130 Front Tire

[jaimz]

Btw Mowgoli84, I'm diggin the cat mod you have in the second pic. Do you plan on making some and selling them?

 

[konarider94]

It looks good.  Does a fender fit over it..

did you miss the post where a 150 fits with a fender. if a 120 is stock and a 150 fits im pretty damn sure a 130 will fit with a fender. its less than half an inch difference in width anyway.

 

[mowgoli84]

Btw Mowgoli84, I'm diggin the cat mod you have in the second pic. Do you plan on making some and selling them?

I am working on inventory of the cat mod. Need a larger blood line of cats, the inbreeding is causing faulty parts.

 

[buelladdicted]

What tire is that?

 

[buelladdicted]

Hello, does anyone know what tire that is?

 

[wifarmboy]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/METZELER-ME...Parts_Accessories&hash=item5ae8ec64de&vxp=mtr

I have ran it around for a while now and like it I have been leaning as far as I did before feels pretty solid to me

 

[buelladdicted]

Thanks

 

[vtech007]

I just ordered a 150/60ZR17 Bridgestone Battlax BT-016 Hypersport Radial tire for the front of my XB12R. I only do street riding. Not a knee dragger or twisty chaser. So the handling change is no biggy - something I will acclaimate to. Big beefy fat look. Gonna look great with my 200/50ZR17 rear tire. All together gonna also look AWESOME with my other upcoming mods. Will post pics once tire is installed with other mods in place.

 

[go cytocis]

I just ordered a 150/60ZR17 Bridgestone Battlax BT-016 Hypersport Radial tire for the front of my XB12R.

It's probably a moot point if you're from the 'function follows form' school, but in addition to the cornering characteristics already mentioned, some other things you can expect to be affected:
- more rotating mass will slow acceleration & braking
- more unsprung weight will slow suspension action
- directional tread pattern will be working in the 'opposite' direction on the front than on the rear (I have sometimes seen tires mounted to spin in the opposite direction to counteract this issue)
- you'll end up with a much more pronounced convex crown in the profile of the tire by mounting a 150 on a wheel intended for a 120

Good luck!

 

[vtech007]

Thank you for the points you raised. Going strictly for the looks. As far as performance, for the style of riding intended, I think we'll be OK. See pics of Turboraven's latest project bike with a 150 front tire:

http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-For...2SCG-on-Steriods-280mm-Twin-Rotors-Projectors

Quite naturally, I accept the first two points you make. But if you would please expound further:

- directional tread pattern will be working in the 'opposite' direction on the front than on the rear (I have sometimes seen tires mounted to spin in the opposite direction to counteract this issue)

Could you explain what you mean by this third point? Obviously both wheels are rotating in the same direction...

And your fourth point:

- you'll end up with a much more pronounced convex crown in the profile of the tire by mounting a 150 on a wheel intended for a 120

I'm really not seeing that pronunciation in the photos Turboraven posted of his 150 front tire.

Either way, I'm going to give it a go - of course hanging on to our standard front tire as a back up if it doesn't work out for us.

 

[konarider94]

Could you explain what you mean by this third point?  Obviously both wheels are rotating in the same direction...

you are putting a rear tire on the front of your bike. if you compare the tread of a front tire to the tread of a rear tire they are opposite in direction. he is saying you may want to mount the tire backwards when using a rear tire on the front wheel.

 

[go cytocis]

Could you explain what you mean by this third point?  Obviously both wheels are rotating in the same direction...

The construction and tread patterns of front and rear tires are different to account for the fact that the front tire is dedicated primarily to braking while the rear mostly to acceleration. Braking and acceleration impose opposite directional forces on tires therefore if you want to best capitalize on the structural & traction characteristics of a rear tire mounted on the front, you should mount it 'backwards'.

Of course there is also the issue of water channeling which a rear tire, regardless of how it's mounted, will not be designed to perform as a front tire.

I'm really not seeing that pronunciation in the photos Turboraven posted of his 150 front tire.

Think of the narrower front rim pinching the two beads of the rear tire closer together than a wider rear rim would. The result will be a tighter radius in the tire's cross section. This will likely give you steeper shoulders on the tire.

It's tough to see in TR's pics, but the front appears to have quite a bit more chicken strips than the rear which may be indicating steeper shoulders that never touch the ground(?).

I look forward to hearing how it works out!

 

[go cytocis]

Obviously both wheels are rotating in the same direction

Tires are made from built-up plys of a long rubber strip wound in a spiral.

The rubber plys of a front tire are wound so that they constrict tighter under braking, while the plys of a rear tire are wound in the opposite direction to constrict under acceleration. If you mount a rear tire on the front without reversing it's rotation, you risk 'undoing' the plys when you brake hard.

 

[vtech007]

Thanks for the comments. Should be shipping today and delivered next week. I expect to mount it next week. I will update after mounted with pics, following up with comments after some riding time.

 

[vtech007]

Go cytocis, I really appreciate your all your comments and input, especially regarding directionality with respect to the tire plys.

All you guys have given very great and useful, thoughtful advice. I plan on mounting the tire on front with "reverse" directionality.

Keep in mind - 150 mm wide is only 15 mm (19/32") more width on each side of center than the standard 120 tire. Another factor of how much it convexes in the center is also the width of the front rim. Even if I take the unmounted tire and flex the bead inward by 19/32" on each side, I don't see the tread of the tire convexing significantly. When I went to a 200 mm width on the rear, on a rim designed for a 180 mm tire, the tread area convexed very little if at all - in fact there seems to be a significantly wider contact patch. Fine with my style of riding.

In any case, I will be reporting here.

 

[vtech007]

Expected delivery of 150 tire is Tuesday. Plan on mounting by the end of the week. Will talk to you then.

 

[vtech007]

Update: My 150/60 tire was delivered this week, but didn't get a chance to mount it yet (time working on bike this week was performing other mods) - targeting mounting it this week. Will update.

 

[vtech007]

I meant to mention, the front wheel only measures about 1/4" narrower in width than the bead of my 150/60 tire, so I expect that, once mounted, there should be little, if any, convexing of the tread.

 

[vtech007]

Update: above 150/60 tire did not fit my '05 Firebolt - tech says the sidewalls hit the fork tubes - said a 140 will work. So I am trading my 150/60 for 140/70. It will actually be a better match for my 200/50 rear tire - both are almost exactly the same diameter and sidewall height. The replacement tire will be delivered on Monday and installed Monday afternoon. I will update then.

Point is - if you are planning on putting a 150mm wide tire on the front - BEWARE - of course not all tires are the same, but this one didn't fit.

 

[vtech007]

Today, FINALLY installed a 140/60 tire on the front of my '05 XB12R Firebolt. Like the mechanic said, it just BARELY fit. But it does fit. Rode it about 15 miles or so. Not broken in of course, so not pushing it, but off hand I like it. Pretty much got used to the difference by the end of the 15 miles. The difference is, it feels "more solid". This is particularly while going straight. Feels more "planted" to the road. Looking forward to breaking it in and seeing really how it does. But I do not foresee a problem.