Tire question for people who race smaller bikes | GTAMotorcycle.com

Tire question for people who race smaller bikes

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Delboy

Well-known member
I race a RZ350 in AHRMA and I have done a 17" wheel conversion as its almost impossible to find 18" AVON vintage race tires any more. 17's can just be bought at the track.

I have a set of TZ hubs and am running a 3.50" rim on the rear with a 140 SuperCorsa SC2. Its pretty good but the tire is a bit pinched on the rim. Is there a 130 DOT race tire available, and has anyone used it?
 
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At last check the Q4s were not available in the small-bike sizes. CSBK has stayed with the Q3+ for this year. The new Dunlop slicks are available in 110/140.

2008-on Ninja 250 uses a 3.5"-width rear rim. Minor digging finds that folks are using 140-width rear tires on those.
 
No 130/17 rear, though. Not even a 140/17 rear. No 110/17 front, either.
 
yes, but for the OP there is a 130/80 in 18"

EDIT whoops - op swapped out the RZ's rear for 17". ty @brianp for heads up
 
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Thanks Guys.

I mounted a 140/70 17 Q3 and it doesn't look quite so pinched as the Pirelli. A different manufacturer and construction may make some slight differences. I'll give it try at the weekend.

I have seen some guys run a 120/70 front on the rear with the direction reversed on smaller race bikes with a 3.5" rim, but fingers crossed this will be better.

Although my son did say the slight chicken strips are due to me being a crappy rider and nothing will fix that; he may be right :(
 
Thanks for all your help.

I’ve had a race and a trackday on the Q3s and I do prefer the feel. With the bike straight up and down the steering seems less sluggish and getting off vertical it didn’t feel as tippy into the corner. With the other tire it was almost like riding on something that had been squared off from too many highway miles. I’m not the world’s greatest rider so maybe it’s also my imagination.

It’s the same width and profile as before, so maybe the Dunlop suits the rim better that the Pirelli
 
IIRC a lot of the smaller profile Pirelli tires (e.g. Diablo Rosso) have a taller profile so that the tire ends up being more “triangular”. The idea is most 140 rear tires are being put on lower power bikes that don’t need a huge vertical contact patch to maintain straight-line grip. The profile makes the bike faster to dip side to side and you end up with a larger contact patch while cornering. The trade of is that it can feel a little less stable than a more rounded profile when you aren’t leaning aggressively. Sounds like what you are describing.
 
Michelin Power Cup Evo tires are also available in 110/70-17 and 140/70-17 sizes (although in my particular case on the R3, I opted for 150/60-17 rear). I switched tire brands this past weekend because the Dunlop race tire supplier was out of the sizes that my bike uses. I like them, although I highly doubt that they will last as long as the Q3s did.
 
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