Just dealer mounted a new shinko 705 120/90-17 front tire. It does not fit between the flare of the downtubes at the botton near the wiper/seals on the Lt side. The rt side has a good 1/4 inch or so clearance. the Lt side has a negative 1-2mm or so overhang. Shinko lists the tire as 4.69 wide which is approximately 119 mm wide. best i could measure it was right at 119 mm. So tire seems ok. Based on what ive red on this forum i thought it should fit. The tire does not appear to be centered between the downtubes but is offset to the Lt. I have a shinko 705 140/80-17 on a rim but have not installed it yet. From what ive read it should work fine. Is there something odd about my bike? 1000 easy miles never crashed. Any help on this issue would be appreciated. I was really hoping to use these tires. thinking about the IRC Gp110 4.60 x 17 which is 113 mm wide. it will be close on the Lt side.

Thanks, dusty

 

Dunno about your issue but why are you replacing tires at 1000 miles? Are you going to scrap the new old ones? I'll take them if so.

 

old tires gone already.

 

You may want to check if you have the spacers that go on the left/right of the hub next to the fork mounts switched. I would think that the wheel should be centered in the forks. I would get a good mechanic to look at it.

 

If the spacers aren't the issue, true the wheel to center. It sounds like the rim may not be centered in the forks. Not tough for someone who understands truing. Loosen all spokes on one side by a quarter to half turn, then tighten all the spokes on the other side by and equal amount, pulling the rim over. Best to be done by someone that can true wheels.


On the other side, you do realize that 120 will slow your handling, turning in will be noticeably a bit harder and slower than with the OEM 110. Fat looks cool, but has a cost in performance. To gain it back you would have to slide the forks up in the triple clamps to pull the rake back in plus a bit to compensate for the added height and the leverage turning in due to the width of the 120. If that matters, if happy with the way it works, no problem. Some prefer the slower handling, some don't. I'm one of the latter, I don't mind a bit of a nervous feel at upper speeds. When the 17s are laced up for the 650 it will run a 110/70 and a 140/60 or 70 nothing more needed.

 

Since you said it was dealer mounted I'd guess that they have the spacers wrong on the front axle.
If the old tire was centered, the new tire should be centered.

Doug

 

I don't think they can do spacers wrong. One is the speedo drive and only works on one side. Just looked at my 09 and will say it is impossible to do them reversed.

You should take a good look at the possibility the rim isn't centered.

 

If the rim isn't centered. I would take it to someone that has experience with relacing wheels. The spokes have to be evenly tensioned, wheel round and centered. It gets complicated fast.

 

thanks to all who have responded. I believe the rim needs to be trued to center between the down tubes. The bike is currently torn down for mods. The dealer who installed the tire builds wheels as well. Will check back and let you know if that was the issue.

If all else is normal, am I correct that the bike should run the 120/90-17 shinko 705 up front? It looks like it should just fit if it was centered. The tire width specs out at 119 mm wide. I have seen others using 120's up front.

Thanks, Dusty

 

Kawasaki spec for OEM is 110/70 front. Others put wider tires on either for the "fat tire" look or under the misconception that the wider tire will handle better. Just because it fits or others have done it does not make it the correct tire for a rider.

As I said, a wider tire with the same aspect ratio will also be taller. Both increase in width and tire profile will slow the turn in. Plus the taller tire will lift the front causing an increase in rake and trail which also slow handling. I've used this in choosing tires for motorcycles I've owned. Changing a tire profile can make significant changes in the way it works.

Slower handling means you have to put more effort into steering, not a huge amount, but definitely noticeable. To use media terms, it decreases "flickability", quick change of direction. This increase in steering effort does increase stability at speed, the bike will want to track straight. Some riders may not mind or want this change. Others don't. I'm one of the latter.

We do both dirt/gravel and rather twisty back roads as much as possible. Not much long straight stuff. For that I personally like quicker flickable handling. The ability to change direction quickly is what I want.

Over the years I got experience with tire sizes both personal and observed, working in a dealership for a lot of years. My first experience was when I upped the tire sizes on my MotoGuzzi, going from a 100/90 to a 110/90 on the front. The handling transformed from slow European bike to American dump truck! I wasn't the only one to observe that it steered about as quick as a dump truck. After that I used this when I got a standard GL1100 Gold Wing (no bags/fairing), I got it to ride two up with my wife, but I still like performance. I dropped the tire sizes on both ends from a 140/90 to a 130/90 rear and from a 120/90 to a 110/90 front. For a big 600 lb bike it quickened handling decently... for what it was. The other road bike I did the tricks with was a Kaw 550 Zephyr. Known as a good handling bike, it still didn't steer as quick as my KLX650, it felt slow. I dropped the front tire profile from a 110/80 to a 110/70. Now the bike is as quick as the dual sports, although for some it would be considered a bit "nervous" above 60 mph I have no problems with it. No worse than most modern sport bikes.

So there ya go, no real science, just what happens and probably more than you wanted to know. Decide what you want and need, then make a decision. Don't just rely on what others do. Some guys put knobbies on sportbikes and ride dirt and gravel... doesn't make it something I'm gonna do!




OH, regardless of what tire you run - get the rim centered!