New tires

[bikemike]

Just put a set of Bridgestone battleaxes on my '04..a 170 on the back and a 130 on the front. They feel light years better than the MT's that came on it.
BTW, my bike will be at the MZ display in Daytona on Friday (at the request of the rep)..perhaps I'll see one or two of you guys there.

Here is a pic

[Brian]

170 on the rear !? wow, now we are talikn lean angle with grip......

hows about an arse shot !

[keithcross]

I am intriged by you fiting a 170 on the rear, whats the clearance like on the swinging arm?, does it affect teh handling?.
I am asking because int eh UK 170 section tyres are comming up on Ebay all the time and normally cheaper than 160 tyres. As I normally wear out 4-5 rear tyres a year I could make a saving here.

Keith

[bikemike]

No problems at all w/swingarm clearance. The only concern was with the chainguard but that was because it leans in on mine..just had to bump it a little. I think I could squeeze a 180 in there, my tire guy says the rim will handle it. As far a handling goes, I am but a poser and don't do much in the way of extreme anything. I like my bikes to look mean but that is about it. It feels good to me with these new tires.

Mike

[Dezmo]

I think I could squeeze a 180 in there, my tire guy says the rim will handle it.

sorry, but your tire guy is an idiot. yes a 170 or a 180 can be put on that rim, but youre distorting the carcass, forcing it to be narrower than it wants to be. The result? a highly triangular profile, with a smaller contact patch when upright (as in, not leaning for a turn) and the tendency to 'fall' into corners. Not to mention riding on the tire while the carcass is distorted puts loads thru it the tire wasnt made for, and in the worst-case scenario, can overheat and possibly delaminate the tread. Stick with 160s, its plenty of tire for a bike this size, the rim is sized for it, and its lighter than a 170 or 180 (dont forget, extra tire weight is also rotating, unsprung weight as well)

[Brian]

My Kawi has a 160 on a 4.25....and thats pushin it......4.5 " rim is a good minimum for a 160, although some of my race mates will go to a 5" or wider with a 160 or 165 because they like the flatter wider profile....me, I think I prefer more rounded for track use at least, because the bike goes over faster an has better contact area especially down at 15 PSI when wet out or flattracking.....Dezmo makes a great point, thats why I don't go wider for a tire size because of the shape you are forcing the tire to make. The MZ's rear profile for street is ideal for me personally... although I will throw the Diablos away as they don't stick worth .......... Super Corsa/Dragons or even Avon SM's......... Grippy tires never last long.... I hate pushin the front to the edge of the road with the rear end drifting

[bikemike]

A 180 would wrinkle up on the edges if installed on the stock rim. The 170 sits pretty well with a slight evidence on deformation but looks cool enough for me to go with it. Performance wise...let's just say my limited riding abilities are covered.
I raised my bars 1" the other day (longer bolts and polished spacers) better ergos for me and dumped the stock mirrors and put on a set of the very pricey CRG bar end convex..not as small as Hindsights, one size up.
I'll get a picture later today and post it. I spent the afternoon at the MZ display in Daytona, ran into CaptDavis from this site and many other Baggy guys. Took an MZ 1000 for a good ride (twice), got a lot of good feedback on the underseat exhaust...all in all a great time was had by all.

Mike

[Whysub]

Stuck BT090's on myt Sport, and it utterly transformed it from a great handler to a fantastic handler, even in the shitty weather we have in the UK at the moment.

Will fit a pair to the Baggi as and when I can get to the fitters (£170 a pair, ride in ride out service).

[Nataraj]

FWIW, I have been running Metzler MeZ-4s, and just put on a new rear MeZ-6. The ride is way (WAY) better than the stock tires. I have nothing else to compare it to however. Also, I never ride off road except the odd fire lane. I'm getting scrapes on my toe sliders though...

Nataraj