I lean more or straighten out. If I lean more, it holds that angle. Completely different from the old tires. One oddity (to me) is that the handlebars almost feel "locked" into the straight position while I'm cornering. The slightest lean absolutely instantly sends the bike where I want it, but those bars do not want to let me give any input the way they used to with the old tires. The bike turns much more quickly and precisely and confidently, but it's a different method of riding than it was on bias ply tires.
Another great difference is the way it handles bumps in the road. Many exits here have the raised dots as you move over into the exit lane, and on the ME880s, it was "hold on for dear life" time as you crossed bumps like that, or a shift in the level of the pavement. The RP3s hardly notice such things - the bike now crosses smoothly with no side-to-side shifting as it goes over. Much more confidence-inspiring to ride.
The only negatives (or probably neutrals) are 1) that I'm not sure I like the look of the wheel yet, and 2) that the bike no longer feels "planted" in the upright, straight ahead position. I used to be able to shift my hips or butt all over the place and the bike just motored along the path it was on. It's so much more responsive now that rearranging myself on the seat has the effect of moving me as if I was starting to corner. That's going to take some getting used to.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the results and kind of bummed that I waited so long to do it!
Some before pics:
And as it sits now:
P.S. - no swingarm clearance issues at all. In fact, I was able to move the washer back to its stock location, after 10+ years of sitting in the differential making room for the 170mm cross-sections of the numerous ME880 tires the bike has been wearing.
