While I don't have 16" wheels, I do agree that a 180 tire is not necessary on a 750, and is possibly too big. I ran a 170 on my ST2 and on the Sport. I had a 4.5 rim on the Sport for a while and ran a 160, which I liked a lot better for its ease of changing direction and overall feel. 160 is plenty of tire. There are plenty of bikes out there with thinner tires and a lot more horsepower. You are better off impressing the girls with your style and riding ability than the size of your tires. If you are enamored with big tires, maybe the Paso isn't the bike for you. Remember, that when the Paso came out, those were pretty wide tires for the times, and you are riding a 20 year old bike. For reference, a new KTM 690 Supermoto runs with a 5" rim and a 160 tire. BMW f800 GS runs on a 150 in back. The SV 650 runs a 160 rear tire. All around the same weight and horsepower as a Paso/Sport.

Now if you just like modifying your bike, then game on!

Cheers,

you`re talking about bikes with 17" tires. For 16" there are only 2 tires sizes available and both are not the perfect choice. Let us know if you know other 16" tire options.

G.

I was responding to putting the 160 Shinko tire on and calling it good, compare to trying to shoehorn a 180 in the bike and making changes to the chainline. I can not say for the availability of the Shinko 160 in your country, as I only visit it occasionally. It looks to be a very good option, and wider is not better.

Cheers,

Excellent Mike! These Shinko tires you linked to is what I am going for next. I found a Swedish site that says they have the 160/80-16 home. I'll get in contact with them.

I loved to read about all the mods in this thread, but I will be satisfied with a 160 tire with higher profile as I am early in my ownership of this bike.

And to all of you in this community: I should perhaps also say "Hi" and present my self: I live in Gothenburg, Sweden and I am a happy new owner of a 750Sport from -88. Rear tire has some life in it still, but front needs replacement urgently. Color? Red/silver.

All the best to all of you and THANK YOU for this forum!!!!

/Petrus

So that`s the big secret, Petrus, a 750 Sport?
W slipper?

Welcome to the Forum!

Hi there,

With regard to the speedo issue when using 17inch tyres.....

If you use a 120/60 tyre on a 17inch front wheel then the difference as compared to the OEM 130/60 on a 16inch front is only about 2.5% (linear deviation, comparing circumference). ie. 287.9mm vs 281.2mm circumference

And I think it is +2.5% vs the typcial -5% to 10% conservative speedo error you get from the factory at highway cruising speeds (100km/h ish).

If you use a 120/70 front tyre like the 907 the difference is larger - about 6.5%.

Has anybody tried a 120/60 front on a 17 inch wheel and then GPS checked the actual speed vs the OEM speedo. It might be pretty close - better than factory even?

You would have to make an adaptor to match the OEM Paso speedo to the 17inch wheel hub, but it can be done (I have prototyped one for a 1994 SS wheel and it works).

Anyway, my numbers are usually pretty suspect - have I made a stupid mistake somewhere?

NB : Now posted as new topic, replies to

Thanks,

Mick

Mick, could you pls open another thread ?

Good point - the thought came from Desmo_Demons comment above in this thread so I posted in reply, but it probably is a new topic.

Link to new post added above.

@Mike: You fitted the 180/60 Shinko tyre, right?

Do you think that a 160/80 would fit? Or would its +2 cm on the radius (compared to the 180/60) make it touch the swingarm?

From the pics, it looks as if it just might fit. But rather than guessing, please enlighten me/us

with kind regards
/Petrus

It would seem to me that a 160/80 16 Shinko SR734 or 747 would be a very bad choice for a rear tire: over 2" larger in diameter which would rub the swingarm and affect the handling of the bike. Also, it's a heavy, stiff 5ply bias cruizer tire. What do y'all think?

I have a friend who rides a Suzuki DR650 with Trail Wing tires on it, and he keeps up, or passes everyone else in the group on most of our mountain rides. For those not familiar with the Trail Wings, others call them the Death Wings. A horrible tire on a dual purpose bike and he runs them to the edges all the time. I wouldn't be so afraid of a modern cruiser tire. All the choices are less than ideal. You just have to choose the least bad option. From all accounts so far, the Shinko 160 is sounding pretty good so far.(if you can find one in your country)

As for Speedo error when converting to 17", not even stock is accurate. My stock ST4s is doing 65 when the speedo says 70. However, I did do a speedo check on my 750 Sport with 17" conversion (roadside radar sign) and it was very close at 45 mph. I used the speedo drive that fits the newer wheels and stock speedo. Had to machine the inside of the fork leg to get the wheel centered.(same as the 907).

I did run a 120/60-17 on the front, and hated the feel of it. It would stand up in corners if you touched the brake. Put on a 120/70 and all was good.

Cheers,