RAm5700 Posted January 31, 2014 Share #1 Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) My Dunlop E 3's cam in today. The rear one seems slightly narrower but the front is 5.25" versus the stock tire at 6". Did I order the right size? I ordered by application, 2009 RSTD. Front Elite 3 MT90HB-16 Blackwall Tire - 407990 Part #: 542887 Edited January 31, 2014 by RAm5700 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bones Posted January 31, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 31, 2014 I believe that tire width is 130 where the stock tire is a 150. You can use the tire as some say the bike handles easier at slow speeds with that size. However some also say that the bike feels unstable at higher speeds with it. Others should chime in soon and tell you more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted January 31, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 31, 2014 You should have a 150/80-16 on your RSTD, it appears the one you received is a 130 which is the narrower tire. This is what you should have purchased from Dennis Kirk... https://www.denniskirk.com/dunlop/front-elite-3-150-80h-16-blackwall-tire.p543447.prd/543447.sku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus1300 Posted January 31, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 31, 2014 I agree. On the RSTD I tried both and ended up liking the 150 better. The RSTD doesn't have the weight on the front end that the RSV does. I thought that the bike felt more secure with the 150 tire on it and the low speed handling wasn't an issue after a few weeks of riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade 2000 Posted January 31, 2014 Share #5 Posted January 31, 2014 I will chime in and confirm that the 130 handles much better at low speeds and in the twisters it makes the bike feel much lighter. The only downside I can relate is that at highway speeds the wind and trucks push you around a little more. That said I will never go back to a 150 because the performance gains are where I wanted them, but to each his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAm5700 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted January 31, 2014 You should have a 150/80-16 on your RSTD, it appears the one you received is a 130 which is the narrower tire. This is what you should have purchased from Dennis Kirk... https://www.denniskirk.com/dunlop/front-elite-3-150-80h-16-blackwall-tire.p543447.prd/543447.sku I looked at that one and the conversion chart to make a decision and thought they were exact equivalents. So much for my IQ. Anyway, I see some are running this very tire and I think for my riding style this may work out well. I often ride the bike stripped down and would like it to be more maneuverable so this tire may be the ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronMike Posted January 31, 2014 Share #7 Posted January 31, 2014 I had the same experience last summer, i posted pictures of the difference but in my case the size of the tire was the same, just the brand was different. Anyways after I mounted it, and put it on, it was miles of smiles over the wider tire. Now I will be sure to get the same narrower tire the next time. Not going to get fat again! It handles great! And I put about 7K miles on it so i know. All long trips and twisty. One up, two up, gravel, snow, Ice, rain, and even some dry paved roads at summer temperatures. HA HA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted January 31, 2014 Share #8 Posted January 31, 2014 I looked at that one and the conversion chart to make a decision and thought they were exact equivalents. So much for my IQ. Anyway, I see some are running this very tire and I think for my riding style this may work out well. I often ride the bike stripped down and would like it to be more maneuverable so this tire may be the ticket. It's not going to hurt anything, like mentioned the slow speed handling is better, but the highway speeds you'll get blown around a bit more. I have had the 130 on the front of a '99 RSV and touring on the slab was a bit more of an inconvenience. Leveling links on the rear alleviates slow speed handling.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAm5700 Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share #9 Posted January 31, 2014 It's not going to hurt anything, like mentioned the slow speed handling is better, but the highway speeds you'll get blown around a bit more. I have had the 130 on the front of a '99 RSV and touring on the slab was a bit more of an inconvenience. Leveling links on the rear alleviates slow speed handling.... Does increasing the rear shock pressure work as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djh3 Posted January 31, 2014 Share #10 Posted January 31, 2014 I went to Michelien Commander 2 and they only come in the 130 front size. I went ahead and tried it as I can use the low speed help. I have put over 12k on it at highways speeds and super alb speeds for hours and never really noticed any difference from this tire and the E-3 in the 150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAm5700 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted February 4, 2014 I went to Michelien Commander 2 and they only come in the 130 front size. I went ahead and tried it as I can use the low speed help. I have put over 12k on it at highways speeds and super alb speeds for hours and never really noticed any difference from