Can I put a 120/17 70 on an R6?
 

Title says it all. I have a spare tire laying around and want to know if I can give it to my bro-in-law to put on his R6...

you mean a 120/70-17? That would be the stock front tire size... Probably a 180/50-17 rear.

EDIT:
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/pr...8/0/specs.aspx

No I just typed it wrong. Its the front tire, 120/60 17 is what I have.....120/70 17 is stock. My bad.

A /60 would work, you could adjust the suspension to work with it, but I don't recommend it.

Check the fender clearence too, the 120/70 is a tad taller sidewall but it shouldn't be an issue if it has stock fenders.

edit: nevermind, clearence won't be an issue going TO a 120/60

120/60 sucks. I rode on a 65 on a few bikes, HATED IT. felt like trying to steer a lead brick.

120/70 will fit pretty much any modern motorcycle made in the last 23 years if it has a 3.0-3.5"x17 front rim.

60 series would be absolute junk on an R6

I know the typo has already been pointed out, but now I can't stop picturing an R6 with a 70" wheel on the front. :lol:

It will match his bicycle.

http://www.notbadatall.com/pics/400pennyfarthing2.jpg

It will never feel right. You could measure from the axle to the ground with the 70 series and then try and lower the forks in the tripple clamps to restore ride height but it would screw with your rake and trail numbers enough that it would feel like crap. My ZX6R came stocke with a 65 series front and I had to adjust the other way to install a 70 series...

Would it also lessen your max lean angle? Seems to me it would but I don't know for sure.

You'll run out of tire sooner

My bro-in-law is just a poor college kid and can't ride worth a shit anyway, the tire won't affect his performance.

I just want to make sure it won't come off going down the highway or something. :lol:

Well the key with newbies is to make sure the machines limits are high enough they aren't likely to exceed them. I would think the lower profile would make it less stable regardless how you adjust the suspension.

A newbie that doesnt know how to address a tankslapper could end up on his arse...

He's riding an R6 as a new rider - a tankslapper would be the least of his worries....

He can't even turn, a tankslapper is the least of his worries.

Bad tire info cracks me up. Contrary to popular belief, you won't spontaneously combust if you use a 120/60. In fact, some race tires even use <70 profile fronts. I rode on a 120/65 for a long time.

Different profiles will work great as long as your bike is set up for them.

Nobody is saying he'll spontaneously combust. But the change in the bike's handling isn't worth the risk. This idea that he'll never notice the difference just because he's a new or crappy rider is ridiculous. It changes everything.

An experienced rider would be mature enough to ride carefully while adjusting to the new handling. Will your brother in law do the same? Being that he's just a college kid, I doubt it.

And even if you tried to compensate by dropping the fork tubes, would you even know how much to do so?

Can't this guy afford $100-120 for a new front tire? Jesus.

The change in handling would be minimal. You're not going to reduce the ability of the bike much, if at all. It may steer a little heavier, but that's about it.

If that's all you've got & you need something in a pinch, throw it on there and give it a try. If you don't like it, then swap it out when you can. It's not going to pose a safety hazard.

A smaller profile number just means it's a little "flatter" of a tire in the middle of the tread. It doesn't automatically mean the tire won't give as much lean angle or you'll run out of tire sooner. And contrary to popular belief, the profile ratio doesn't necessarily denote the size of the sidewall, but the overall profile or "pointiness" of the tire. A 70 series is a "peakier", more triangular tire than a 60 series, which typically means a larger rolling diameter and a SLIGHTLY bigger contact patch when leaned over.'

For street riders, the biggest effect of switching from one to another is just the handling FEEL of the bike, not handling performance.

End of discussion.

Sometimes I have that effect on women as well... I leave them speechless :idk:

If a 60 series doesn't run out of tire sooner, then why did the 60 series on my SV650 have no chicken strip remaining after running it on the track, yet when I switched to a 70, I had an inch-thick chicken strip no matter how hard I ran it? And yes the suspension was set up properly to compensate.

I'm thinking the point is that the "average rider" is not going to get their front tire leaned over that far just street riding.

Maybe, but it also makes a big change to the feel. A 60 series is typically going to be about 2 cm smaller in diameter than a 70. Thus effectively dropping the front end unless you compensate for it. Why risk giving him a tire that he might not like, just to save $100? I don't get it. There are plenty of good deals out there.

Sorry, I thought we were in the Street section, not the Track section. I didn't realize he was going to be pushing this tire on the track.

... Oh wait...


Homeslice, chill... I said "doesn't automatically mean the tire won't give as much lean angle or you'll run out of tire sooner"... In some cases it will, in some cases it won't. You guys are talking in absolutes... sorry, but that's not how it works. A 120/60/17 in one brand could have very different physical dimensions than a 120/60/17 of another brand.

