last season i was on a conti 110/70/17 that tire is now since ruined. (long story dont want to explain) any who i am on a pirelli diablo 120/70/17 and the bike does not feel exact 100 percent from last year. i dont know if i forgot how it handled from last year or what. Today i deceided to lower the front end 1/2 of an inch i did not get to ride her due to rain. after doing some thinking and debating i know tire height can cause problems with turn in and even profile. a tire height of a 110/70 is 23.06 inch overall and a tire height of a 120/70/17 is 23.61 inch overall. after i did the lowering i raised the bike and set it straight up and down the front end no longer looks higher than the back end which it did before if anything it looks just a smidge lower to almost a very neutral look. i know i cant really tell until i get out and ride on her.

my question is are their going to be negative effect from lowering the bike a half inch in the front to compensate for the gained tire height or should i raise it back up the half inch and quit being stupid.

 

the reason the bike is ill handling is because the 120 section tire is crowning on a 2.5" rim. that's probably why the extra height. the 120 really doesn't go well on that narrow of a rim, that's why you don't see them on narrow rims.

when the front was higher, you probably had slow steering, now that it is lower or neutral, you will probably find that the bike will drop into turns more readily or steer quicker but still heavy. and i am going to say that at high speeds you may start to get a wobble. i had a 120 on my bike for 1 week and no matter what i did i could not get it to handle like it does with a 110.

i hate to say it, but there is no good reason for having a 120 section tire on this bike. does nothing but create handling problems.

 

i was in a pinch thats why i went with a 120 series tire. im thinkin of doin a damper to get rid of the wobble you are suggesting that i will have. i also have another 110 series tire sitting at my buddies house that i can get i just need to see how much he is going to charge me

 

damper or not, the overall "feel" of the front end won't be like that of a 110 tire. you could ride with the 120, no big deal, but it's not going to "feel" right or the same. i don't know, maybe the diablo will be okay and it's just a difference of manufacturer.

 

i know when i had the pilot in the 120 as a loaner tire it felt great at stock height or not. the diablo feels good i dont know if its just im afraid to get into a lean cuz its been a while since i rode but i do know i can be goin 60-70 and flick the bike and it goes that way in a hurry

 

in a hurry is exactly what i am talking about, the bike turns in quickly, and imo too quickly. the fact that the bike literally will drop into a turn is great running through canyons, but when doing so transitioning from side to side isn't so good because i had to muscle the bike upright before i could make the next turn. i was actually slower because i was still somewhat over when i got to the next oppositeturn and had to pull the bike up before i could let it drop into the next turn.

i don't know what kind of riding you do and maybe a 120 will be just fine for it, but when you are riding the twisties, being smooth through the turns or getting a rhythm going helps with corner speed. i could not be smooth trying to muscle the bike from left to right and back again.

like i said, could be tire manufacturer but i really think that it is due to a wider tire being put on a narrow rim causing the tire profile going from a rounded shape to a cone-head.

now that i am running a proper rim that will use a 120 tire, i have more neutral steering and with that, the added benefit of running better brakes.