Dude, If you think going from 140 to 150 is going to make that much of a difference, please provide ANY actual data to support that it is unsafe. It simply isn't enough to make a big difference in the handling of this bike. Take stock geometry.. modify tire size by even 20mm and report back which measurement you feel puts it in an unsafe category(other than perhaps being too large for the rim, but rims can be changed), and your method for determining risk(standard risk assessment). Heck.. even go 10 or 20mm in the opposite direction...

There is a time and place to be a debbie downer... 10mm on a tire size probably isn't it. Don't forget to tell everyone the risks of fender eliminators and aftermarket grips while you're at it! Then follow it up with a lecture on the dangers of lowering the bike... oh wait that one has already been proven to be no big deal...

 

Again, for you, go for it.

As for new riders with VERY limited experience they should be made aware that this will change how the bike rides. If being safe and letting new riders know not to rush into things without having all the facts is being a Debbie Downer, than that is me.

I never said it was unsafe. I said there are risks in changing the geometry from stock. It will change how the bike steers and rides. As for data, lowering the bike, WITHOUT lowering it in the front the same amount, will make the bike turn in slower. Period. Fact. That slow turn in may make the difference between a crash or staying upright for a new inexperienced rider who was used to how the bike reacted on the 140. You have also just lost ground clearance by lowering the bike and risk scraping parts when going through a corner fast. How does the inexperienced rider react to hard parts hitting the ground? Usually, that doesn't end to well.

You also seem to be looking at this from only your perspective as a commuter. I am looking at this as how I was when I was 19 on my first sport bike. Go out and push it as far as you can. Go as fast as I can and have fun. Max out the top speed on the highway. Try to mimic the racers I am watching and drag a knee through the corners. Only thing, when I started there was no internet to hear about the pros and cons about changing tire size or geometry. There were no experienced riders to go to in my area either.

My #1 goal in posting a response to you is keeping new riders safe. Letting them know what the risks are and then letting them make an INFORMED decision. I didn't say don't do it. I am just saying, think before you act and have as much information as possible. If you still want to do it, go for it.

I'm done. Won't beat this dead horse anymore.

 

'Fearmongering' is the term for it...

You're talking like people are adding anywhere near enough to actually make a very noticeable difference in the handling of the bike... which is simply not what was being discussed in this thread. Add to that.. this is such an incredibly docile bike to start with.

Excuse me while I head over to the stainless braided brake line thread and whip up some fear over how if they cause an accident and a Vehicular Accident Reconstruction Investigator finds out that they changed their own brake lines they're going to jail and losing their house...

 

'Fearmongering' is the term for it...

Excuse me while I head over to the stainless braided brake line thread and whip up some fear over how if they cause an accident and a Vehicular Accident Reconstruction Investigator finds out that they changed their own brake lines they're going to jail and losing their house...

1. I suggest you not do that.
2. Upgrading brake lines (or brake pads or headlights or tires, ad nauseum) will not cause you to go to jail or lose your house.
3. Keep in mind over half the forum are first-time street bike owners. Promoting substantial changes in tire profiles to riders who may lack the experience to know what these changes will do is not exactly prudent. Not saying it should not ever be done, just that there are risks and consequences associated with those changes.

 

10mm wider tyre wont 'look' any wider as its on the same 4.0" rim.


All you will end up with is doughy handling, less grip, more weight, less power, tearing, less life, lose heat quickly, and less contact patch on the very edge where is wraps around the skinny rim and falls away on the side, (not to mention the ass end of the bike is now lower again at this point)


If a rider cant tell the difference in feel, then why do they want a 150?
Don't give the old line about no sizes avail, there are heaps from Bias ply to great Radial offerings from Bridgestone and Pirelli that no rider on this forum could outride.


My mate races a KTM.... guess what, runs a 140, same 4.0 rim we have.
250 size bikes just cant keep the heat,
eg my tyres leave the pits @ 89 degrees, after a short 6 lap race they can be down to 48 degrees, but at least with the 140 the heat is more uniform.
On the road you wont ever get the same kind of heat needed to take advantage


If its looks that New road riders want?
well go ahead and run a 150 and more chicken strips than KFC.


