180 rear vs 190 rear on R1

[Arven]

Hi guys,

Just a quick post. I was planning on getting a new set of rubber for my 02 R1. The standard size is a 190 on the rear, but the shop are right out of em. They said a 180 would do the trick, and help turn in etc. etc..

Anyone out there done this with their R1? I was planning on getting Pilot Power's which are said to be wide for their sizes...

Cheers...

[bugjuice]

I've seen that done before. The general gist is that it'll drop into turns quicker. You won't really be giving up much grip in corners. If you don't like it, flick it off on TM as 'barely used' and buy a 190, but shouldn't really be much of a prob

[SixPackBack]

Dude......I run 180 Pilots on my thou.
True not a fast rider, but I can stay upright and my opinion [for what its worth].....the bike feels more nimble and just as well planted.

[Devil]

I have heard a complaint that the 180 on an R1 can make it turn TOO quick. Hows your bike handling with the 190?

[**R1**]

DONT DO IT!!! well ya can if ya want, I run pilot pwers on my R1, and they are sweeeeeeeet, but last xmas i tried a 180 (coz they were all out of 190's) and it was an arse of a thing to ride, im all in for a quick tip in but it was stupidly fast with the 180,

R1's tip in quick anyway the 180 just exagerates(sp) it like 10 times over...

in saying all that i didn"t change my setup either, so with some tweeking here or there it may be a nice combo, but i couldnt be arsed chopping and changing setup every time i changed a tyre...

you could also try a 180 sports touring tyre as they have a less agresive profile

[Arven]

Well i just got the bike, and the square back tyre doesnt help the handeling very much. But it seems to ride fine. Maybe a bit slower lean in than the R6 used to be.

So we have mixed feelings here huh? Some say its OK, and some say "Dont Do It!"

Any one else with any opionions?? Thanks for the advice so far

[loosebruce]

Alot of the race guys swing to the 180, really the biggest issue was a few years back when 6 inch rims started coming out and people were fitting 180's on them that were disigned for 5.5 inch rims, these days most tyre makers design 180's to fit on 6 inch rims, so they are pretty sweet, i measured a 180 014 on the back of my TL and it was 189mm, depending on tyre maker some 180's are closer to 190's and 190's close to 200's etc, but some aren't.
I'd put my vote in for power's, haven't come accross anytning that comes close to the dry and wet performance of these tyre's.

[saul]

Mate I ran them all the time on my 99 R1. I also put a shorter dogbone on it to help it hold a line in the corners and was very happy with the result:spudbooge

[Arven]

Yeah, well i'm happy enough with the responces... I'm going to do it. Mainly because they dont have any 190's in stock (if they did i would just go with standard) and i want new rubber NOW!! :P

Thanks for the advice guys!

[R1madness]

DO it. It is fine. I run Pirelli Dragon Super corsa pros on mine front and rear. 180s are the guts on the street. Just add two turns of front preload to hold the front end up (which slows the turn in a little).

[BugSplat]

On the 2002/03 R1 I preferred A 180 rear tyre.

On the 04/05 model they shortened the swing arm again & in my humble opinion It feels nicer running the 190 rear.

Pilot Powers are great, unfortunately the importers are NOT !
Last 3 times I’ve needed one, 190’s have been 'out of stock'.

Anyone keen on a parallel importing sideline?

[Lord Pac]

Had 190. tried 180. Went back to 190. Bump above posts with turn in.

If you want best of both worlds- 190/55 available in rennesport racetecs not sure on other brands.

Good luck

[R1madness]

i measured a 180 014 on the back of my TL and it was 189mm, depending on tyre maker some 180's are closer to 190's and 190's close to 200's etc, but some aren't.

Here is something that most people have forgotten or may never have been told.

The standard for measuring tyres is not standard. If you measure a European tyre (lets use a english made dunlop here as an example) they are measured across the width of the tyre but a asian made tyre (japanese dunlop for example) is measured across the tread circumfrence. Both tyres can be a 190 but one will be wider than the other.
No wonder peoples handling changes when they change brands or even change models within the same brand. All can be compensated for with a bit of twiddling on knobs.