Bottom line: I stand by what I said. There's no risk of physical danger in switching from one size to another. It'll likely change the feel of the bike, but that's about it. Start pushing the tire on the track and you'll likely get a change in performance characteristics, but on the street it's a non-factor.

In any case, on the street it's not a huge deal... put the tire on & tweak as needed.

Fair enough.

If the custom bike crowd can get along with 220 sized rears and dual sports get by with 19 in fronts, then you can ride safely on anything...

It will still feel like shit...

Here's the thing...how about we spend the $10 to have the tire mounted and let the rider decide how it "feels"? I've had 190/50, 190/55 and 200/50 rear tires on my bike and I still like the 190/50 best even though the general consensus is that I "should" like the 55 series tire better. Oh and "O" is totally right, different brands and/or series tires can have completely different profiles to them. The "60" or "70" is only relevant to that particular tire. Who knows, the guy might appreciate a slower turn in...besides, even if you guys are right and the change will "flatten" the tire, it will also "lower" the front end which typically quickens steering. If it's any consolation, I have a 50% 170/70 Pirelli Diablo the kid can have...:lol: I personally, don't see any "danger" in changing the tire...Heck, raise the tire pressure 3 lbs if you're worried about it...:wink:

But if he lowsides that r6 and slides a little bit he might :LOL:

I once posted that I run 42 lbs in my rear tire and someone cautioned me that I was running the risk of it exploding!!!!:lol::lol::lol: I've been running this pressure since 1995...

This thread is hilarious.

The guy in question is such a bad rider he might not notice if he was missing a front tire, he's definitely not going to notice a lil' profile change. He's already got the tire mounted, says its fine. :lol:

Did you adjust the fork height?

Dude, I noticed the change even though I had less than 1,000 miles under my belt at the time. And it was pretty disconcerting for awhile.

I didn't do anything but give him the tire, haven't even seen it mounted.

I run that kind of pressure for commuting, to increase mileage and prevent it from squaring off as quickly, but there's no way in hell I'd run that pressure in the twisties. Of course you're a lot heavier than me, and every brand of tire is different.

I run 42 for commuting as well, 36 front. Canyons get a rational 32/36, racing and tracks days get what the vendor specifies for that compound that day, starting at 30/29 and down...

You do have to watch your radius and adj suspension to match, that is why I usually pick a tire and stay with it cause once you work to dial it in you have to start all over with a new brand/size.

I know some folks who judge a tire after a swap without even considering what the suspension setting were...

:lol: true... I always run that pressure. The bike feels wrong any other way to me.:idk:

60 series still comes on the R6S and '04 and older R6s. Turn-in is stupid fast. It would work, yes. Will he like it, probably not.

Actually, he loves it. Its just a tire to him....

don't a lot of tires have a max of 45psi? :?:

How would 42 make it explode?

Sounds like someone is still stuck in the "35 psi for all tires" era. Hell, even my car tires are recommended to run at 44.

What is stamped on the tire is usually max recommended.......Not what you should run all the time.

Yes, I know. :nee:

Yea but it's not "dangerous" is the point. Were you the one telling me to be careful because the tire could explode?:lol: I'm gonna look that thread up and see who it was so we can make fun of them!!!:rockwoot:

:lol: Seriously, how could it be "dangerous" to run a tire at the manufacturer's recommended setting?:idk::lol:

Page 44 of the Suzuki service manual...

http://www.scribd.com/doc/284808/Suz...Service-Manual

http://www.motorcycle-karttires.com/...formation.aspx

Your first link locked up my computer, and your second link doesn't contain any numbers, so....

Can you find any tire website that states "We recommend you run this at 44 psi"?

I didn't say you COULDN'T run it that high, but I've never heard of a tire company actually RECOMMENDING it.

Besides, with cars, the owners manual is more important, since every car weighs different, etc.

But you said "Hell, even my car tires are recommended to run at 44."

Well alright then.

The Bridgestone site states that you follow the manufacturers recommendations and the other link is the Suzuki service manual for my bike that lists 36 front and 42 rear....both links work for me, new computer time, bro?

I doubt it lists those pressures for all conditions. Sure you're not leaving out the fact that it's talking about when you're riding 2-up or something?

I would use a car's owner's manual for tire pressure recommedations, but not a bike manufacturers. All sportbikes weigh within 50 lbs of each other these days, so why would one bike recommend 36/42 and another 32/36? It wouldn't make sense. I would pay more attention to the tire company's recommendations. Each tire is different, for example I think Pilot Powers recommend higher pressures than most brands.

And besides, like I said, I already run 40 or so for commuting, but I would never do that for a spirited run. Go to any track day, and regardless of whether you are just using street tires, they will tell you to lower the pressure to get more grip.

Yes I did. And the tires max out higher then that (hence the "recommended" part)

Mine max at 50 psi....:idk:

Recommended by who, the car company or the tire company, and under what conditions?