this tire and the E-3 in the 150. Thanks everyone for the feedback. I have the tires mounted, waiting on the V-Max gear-set to put everything back together. I'll post up with impressions after I get to put a few miles on the new tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squidley Posted February 4, 2014 Share #12 Posted February 4, 2014 Does increasing the rear shock pressure work as well? No, it doesn't, the links actually raises the rear of the bike a bit and this makes the rake of the front fork a bit better for lower speed handling. I have tried it all with the 2nd gen's, 130 front tire, with and without leveling links. Some will disagree with me, but for my riding style, the stock size 150 and a set of leveling links works the best for me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus1300 Posted February 5, 2014 Share #13 Posted February 5, 2014 Remember that most of the people posting with advice in the conversation by their bike as listed are RSV riders and I would agree that for an RSV the narrower tire is a good choice because of the heavier front end. RAm5700 said he was riding an RSTD which does not have near the weight on the front end or the heavy steering of the RSV. JMPO but I don't think the narrower tire is needed on the RSTD and I don't think it works as well. I have ridden for many miles on both and ended up very happy with the 150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAm5700 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share #14 Posted February 5, 2014 With the dry weights as listed being so close between the RSTD and RSV it is a little difficult to understand how there can be much difference with the front end weight and handling. Thanks to everyone for the feedback but the deal is done. The smaller tire is mounted on the bike. Keep in mind also that this bike is a beast anyway and I prefer (have lots of ride time) on bikes in the 600 lb range so what you may consider twitchy may feel more normal to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G in SC Posted February 5, 2014 Share #15 Posted February 5, 2014 When I got my used 2006 RSTD in 2007 it had the small front. And when time to replace I put on another. But next time, after a comment from a tech, I went to the stock size. I had about a day to get used to it and past that, really prefer the stock size. Sounds like you may have got the wrong size when ordering,, but give it a go. It will be fine and safe. So, will be curious to hear your comment when you have used it a few days and,,,,,when you replace it to see what you order. Mike G (reading your last post,, the additional weight on the RSV is all above the center of gravity. I have both bikes,,, I call the RSTD the "little bike" and the RSV the "big bike" when my wife asks which bike I'm taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAm5700 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share #16 Posted February 5, 2014 Yes, it will be interesting to see how the skinny Dunlop feels versus the fat Bridgestone. The fat Dunlop may have solved all my complaints but as I mentioned, i think it is a matter of perspective and the way you expect the bike to feel. If the overall ride improves will I take a chance on the stock size again? Unknown at this time. Oh and this is all relative. As the new tire measure out at 5.25" versus the stock at 6". So narrow in this case is still bigger than some back tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7Goose Posted February 5, 2014 Share #17 Posted February 5, 2014 Yes, it will be interesting to see how the skinny Dunlop feels versus the fat Bridgestone. The fat Dunlop may have solved all my complaints but as I mentioned, i think it is a matter of perspective and the way you expect the bike to feel. If the overall ride improves will I take a chance on the stock size again? Unknown at this time. Oh and this is all relative. As the new tire measure out at 5.25" versus the stock at 6". So narrow in this case is still bigger than some back tires. Do not jump to any conclusions when comparing your new tire to that POS you had. ANYTHING will handle much better than that Brickstone turd. Even when compared with other brands in the same size, the Brickstone has a TOTALLY different profile which causes its bad handling. Do some additional research on older threads, and in particular see my sticky thread in the tech section for a LOT more info on this subject. Goose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAm5700 Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share #18 Posted February 5, 2014 Do not jump to any conclusions when comparing your new tire to that POS you had. ANYTHING will handle much better than that Brickstone turd. Even when compared with other brands in the same size, the Brickstone has a TOTALLY different profile which causes its bad handling. Do some additional research on older threads, and in particular see my sticky thread in the tech section for a LOT more info on this subject. Goose I did read that post, thanks for putting that out there. I think the whole thing comes down to individual preference and riding style. If the new tire really feels good to me why should I consider something else? We won't know for a few weeks as I have to wait on the V-Max unit. Haven't even pulled the differential off yet........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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