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Tire fitment

4K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  OleDirtyDoc 
#1 ·
I was looking to get tires and I wast the widest rear tire that will fit. I wanted to know if the 180/70 X 15 fit the vn750.

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#5 ·
Stock rim and fender? Nothing rubs at all? Just wondering 'cause I'm gonna need tires soon as well and I also want the widest I can put on there, but it would drive me crazy to have it rubbing on other parts lol.
 
#11 ·
Great! Nice to know the 170 would work. The recommended oversize on the Vulcan Verses is a 150... hardly seems much wider than the stock one. A 170 would be a nice, noticeable change. Anyone got a pic of the tire on their bike? Would love to see it.
 
#14 ·
Hey Ceal, you have some of your facts scrammbled.
The 150/90-15 is the stock size tire for the vn750.
The most commonly recommended oversize tire here is 170/80-15.

I recall someone fit a 180 mm tire on a couple of years ago, but since different manufacturer's tires in the same nominal size may vary a bit in actual measurements, some 180mm tires may rub somewhere.

Why is it that when a tire one size wider than normal works well, some guys are convinced that a lot wider is better?

The wider tires on cruisers are the fashion right now, but I am not convinced they contribute to a better handling bike.
 
#13 ·
Thanks! I just saw a thread with pictures, but the tires were off the bike, side by side... kinda wanted to see what they looked like on the bike. Or maybe I went into the wrong thread(?).
 
#15 ·
I have the 170 kenda kruz on mine and with the shape of this tire it would be the widest I can go. make sure your fender and frame are straight and that all the bolts that go into the fender are nice and short or you might have rubbing
it also depends on the shocks you have , shorter will get you closer to the fender
so will really worn ones
I love the bigger tire on the rear and it feels more stable in the corners
make sure you check into dyna beads or Ride-On for balancing and sealing
 
#17 ·
I'll have a 170 rear and a 110 front when I get mine finished, will be posting a pic when it's all together, if you don't find one before then. Have the rear mounted and Ride-On in it, ready to install.

I do have some pics of both tires off the wheel. It's not much taller, but wider, and the Shinko I got has a better looking profile, to me, than the bald Bridgestone Excedra I took off. Looks like they got 13,000 mi out of the original tire.

I used the ziptie trick, makes mounting very easy with no risk of scratches on the wheel.

Ride-On gave me a discount code for the forum, use VN750 for 10% off, or look for their scratch n dent page and see if you save more going that route. Some of the bottles are an ounce short, or the label may be crooked.

I like the idea of continued balancing through the life of the tire, and the sealant is just a bonus for me.
 
#18 ·
Hoss...

Most things being equal, wider is always better. Simply having more rubber on the road is a good thing.

But,things aren't always that equal. A "soft" skinny tire holds the road better than one a bit wider but made with a harder compound.
Tire profile matters too, a more "triangular" tire falls into corners much easier than a flatter tire.

So a wider tire can not only hold the road better, but can make the bike handle better too.

I'm not going to go into car tires, but I will say they seem to go straight really well and many are better doing this on wet roads...
 
#19 ·
The standard sized Dunlop 404s that were on the bike were fairly new when I bought it and I put about 8000 them so I don't know how many miles total they went. I have no complaint about how they performed. That said, the new set of "oversized" tires rides MUCH better than they ever did. I suppose part of that we just get used to how the old ones ride and ANYTHING new, regardless of size, seems better. As to looks, I don't really think it makes a lot of difference except that new just looks better than old.

I know the OP didn't ask about this but I will throw out that IMO, that biggest positive difference I notice is from changing the front tire to a 110/90x19. As the old set wore down, it seemed like the bike was skating along the road. Now the tires are grabbing it. I feel much more confident leaning harder into a turn or counter steering.

FWIW, if you take care to line the "light spot" of the tire up with the valve stem, odds are it will be very well balanced without doing anything else. I had read that a number of places and it proved true for me. Probably still check it, though, just in case.
 
#20 ·
180/70/15

I'm running an Avon Venom on the back and a Kruz on the front (110/90/19) of my 03. No way a larger Venom would clear the swing arm. It grips really well, both on dry roads and wet. My center stand has plenty of clearance.
 
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