What 'looks good is a tyre that has been working perfectly designed by engineers far smarter than the average muppet.


This looks good, my MC41 4.0 inch rim BT003 140 (same as R3 with 140)
Even wear, even heat, no tearing worked better as a tyre than I'll ever be as rider,
If anyone is getting better than this on their first Lams bike on the road better ask Yamaha Racing when that #46 bloke is retiring-

Now a prime example from my own experience,
cold tearing on my Ninja 250 one day old Supercorsa 150
(this is extreme but posted as a prime example of what the more experienced folk are saying.
Its the equivalent of going a 160 on a 4.0" R3/MC41/MC22/N300/VTR etc. for starters 15mm chicken strip on the side is a waste, this is why the heat goes, the tearing happens and a highside waiting to happen because If I lean one more degree that unused chicken strip which is parallel to the wheel is where the tyre is unworkable.-

Same bike but with 140 DR2 on 3.5" rim, (equivalent of 150 on R3), marginally better but still that mid corner tearing-

Does anyone notice the 150 'LOOKS narrower than the 140?
Does anyone see how the tyre is a nicer sharper shape, plenty of contact patch on the side, less in the niddle for better tip in, less rolling restance and higher performance.
The 150 looks worse the more you lean.


Why do I even respond to these sort of threads?
but if it keeps a new rider safer, smarter, and more money in their pocket to spend on better gear, a track day or rider training, then my work is done.

 

If its looks that New road riders want?
well go ahead and run a 150 and more chicken strips than KFC.

What 'looks good is a tyre that has been working perfectly designed by engineers far smarter than the average muppet.

Why do I even respond to these sort of threads?

Uh..., I thought you did it for MY personal entertainment.
I approve of Aufitt's message.

 

Chicken strips (or pu$$y stripes, as they're more commonly referred to in the midwest) are merely a sign that you're not using the full capability of your tire. Why pay extra money for extra rubber if you have no intent (or skill level [not directing this at ANYBODY in particular; just mentioning]) to use it. I totally understand though, if some people are just going for "that look".

 

Refer to my signature.

 

The BT-90 (now Pro) is a fantastic tire that comes in the 110/120 fronts and 140-160 rears. I love them. It works very nicely on the street too, just take it easy if it's below 40F but I've ridden them below freezing and they behave themselves. I run 28/28-30PSI on the track and I'm a beefy 250lbs.

Running a 150 or 160 isn't going to kill anybody outright even if they are clueless about chassis and suspension dynamics and setup. They might get a surprise though if they were counting on all that extra theoretical 'edge grip'. There really isn't much point going wider since there are perfectly good tires in the 140 size. If you're into the 'phat tire' look for some reason, well, you need counseling. ;-)

 

Are you still going strong with the 160 rear tire?? If so I will definitly change.. Any other opinions?

 

As I suspected, not really worth the extra weight and handling detriment for track riding. I've been riding on Pirelli Rosso II's in the stock sizes and I absolutely love them. I'm on the faster end of advanced group at the track and they were totally planted all day. The only limitation was the stock pegs dragging everywhere.

If I were riding street only, I would probably go with a 160 to get Michelin Pilot Road 3's, but in my case I like the skinny profiles better.

 

Good to keep this in mind....

http://www.sportrider.com/does-size-matter

Bigger tire will be for looks only. The profile will be different than was designed for the R3, it will be much heavier (unsprung weight issues), and will handle differently. Will probably cause greater inaccuracy in the speedo reading, as well.

 

160 For looks? yes...

Speedo inaccuracy? debunked. Speedo now matches two different GPS for the first time ever.
Weigh? debunked... new tire = same or less weight
Tire profile? ehh... honestly not much different, you'd have to work harder to get those 'chicken strips' everyone goes on and on about.. but the kind of person worried about that on a street bike (not a track bike) is a bit of a dbag that shouldn't be on the street anyway.. so no worries.

 

Just received my s20's in the stock size there going on tomorrow and keep the stock tires for back up or possibly sell 1500 miles on them. I believe I read that there lighter than stock.

