120/70 vs 110/70 Front Tire

[OneCheekRider]

Just picked up a beater FZ1. Would the ride be compromised or would I even notice a 110/70/17 Front tire vs the standard 120/70/17? It's what, a 7mm difference in height? Bike will be used almost exclusively for commuting and around-town errands. There seems to be some heavy discounts on 110/70 fronts.

[OreoGaborio]

So car tire math doesn't really work with motorcycle tires, unfortunately. You can't break out a calculator to determine exact dimensional differences.

All you can be sure of is that the 110 tire will be a little narrower & shorter but there isn't a way to know by exactly how much without physically measuring.

120 vs 110 isn't a giant difference, but it's possible they were designed to be used on different width rims... probably wouldn't make much of a difference on the street though.

[RandyO]

darkside it

[OreoGaborio]

darkside it

Handles great

[OneCheekRider]

darkside it

I'm actually looking into it (for the rear).

[PhilB]

If your front rim is 3", then it should be fine. If it's 3.5", it could be a bit too narrow.
But if you're even considering "darkside" for the rear, this change to the front is comparatively insignificant, so you might as well go ahead.
Saving a few bucks on tires is totally worth risking a compromise on your safety.

PhilB

[OneCheekRider]

If your front rim is 3", then it should be fine. If it's 3.5", it could be a bit too narrow.
But if you're even considering "darkside" for the rear, this change to the front is comparatively insignificant, so you might as well go ahead.
Saving a few bucks on tires is totally worth risking a compromise on your safety.

PhilB

What is your experience running a car tire?

[PhilB]

What is your experience running a car tire?

My experience is that I am a knowledgeable engineer, and I am not silly enough to trust my life to bodges that are not engineered to work that way.

I learned long ago not to go cheap on things my life depends on. Don't buy cheap tires, don't buy cheap guns, don't buy cheap defense lawyers, etc.
You are, of course, free to do so, and have the right to. I would never condone the use of any force to stop you. I just am advising, as an experienced engineer, that's it is unwise.

PhilB

[OneCheekRider]

My experience is that I am a knowledgeable engineer, and I am not silly enough to trust my life to bodges that are not engineered to work that way.

I learned long ago not to go cheap on things my life depends on. Don't buy cheap tires, don't buy cheap guns, don't buy cheap defense lawyers, etc.
You are, of course, free to do so, and have the right to. I would never condone the use of any force to stop you. I just am advising, as an experienced engineer, that's it is unwise.

PhilB

Like I said, I'm just looking into it. The logic is there in its application but I share similar concerns. Appreciate your input.

Back on topic, I think I'll just splurge on a the 120/70. I'm just upset the Bridgestone rebate ended after I bought this bike lol

[loudbeard]

Phil just freedom’d the fuck out of you.

[PhilB]

Phil just freedom’d the fuck out of you.

lol.

I get it about experimenting with different sizes. My Ducati M900 Monster came with a 120/70 front, and I eventually decided that a 120/60 suited me better.
It came with a 180/60 rear, and I tried a couple of different sizes on that, too. My intention was that if I ever needed a new rear rim, I was going to get a 4.5" rim from an M750, replace the stock 5.5" rim and run a 160 rear to improve response and handling. I don't object to looking at different options; I just want to do it carefully.

PhilB

[RandyO]

I'm actually looking into it (for the rear).

I did it only as a winter experiment that ended up being much more successful than anticipated. Plan was to go back to a MC tire for the other 3 seasons, but not practical to mount and dismount the CT, so I ran darkside year round till I picked up a spare rear wheel, now I don't have the mount/dismount problem, I only run darkside in the winter. Its mostly the low speed handling I don't like, other than that, a CT requires only slightly more countersteer effort (but not as much as most cruisers require) to initiate a turn, beyond that, you wouldn't know you don't have a MC tire