I only went to a 180 on my 91 bike because the pairs of 120/180 were much easier to find at a good price.
I had no issues at all with the 180 on the rear and regularly had the hero blobs touching down at full lean.
My current blackbird has the same 5.5" rim on it as the 1000F and that is factory fit with a 180 rear.

 

That's interesting to know. So you're saying that Honda have fitted a 180 tyre to a rim that was originally designed for a 170 tyre? And yet manufacturers don't think it's a good idea.
The plot thickens.

What the hell are Hero blobs? Surely this is not some kind of adrenaline induced menstruation? Or have you just scuffed your poor little knees a bit?

 

thankyou all so much for the help and information. as far as my tyres go i have the receipts for them from october 09 when they were replaced for the british mot test. the bike has done around 100 miles since then so i don't think squaring would be an issue, tho I may be wrong. i will up my rear preload i think up to 30mm from 35mm and see what effect if any this has and as far as pressures go i always adjust and check before every ride so i know these will be right. I agree that pressuring the bars is irritating but if it not going to cause me any safety issues then i dont mind doing it. at least i will have a bike that responds and does what i tell it to do positively!!

I intend to try all these things in turn and note the effects that they have and I will report back in due course.

thanks once again
grim

 

HaHa - Hero Blobs are the common name for the small dome headed bolts that screw in to the bottom of the footpegs and let you feel how far over the bike is.

 

I've got a 180 on the rear and have no handling issues at all .

Grim ' if you've only just bought the bike you wont know how many miles are on them or how old they are or how the PO rode on them . Give them a good close inspection for being squared off and experiment a bit with a little extra pressure in the front tyre . I find the bike's a bit sensitive to low tyre pressures

 

+1 on the tyre pressures - especially the front - it likes to be at book or higher. I ran 40psi in the front and prefered it that way.

 

Obviously the info i have given cannot be corroborated but i just have to trust the seller. he seemed like a decent enough lad. i will however give it some time and play a little with tyre pressures. it makes sense that the bike is sensitive to pressures given how heavy the thing is so i will try running it at 40psi and see what happens. particularly as i am 105kg at the minute lol.

thanks for all your replies and i appreciate the help and response
grim

 

Sorry Grim , I was sure I read all the posts but seem to have missed this one , but then I was sure I posted up on the first page as well??

Maybe we still got a few glitches in the system

 

There are several manufacturers that are running stock 180s on the same width rim. The earlier models have a thinner rim, though, that the 180 shouldn't be run on (I think clearance is an issue also).
I've always run a 180 rear on mine. Better selection, cheaper, and runs fine.

Grim, your issues may be due to a flatly worn front like others have said. I've also noticed this, and cupping seems to make the front end more unpredictable than anything.
If I had to guess, though, I'd probably just say that you aren't quite used to the weight of this bike yet. I felt the same way after first riding this bike. New rubber helps a little, and the right setup helps, too, but they still seem to steer pretty heavy if you're used to a different bike.

 

You might find that the spring rates are too soft for you - especially if they are still the OEM springs on the bike.

I went on to the racetech website and used their spring rate calculator - even at 86kg - the springs on the bike were classed as too soft (a common honda trait).

I too thought the bike needed a lot of input to make it turn at first but then I changed to a Hagon rear shock and a pair of Hagon front springs - transformed the bike and made it a real nice ride. ( Had already fitted a brand new set of Conti Road Attacks 120/180 size )