Thread: 140 80 17 tires
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Old July 28th, 2016, 12:53 PM   #8
InvisiBill
EX500 full of EX250 parts
 
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Name: Bill
Location: Grand Rapids-ish, MI
Join Date: Jul 2012

Motorcycle(s): '18 Ninja 400 • '09 Ninja 500R (selling) • '98 VFR800 (project) • '85 Vulcan VN700 (sold)

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MOTM - Aug '15
Quote:
Originally Posted by rgx107 View Post
If it helps, a 140 80 should be 28 mm larger in diameter than a 140 70. And the actual width or height can differ from the sidewall marking, a lot.
And the 140/70 is already 14mm taller than a stock 130/70, meaning the new tire is 42mm (1.65") larger than the old one was.

This tire raises the rear over 3/4", which will actually make the steering quicker (since it's changing the angle of the forks). Going to a larger front tire will make it resist turning more, but that may give you odd results combined with the quicker steering - it seems like the turning effect may be more sudden. I've stuck with the stock size in front and stock-like for my wider rear wheel, so I'll leave this to people with more firsthand experience with different sizes. Keep in mind that different tire models will inherently feel different too.

Also note that the BT45 is a bias-ply tire. They're more flexible because they're essentially the same construction from bead to bead. Radials have distinct sidewall and tread area construction, so they're more stable at speed, last longer, and have less rolling resistance. Radials have been standard on all cars for 30+ years now, and are what modern performance bikes use.

As has already been said, as long as the tire doesn't rub and you like the way it feels, it's fine. The bias-ply tire will expand more at speed, so make sure you're checking for rubbing after rides too, not just for clearance when it's parked.
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