Front tire size change

I know this has been covered before but could not find anything. I had a smaller front tire on my 2000 Venture and have since put on a stock front. I want to go back to a smaller front, in width for a little easier steering now that I had to put on a sidecar.

Don't want to change trees because I can still disconnect and ride two up.

I think I had a 130/90 16 but not sure. Any suggestions.

Thanks,

labill

im running the 130-19 on my 2001. Also have lowering links on rear. Just adding flanders bars right now.

im running the 130-19

130/90-16 or a 19" wheel? I'd like to know where you got a 19" wheel because I'm running an 18" wheel of a Stratoliner.

well I messed that up its a 130/90/16. Don't know where I came up with 19:stickinouttounge:

That's the size I vagley remember. I remeber that steering at slow speeds was nice. I also put on the lowering links, made a big difference. When I had to attach a side car I went back to the regular size front tire.

I won't change the front so I think the narrower tire may help with slow speed steering.

Thanks,

labill

Is the bike easier to tip over at low speeds with the narrower tire? The reason I ask is that the 2004 Kawasaki Concours I used to have came with a worn out dual compound tire that had a 1" wide strip down the middle that was the harder compound and the sides of the tread were worn away because of the softer compound. that bike was really tippy and the worn out front tire made it much much worse. I replaced it with a new tire and the difference was huge. But, it's still one of the most top heavy bikes on the road with its 7 1/2 gallon tank sitting up high.

Is the bike easier to tip over at low speeds with the narrower tire? The reason I ask is that the 2004 Kawasaki Concours I used to have came with a worn out dual compound tire that had a 1" wide strip down the middle that was the harder compound and the sides of the tread were worn away because of the softer compound. that bike was really tippy and the worn out front tire made it much much worse. I replaced it with a new tire and the difference was huge. But, it's still one of the most top heavy bikes on the road with its 7 1/2 gallon tank sitting up high.

That Kawasaki May be the worst, but the second gen Venture is a strong second. One of the worst handling bikes

ive ever ridden. Ive put over 250,000 miles on gen ones. This is my first gen two and my last. The 130/90-16 front tire does help.

That Kawasaki May be the worst, but the second gen Venture is a strong second. One of the worst handling bikes

ive ever ridden. Ive put over 250,000 miles on gen ones. This is my first gen two and my last. The 130/90-16 front tire does help.

I have to disagree with you there. My 2nd Gen doesn't seem to me to be tippy at all especially compared to that dang Concours.

I have to disagree with you there. My 2nd Gen doesn't seem to me to be tippy at all especially compared to that dang Concours.

I agree with you. I enjoy slow creeping speed turning takeoffs in the parking lot, while the Harley Boys are riding out at all but full throttle since they can't ride at all. I used to think that they just liked the sound of their pipes, barking at high throttle angles during departure, but, no, most of them really can't ride and they even take off that way... in a straight line.

From what I remember in older threads.... The narrow front tire does seem to make it easier for low speed handling but at the expense of more sensitive steering at higher speeds, especially with winds gusts.

That said, @cowpuc took my RSV out for a spin while I was napping. His first ride on a second gen.... He did a video of slow riding in a small parking lot at the beach with Tippy on the back.

I can't find the video but his comments blow the poor handling idea out of the water.... I'll let him chime in with video link. I'm out of town so not able to access site as easily as at home.

Plus I can personally attest to the stability of the 2nd gen with that fat tire up front. It handles gusts and severe winds nicely. I wasn't shoulder or arm sore after a day on the road battling winds and trucks.

I installed the smaller tire. You can stop in a straight line. Sit there a few seconds and take off. With out putting your foot down. Very rarely does the wind bother me. I like to run tires around 3 psi less than max. I wouldn't change a thing. Except cassette. That's not a big thing anyway put a wireless puc aand play music off my phone. And installed two usb chargers.

A month ago I finally had to take the bitter medicine and replace my tires. It was damned expensive, as I have no place or means to remove the wheels myself.