 

Okay. So I read this whole thread and not much info on using the 160/60/17.

I am using my bike just for street riding, casual rides with friends, and NO track at all because my country does not have a single track. I like the wide tire profile looks like the R6 and bigger cc bikes.

So will changing to 160/60/17 rear and 120/65/17 front affect my bike riding negatively? keeping in mind, not going to use for track, but I do need safety though. and If i were to change to these sizes, is there any suspensions I need to adjust? my rear preload spring are currently at 6 (second highest) with the stock tire sizes on.

 

You couldn't have read this whole thread. In post #38 I go over some of the changes that can occur when changing tire sizes. There are other posts that go over the change also.

Going bigger, while not to much of a safety concern, will change how the bike steers and rides. You should be prepared for this. While you don't need to change the suspension, it would, most likely, help in making the bike ride better with the different tires. That is something you are going to have to experiment with on your own though. Unless someone on here has done the change and is willing to share their setup info.

 

on the subject of tires, in my Autox and track experience i went wider is better idea. went 30 over from a 215 to a 245 and pretty good Potenza RE01 rubber. could not maintain tire pressures due to the larger contact patches. between autox runs i would gain 9 psi. 20 min track run gain 12-15 psi. i started at 30. before going home after a cool down i was down to 19 psi. the best thing i could have done was get the RIGHT size tire for the wheels and better compound. and / or forged light weight wheels. the wider wheels also made steering heavy feeling, spongy even with smaller sidewalls. the car would crab. the front wanted to go one way and the rear the other. the specified size will do just fine. don't try to chase a set up. i mean , you can, i would like to say invest in the best rubber you can afford. a change in compound or construction will be a day and night difference.

 

Fits Nicely with 1/4 inch room on both sides of swing arm and chain guard..I recommend it. bike feels way better more planted and less tippy ! 160 60 17 Continental Conti Sport !

 

is this on the stock rims? looks way better! did you change your front?

 

I've got a 150 s20 Evo on my R3, it feels great at an aggressive lean..i wanted to stay with a 140 but there wasn't a whole lot on offer in that size

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk

 

Yes on Stock rim and no didnt change front but will be ...

 

Bridgestone S20Evo is available in 140. But it is single compound. The 150 might be dual compound which would last longer.

 

Well,

I finally had the time and the need to change my rear tire. I wound up settling on the Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S21 because there was a reasonable price on it at bikebandit. I went with the 160/60R17. I've made quite a few changes to the R3 thus far.. lowered, flipped the clipons under the triple, rearsets, etc etc... This ranks up there as one of the better choices I've made. Worried about there being any negative consequence as far as handling? don't listen to the nay-sayers... its handles great. Worried it is adding rotating weight? phhh i did a side by side comparison between my stock tire and this lightweight S21... no noticeable difference. Overall it was a fantastic choice and it really looks more in proportion with the rest of the bike.

Definitely a thumbs up here on the 160/60R17

OH I ALMOST FORGOT!! My speedo has never been more accurate!! Did not see that coming!

 

I ordered the same size S21, and a friend had trouble getting the tyre onto the rim. It sounded like it didn't want to go on, and looked a bit awkward.

The Bridgestone site has a size chart saying that 160/60 should go onto a 4.5" rim, did you have any issues getting this put on your bike?

 

You're running 160/60/17 rear, what about fronts? For the S21 I see 120/60 or 120/70. Which one fits better?

 

Have not settled on a front tire yet. Not sure it will be an S21.

I don't get too wound up in the fear mongering that you have to have matching front and rear tires.. 'for the handling' ...

experience tells me it doesn't really matter.

 

There is a 200 gram diff between a 140/70 and 150/60 which puts it over 5000grams in most brands, a 160 designed for a much bigger heavier bike is going to have diminishing returns in all areas.
Unsprung weight is very important,
as is grip and heat to maintain grip, 250 size bikes struggle with this.
If you're running out of edge with a 150/60 then address BP because your exhaust and LHS lower fairing bracket will be worn away.

 

The stock tires, are heavy.... they're conservative tires.

