I know theres a sticky, but this is a bit of an off the beaten path on this one.

Bridgestone makes a 120/80/17 and a 120/70/17 REAR tire, a BT56 and BT45, which I'm thinking about trying out. since our rear wheel is a 3.5" rim, which is really close to if not perfect for, a 120 rear.

my question is, has anyone tried this?

I recall way back I ran a 120 front on my old GS500's rear wheel just to see what it'd do for awhile, and it just made it handle insanely well for what it was, so I'd like to see what it'd do on a hurricane.

 

The new kawasaki 250 ninja came out with tires that are 130/70 17s. There has to be a supply of tires coming out to support such a sales success. That tire has a 10mm shorter sidewall than the original rubber. It should work better than a front 120...

 

you kinda missed my point. Bridgestone makes a purpose made rear tire in a 120 size, that (I'd imagine) was produced more for tiny bikes, such as the CBR125 and such with 17" rims. I'm just debating ordering one to see how the 600F would handle with one.

 

I would not recommend a smaller than stock tire. The contact patch is small enough with the 130.Maybe there are some benefits, lightertire, less unsprung weight, quicker acceleration , you could combine that with a 520 conversion and save even more weight...If you try it let us know how it goes.

 

I wouldnt recommend it, your contact surface id going to be much smaller and may slide out in the twisties, if anything id go to a 140 rear.

 

In all reality, you actually have MORE tire touching the pavement when you're leaning over than when you're straight up.

I'll probably experiment with one on another bike soon just for the hell of it, and throw a 150 on the rear on this. yes a 150 WILL fit a 3.5" rim safely. the EX500 guys do it all the time for the pilot power tires.

 

You are also demanding more of the contact patch while leaned over.

 

ya 150 is fine for the cane, just dont go any bigger. i have seen a few try bigger, but never reported back....

 

I know for a fact that a 160 doesnt fit, that tire REQUIRES a 4.0+ inch rim to be usable SAFELY, or you'll get a pinched tire that becomes EXTREMELY unsafe as it wont handle sharper lean angles.