I have a Battleax 170 on the back of my 99' model. It does the job but it just seems a bit 'skinny' when compared to the rest of the bike.
Seen my last 2 bikes, a XJR1300 and a ZZR1100 both had big fat rear tyres that looked good it just seems a bit off.

The tyre mechanic who put it on said it would take a 180 but he said a 170 is safer as the 180 is not made for the rim and it might start to delaminate on the rim over a period of time.
Is this true? Or can 180's be safely used? Are their bigger rims available?

 

On April 19th of this year I installed a 180/55/17 Pirelli Diablo on my '94 (I replaced the front as well, but kept the original size). I was amazed at the difference in the handling, particularly in cornering. I had read in some of the threads in this forum both schools of thought on the pros and cons of going to a wider tire. I've got just over 5000 miles on them nowand I still feel the same. Previously I really had to work the bike into a corner, now it just rolls into it with much less effort. I'm sure it's got to do with it having a taller profile on it since it's being squeezed onto a smaller rim. Someone on this board however found that there was a manufacturer that actually put this size on our size rims as factory, so I poo poo the nay sayers...

Give it a shot, I think you'll like it.

 

The rim is 5.5" and this is the correct rim size for a 180 tyre. 180 mm tyre and 5.5" rim is the stock size on many modern sport bikes.

 

Like the CBR600F4, VFR800 VTEC,CBR900RR,CBR1100XX, ZX-9R, ZZR1200 and many many more...

 

the 99 should have a 180 on it. Smack that iggit 'trye' mechanic upside the head as he doesnt know wtf he is talking about.

 

Aw FFS.... ah well, I'll kill it good..
%^&^&^#@

Hey what about a 190?

 

Don't shoot your mechanic just yet. I've checked three different sources and they all say that the stock rims take a 170 rear tire.

 

Ah yeah it fits fine, but it just looks to skinny... l

 

This is copied from an old post. Do a search on 180 tires and more threads will come up. This one is the Reader's Digest version, short and to the point.

"From 1990 on they are factory fitted with a 170. Many have gone to a 180 and the rim is correct for it at 5 1/2" width, the optimum for the 180 size. They steer noticeably lighter for street riding with the 170 and I'm sure that's why Honda built them that way even though that's a slightly undersized tire for that rim width."

 

I've run a 180/55-17 on my '93 ever since the Dunlop tire guy at the Mid-Ohio track mounted it on my rim by mistake. It eliminated the head shake @ 45-55 mph that plagued the bike since it was new. I'll never go back to a 170.