You can, and I imagine, most people do, buy a performance oriented set of tires, which often weigh less. Most people can, quite easily mind you, get a 160 that weighs less than the stock tire.

I completely agree with you, unsprung weight is very, very important... as is sprung weight. So it is important to advocate for smarter decisions, not just blanket statement likes "a 160 is heavier and therefore a bad idea".. that is just insanity. There is more than adequate unsprung weight to get these tires warm.

Oddly... everyone was worried that their 'chicken strips' would be huge. So i thought .. well I've had the tire on for 2 days now.. why not do a side by side comparison?

I'll attach a picture of the tire as it is on my bike right now, and a shot of the tire I took off (stock tire).. with rather tame riding (i'm not a street rossi by any stretch of the imagination), my so called 'chicken strips' have actually gotten smaller! What???

Where do I go from here? well maybe it is time to take the 250 tire off my custom chopper and put it on the r3? wider swing arm? sky is the limit? I'll attach a pic of the side by side of the 250 vs the 140 stocker... hahah

No in all seriousness, despite all the fear mongering that goes on here, i went out .. got the tire that I wanted, and I've yet to see a single downside! So I can honestly say this was probably the 2nd best thing I've ever done to the bike (lowering it being #1 ). It handles freaking amazing. The speedo is finally right. It looks better.... I couldn't be happier.

Is it right for the race track? probably not i have no clue, and don't really care. Is it right for the street? heck yeah it is...

 

what about a 120/60/17 front an 160/60/17 rear i had that set up on one of my FZR400's an it made a huge difference in a positive way never thought i could have made that bike turn better than stock but it worked ...i see the KTM runs a 110/70/17 front an a 150/60/17 rear an well that is a great sharp turner there ....plus doing a lil looking back in some things had a friend with an F2 that had a 110/80/17 front and a 130/80/17 rear back in the day an it cornered like it was on rails ..so if the 160/60/17 fits looks well seems to perform just fine my question is what front is gonna be the go to for a R3 i think the 120/60 front with the 160/60 rear should be good but also having just picked up the R3 i havent had time to go through an do some measurement for the front rim to properly fit the 120 .........i have how ever came across an interesting bit from a late night google sesh about the similarities of the R3 an the Fz07 for instance the forks are the same 41mm same travel so it is a safe bet that if the triple trees are the same space apart there is your direct bolt on front rim ( for those wanting dual brakes an a 120 size tire ) saw someone in the Asia market did a full on dual brake 120/70/17 front an a 180/55/17 rear conversion bike looked pretty sharp too .... of course there will be performance changes ...but its all in the individuals own personal taste ....an i am curious as to how everyone mods go an what they notice in performance gains an loses so that others can see review an then make a choice ..........call me George cuzz im curious

 

Proooofffff!!

"We got a tip from Chris Parrish, a racer in the South who is leading the points in the competitive WERA Southeast, that he’s been having good luck running the same Bridgestone slicks on his R3 that he runs on his SV650. We have exhausted most of the other tire options on the market looking for a good tire that pays contingency, so we’re hoping that the Bridgestone slicks work out. The Pirelli Supercorsa has been the best option we have found previously but Pirelli doesn’t offer contingency so we’re still looking. The Bridgestone slicks are a larger 165 rear and 120 front, so there was some concern as to whether we could maintain a hot enough carcass temp to improve traction and justify the heavier tire weight. Zeke threw on a set for Friday practice went out for first session. I wasn’t there, but Sergio was texting me updates… First session, Zeke took it a little easy to see how they tires felt and see if he felt confident. He said the tires felt good. Next session out he started pushing them a little harder, trying to see where the limit was, testing the grip. He did a 2:03, then a 2:02. Still totally comfortable on the bike, and just feeling out the tires. Already at a podium pace, and closing in fast on his best time of 2:01.0. The tires felt planted. We had a winner."

link: http : // www . yamahar3racing . com /2016 /09 /race-report-cvma-2016-2017-round-1-chuckwalla-valley-raceway-ccw-yamaha-r3/

Just remove the spaces

 

How much psi do I need to put on a160 36? Still

 

36 street, 32 track *cheers!