Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

Hello all...Thanks for posting at this site, it has helped me find usable information. Has anyone successfully mounted a 180/55 on the stock rim? One member mentioned doing so and never reported back! Thanks for your input.

----Sidenote- Tire fits great, still have 15mm of clearance between sidewall and chain! 180/55 feels great. I have thrown that beast into the hardest corners I could find and have no issues yet!!!

----Reasoning behind the change: The stock Bridgestone tire was a different shape than the Pirelli Angel St. The Angel St 160/60 left me concerned in hard corners because I was the edge of the tire in turns....I know quit being a sissy right!? I mean wear right on edge, the wear showed as "0" chicken strips. I felt as though I was gonna lose it a few times on dry, clean pavement.....Bad JuJu!!! So I went to dealr and asked about 170 tire. None in stock. The 180/55 ran at 30lbs will allow a close comparison of surface contact as well as better flex when clutching wheelies. This may be all psychological but as they say.."if you dont visit a psychologist, you dont have any problems" --Ride on!!!

I can't see it as a good idea man. I bet it wears like garbage, and the tire-wall kink really freaks me out and puts me off of any ideas like this. but ! time will tell, either way. Don't bin it.

I'm not even sure a tyre shop would consider even fitting it ?

I've got 11,400 miles on my MIchelin PR in 180 size. I am just about down to the wear bars. Already got the PR2s in my shop to change out. So far, no issues. Bike handles well and the tire life is acceptable. Will probably end up with right at 12,000 miles on it when I discard it.

Thanks for the info!! I am completely comfortable with the 180. I can see how folks may not want to "test" the integrity of a tire, however when instinct tells me that the 160 is too narrow for the way I ride, then I need a wider tire...I believe a bike manufacturer would not create a machine without a margin for error being engineered out for the user. If all it took to kill gsx650f riders was a 180/55 rear tire then it would be bad for business.....In my unprofessional opinion it is the correct size for the bike. To each their own....Godspeed

My new Angel is scrubbed in nicely and I agree it goes right over - strips are already gone here too...
But I don't see a wider hoop being a "fix", let alone recognise a problem?
Get your arse out the saddle, slide your inside knee down and point your chin at the mirror - you'll be amazed the difference it makes

Kreep's got a fantastic point. your body steers just as well as a fat -assed back tire. and besides it not only takes a 180 to kill a gsx650f rider, all it really takes, is a leaky bead, or a very unstable one from a too wide tire, that under terrible stress lets loose. like, say at 45 degrees lean angle at 50 mph or so.

I scrape shoe-toes,
and headers...



and sometimes pegs...

quite regularly with a 160 out back. and I still have 1/16 or 1/8 or so of unused back tire.


you're turning YOUR tire profile into a triangle, with possibly a convex tire wall... and if it's convex, it's hopping a valley as you lean it over... I just don't think it's a good idea man. I just don't.

Well, I posted the other day a similar topic, fat rear end and liked it how y'all been reasoning with me and frankly, talked me out of it

One of my biggest concerns putting a 185 on the stock rim would be, that I change the diameter of the tire, since the stock rim would be smaller, for what a 185 needs. Meaning also the tire would bulk more.

Can either of you 185 rear runners show a pic how that would look?

When I measure my distance from outer tire edge to chain, I've maybe a inch, meaning I would doubt that it wold even run free, at least on my SuziF.

Thanks

Can i ask... Why do you need a 180? Myself, and many others on this forum go balls to the wall crazy when it comes to getting this machine over, and to date, i have never had any issue with traction (unless im just being plain silly punching the power off those big 40km/h school zone road markings, but thats just fun )... Even the gsxr's, r6's, cbr's and other race spec 600cc bikes only run a 160 rear tyre on them, and they generate another 40 odd kw and more than us...

I'm not having a go at you, but am just curious? I personally feel the best thing about this bike is it has enough go, and it nice and easy to flick around with the little back tyre... If you put a 180 on the back, wont it effectively turn your fun, flicky bike into a slow cornering, fat, heavy machine with not much power??? Even my old man on his Ducati ST2 reckons he would like to go back to a 160 rear, just for quicker cornering... And if a big chunky 1000cc v twin is barely makinguse of a 180, why do we need one?



As you can see, i've gotten my road 2 over to withing 3mm of the edge of the tyre, and not a problem with traction... I find grinding pegs is a bigger problem. As NK said, get off the seat and have a go putting the knee down... You turn better, have more control, and the bike is on less of an angle....

Sorry about the big pic... I don't know how to resize Iknow...a youngbloke ith not mcuh knowldge of computer orientated problems???? Whats going on here!?!

To answer the question of why, well I guess the proper answer is as follows: I am not a professional rider. In fact, this is my first street bike. I had a ride scheduled for 9/11/11. I went to eat breakfast and meet about 200 other riders when I noticed the cords sticking out of my tire before we were about to leave. I had to go home so I wouldnt die. Actually about 5 minutes before looking at my tire I was going 50mph in a wheelie. Long story short, I got jacked because it was Sunday and no shops were open around where I live.....you see where this is going. The shop didnt have a 160 Monday, so I mouted the 180. Basically I'm an impatient fellow and I threw a fit like a four year old. I am happy with the 180 though. The quickness of the bike into turns has slowed a bit, but I dont mind it. This wont be the last impulse decision I make in life, I am just glad there aren't any horror stories about this bike with a 180 on the stock rim......perhaps I will have the first one

Yep: "Because I let me old tyre get WAY too old, and the shop didn't have the right one when I discovered it..." would have to be the best reason I've heard so far for fitting a 180.
And your first street bike, no-less...