And We are on topic. he seems to think that tire size makes a bike handle like a 900rr. When most people dont understand that there is more than tire size in the equasion.

 

Back to the subject of tire size. I would like to share my findings on tire sizes.

When I bought my F2/F3 it had a 180/55 on the rear and 120/60 on the front. It handled pretty good, but not the best. I changed to 160/60 and 120/70. I also raised the forks to compensate for the larger diameter that the 120/70 front tire was. After those changes my bike handled friggin awesome. I would recommend that combo to anyone.

Another tidbit I learned in researching tire stuff that some might find useful. The first number as most know is the tire width and the second number is the height of the tire which is determined by the width of the tire. For example if you want to know the height of a 120/70, you would multiply the width by 70% and that would be the height of the tire. So the equation for a 160/60 would be 160*60% also 160*.6

 

I have 180/55 rear and 120/70 front at the moment, but i slipped the frame down about 3cm from the top of the suspension through the triple clamps and it seems to handle very lightly, i dont know if i like it yet though...

 

Why'd you decide to lower it? Is it so you can touch the ground easier? (not trolling, genuinely curious)

I hate to break it to ya bud but it's not going to improve handling any. Stock height and tire size are the way to go for performance cornering.

 

The reason I lowered mine in the triples was to compensate for the taller tire size. So as to keep the stock stance as much as possible. If you think the handling won't change by dropping or raising the bike in the triples. Move an inch or so and see what happens. I promise you it will handle differently, it changes the whole geometry of the bike.

As far as handling goes it is a guarantee that a taller tire will provide a quicker turn in. Whether you like that or not is solely up to the rider. I personally love a bike that falls into the corner without much effort. I think that running a 180 on a rim designed for a 160 kills the handling. Not only that, but I am sure that the tire engineers have tried a million different possibilities and they go with what works. It may provide more traction under lean, but on an F3 I don't see the need for it unless you have some pretty serious motor mods.

Just my $.02

All that really matters is that you use what works for you.