I would have been happy to try the famous Shinko tires, but the local shop said their supplier didn't carry them. OK, next choice was the Michelin Commander II, front and rear. I've loved every set of Michelin tires I've ever owned, on bike or car. (Their HD pickup truck tires are dangerous garbage though.)

After giving it some thought, I went with the 130/90 on the front.

RUN, don't walk, to your tire shop and do this. Never has a single part so drastically changed the handling of any vehicle I've owned. Cherry's ponderous largesse seemed to be completely gone the second I sat on her and stood her up. I did a few figure 8's in the parking lot of the shop, and almost (ALMOST) immediately forgot about the huge bill I just paid. It's like they somehow removed 50lbs worth of weight from the fairing or something.

Yes, the front end is now more sensitive to wind; passing a B-train in a sweeper must be done with serious care and attention. The front end does feel less planted in crosswind or headwind at 130Km/h+ (that's 80 US speed units); very very rarely do I ride that fast, as most of the roads in this area are 2-lane with posted limits of 100Km/h or less.

At low to average riding speeds, this feels like what Yamaha should have spec'd on the bike from day 1. Amazing.

130/90 is the size for the front. It makes a heck of a difference with stability.

From what I remember in older threads.... The narrow front tire does seem to make it easier for low speed handling but at the expense of more sensitive steering at higher speeds, especially with winds gusts.

 

That said, cowpuc took my RSV out for a spin while I was napping. His first ride on a second gen.... He did a video of slow riding in a small parking lot at the beach with Tippy on the back.

I can't find the video but his comments blow the poor handling idea out of the water.... I'll let him chime in with video link. I'm out of town so not able to access site as easily as at home.

 

Plus I can personally attest to the stability of the 2nd gen with that fat tire up front. It handles gusts and severe winds nicely. I wasn't shoulder or arm sore after a day on the road battling winds and trucks.

Sheesh @videoarizona,,,, I have absolutely NO idea how I missed your post here brother,,, Trooper/Tip and I were probably out wandering around the country trying to figure out our way home.. My apologies my friend!!

Indeed we did sneak your scoot out for some fun while you were sleeping off an awesome CTFW journey from AZ to our home in Michigan!! To follow up on the video(s) of us out tortu,, demoing the amazing 2nd Gen iron steed as you mentioned,, here is a couple them. First one will be of the slow riding fun we had with it,, second one as proof of what kind of company you keep (lop eared varmints who will sneak your bike away for some fun when your snoozin). Third one will be of us on Tweeks showing the basics of how we slow ride and the exact techniques we used in slow riding your fully loaded with gear, 2nd Gen = DEFINITELY user friendly that 2nd Gen was/is.. Not sure what size tires you had on it at the time,, I can't remember if you had dropped to a smaller front tire as mentioned in this thread? I got a sneaking hunch that you had OEM sizes on it and truthfully,,, I thought it did a GREAT job,, IMHO of course! Another opinion concerning the topic of discussion here,, because I run full weight (always have my touring bike set up for x2 up CTFW fun at full pack) on my 1st Gen, I always make sure that my tires are a full, when cold, air pressure according to the tire carcass rating on the tires I am running. Doing this pretty much guarentees that I am running on the radius of the tire which I like the feel and handling charachtoristics of.. Running lower than stated air pressures will give me more contact area and a different feel in steering and such. Back in the day when doing a fair amount of dirt play in the dunes of Michigan (Silver Lake), it was common to catch me running 3 or 4 pounds of pressure on the tires on my MX bike to make em squat and gain traction.. Thing is,, worked GREAT for dunes but dangerous on the street, IMHO of course.. Here's those vids..

I'm glad you found the videos!

I'm running stick size tires front and rear. Run 40lbs in rear and 38lbs in front. I too believe in putting some pressure in those tires!

Thanks Puc, for finding the videos...

Love ya, Bro! Hi to Tippy!