Ducati Monster Forum

I remember Matty saying that he has fitted a larger section front tyre to his Monster (from a 60 to 70) and was wondering what are the benefits and what are the downsides to having a larger section tyre fitted?

Mine is just about rooted, the right side of the tyre is worn right down while the left side is still fine  >:( DAMN ROUNDABOUTS!

When I had it fitted Ron & Rob told me that the plus is that you will get a more positive roll into and out of corners.
The downside being that it will be slower to steer.
So far though I haven't really felt it was that much slower on the steering side.
But the better feel in cornering is great for me.

Super - just do some rouad-abouts in the opposite direction, turn right instead of left - that will fix the wear problem!  :D

Spider I think your a little confused with the way we use round-abouts here.
Unless you use-em different south of the boarder.

aren't they like coins or maybe football teams? You just pick a side and go ?  :o

yep pick a side, pick a gear and nail it.

+1. Just do it super - give the 70's a try.

btw, I can't remember where I read it, but the uneven wear is pretty normal.

It's also road camber that helps.

cool, my front is gone to and I think it's the left hand side that is worn....and I know it isn't cornering skill that is the reason.

I also took Matty V's advice and ordered the 70.

Ah, this is good to know.

I want to pump up my seat height to max on the rear,.. which apparently makes the bike turn in faster. So I can just use a 190 on the rear, 70 on the front, & we'll be good to go.

Two sweet cosmetic changes for next to nothing.  [thumbsup]

The other big plus is the noticeably reduced number of reports of dented from rims from people using 70 profile tires. (I've got a ding in mine which I got while running a 60...)

big

The "taller" sidewall makes the the tyre more flexible over bumps and takes a bit of pressure off the contact patch. Compared to the "60" it might feel not quite as planted, particularly on quick turn in.

My FZR1000 came standard with a 60 series front and when they became unavailable I went to the 120/70 and it felt really vague when peeling into a corner and didnt inspire confidence. The suspension had to be reset to get the best out of that profile tyre. ;)

I s'pose this is all irrelevant if you spend most of the time with your front wheel in the air???? [thumbsup] ;D [evil]

I ride a 620. That just does not happen.  :-\

Is the only difference with the 60 vs the 70 is the sidewall height?

Sorry my knowledge on the black rubber things is limited, but I like the Idea of the protecting the rims a lot more, The amount of potholes on the Goat tracks they call roads up here is insane in the wet season.
Is there any other issues such as clearance of mudguards to consider when switching to a 70 series?

the 60 is supposed to have 60% of the tread width in height and the 70 has 70% of the tread width in sidewall height. doesn't really look like it does it? they definitely ride different and i think the profile of the tread on the rim is rounder on a 60.
i dunno about roy nexus6' idea of the 190, jacking up the rear to make it steer quicker then putting a 190 on will not only slow the tip in and change of direction down markedly, it will probably make it feel like it wants to tuck on tighter corners. i'd definitely stick with std sizes, but that's just my .02c


paul.

You're probably right, but I reckon if he likes the idea of a 190 rear, he should certainly try it out... I like the idea of skinnier tires, and have run a 110/70 front 150/70 rear combination in the past (I'd have that on now except I left my last tire change too late to special order in those weird sizes - stock is a 120/70 160/60 combo on my M750...)

A 190 will definitely steer differently to a narrower rear tire as you point out, but its unlikely to be _dangerously_ differently - so worst case is probably that he'll be out the price of a new tire - I'm sure many people have wasted more than the few hundred dollars a replacement rear tire costs on cosmetic stuff that hasn't worked out long term...

A more likely dealbreaker is that I'll be a little surprised if a 190 rear doesn't foul the chain. I know there's not a great deal of clearance between the stock 170 rear and the chain on a M900 of the same vintage as my bike (1999) - I've heard of people fouling the chain with some brands of 180... Unless the newer bikes run a noticeable wider chainline I don't think a 190 is gonna fit.

big

Just ask mmick.

I'm sure he knows something about too wide a tyre, fouling your chain deal.  [cheeky]

I asked my dealer about fitting a 70 profile tyre, and he advised they do it automatically now because of the extra protection it offers to the rim.

ah...since it seems decided that 70 is the way to go in this case (I have a 70 on the friont and am replacing with the same next week)

If my m1000s has a 190 on the rear - when I replace (probably a month or 6 weeks depending on touring trips etc) should I try a 180 on the rear?

I feel a bit stupid getting into the finer details when the pilot needs sop much work...but I suppose every bit helps.

If I recall correctly, the stock size is a 180. I would take it back to stock and see how it rides...

should have thought of that - it was a 180/55 rear!

thanks!

I'll do that  [thumbsup]

The "60" series tyre has a rounder profile with approx the same amount of rubber on the deck whether upright or at lean. The "70" actually gives a better footprint at lean angles. ;)

I dunno 'bout the reasoning for fitting a 70 series tyre as to protect the rim as being that valid, I rode on a 60 series front on my FZR (243kg dry from memory) and never damaged a rim. If the tyre pressures are correct there shouldnt be a problem. The 60's tyre is actually a lot stiffer and has LESS movement in the sidewall. ???

Let us know how it goes. I'm sure you're going to notice a pretty big difference

I completely agree with your logic, but you've gotta go with the real world reports - lots of people (me included) have dinged rims while running 60 profile front tires, almost _nobody_ reports rim damage with 70 profile tires (at least not without _serious_ unusual circumstances).

I've heard suggestions that the rims Ducati fit are made from noticably soft metal - perhaps thats why your FZR coped better? The other possibility is that the higher weight of the FZR required higher air pressures - a ~180kg Monster only asks for 30.5psi (2.1bar in the '00 owners manual), I'll bet the FZR ran closer to 40psi...

big

Yep Ian, I used to run 36 in the front. Yamaha reckoned 40psi but I found that was waaaay too much.  [roll]

There are a lot of variables in this discussion I know but in my experience with bike training where we used to check riders bikes over pre course, it was almost without exception that rider DIDNT have enough air in their tyres.  :o

Also taking into account that some tyre gauges are pretty rooted and inaccurate!! Particularly the ones at servos. [roll]

That in itself is not really a problem so long as the rider uses bike feel and tyre appearence to judge whether the pressure is close to correct and then use the pressure reading as a yardstick. [thumbsup]

big, i wouldn't say fitting a 190 is dangerous, probably the opposite, as it will make the handling slower and docile, but, the 190 with jacking up the rear will definitely make it handle strange compared to a stock set up. good point about the chain clearance, my 888 with a power 180 barely fits, and i mean barely!.

dragonworld, i think the fact there's less flex in the sidewall is most of the problem, the force is transferred through to the rim, which are notoriously soft, rather than being absorbed by the larger more compliant sidewall of a 70. my old 748sp had a 60 std and i dinged it, dunno how though, i didn't remember hitting a pothole.


paul.

Some thing make the beast with two backsed up there, see my reply in the identical post




                                         Mmick