Does anyone know whether you can put a 180 rear tyre instead of a 200 on an 06 softail rim. I just thought you might get better handling if you could  ?? Bad idea or what ??

why?? every one wants to go the other way! it wont effect your handling, up to 200 is great,over that not so good, wider then 200 may effect it

Just thought I might get a bit better handling and maybe save a few bucks.

Wider tyres looks better & gets better cornering (that's it).

They might look better but they won't handle better.

Yep you can put a 180 on a 200 rim and i think it would handle a bit better with the 180 but the 200 looks great.

first time I've heard of someone wanting to go smaller instead of larger.............take tit's they are better handling if they are bigger!!!

Unless they are old and saggy,(I'm guessing).

Pete,

The 180 tyre is suited to 5.00 inch rims. It will fit 4.50 to 5.50 widths. What width rim are you running?

Dunno in inches Laurie, but it's the standard rim for the bike and meant to take a 200 tyre.

Pete

I think it's a 6.00 rim and from the Dunlop size chart, looks like the 180/55R17 would suit your 6.00 rim. Don't know about if it's a good tyre for HDs though.

Link is: http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tirecatalog_category.asp?id=7

 

	SIZE LOAD/ SPEED INDEX SIDEWALL PART # APPLICABLE RIMS Rec. Rim OVERALL DIAMETER OVERALL WIDTH FULL TREAD DEPTH MAXIMUM LOAD @ PSI   D251 Front 150/80R16 71V BW 3367-91 3.50 25.35 5.59 5/32 760 @ 40 150/80R17 72H BW 3025-92 3.50 26.69 5.98 5/32 783 @ 42 130/70R18 63H BW 3025-78 3.50 25.19 4.80 5/32 600 @ 41 150/60R18 67V BW 3025-50 4.00 25.30 5.57 5/32 677 @ 42   D251 Rear 180/70R16 77H BW 3025-82 5.00 26.02 6.92 9/32 908 @ 41 200/60R16 79V BW 3368-79 6.00 25.39 8.23 9/32 963 @ 40 180/55R17 73V BW 3025-30 6.00 24.90 7.53 9/32 805 @ 42

Thanks Laurie.

Peter yes you can use a 180 tyre on a 6inch rim. How much better handling are you after than the 200 has to offer?. Ive never had handling issues with this configuration. Need a new outer primary cover for sure, but i dont think that changin down to a 180 is gonna noticably improve handling any. I guess on your next tyre change you could use the 180. If Youre happy then stick with it, if not then just change back to a 200 on the next tyre change . Simple. But if youre really after a better handling tyre stick a Metzler on it.

Hi Joe, I don't really have a problem with the Dunlops but I haven't tried anything else since I've had the bike and thought something different might be worth a go ?? Some say the Metzlers are ok and others say the mileage is not as good as the dunlop ?? Why do you think they are a better tyre ?? The dunlops have enough grip to grind my pipes and side stand away so grips not the problem, but it was suggested to me that some tyres tip into corners easier than others and that got me to thinking about the 180 plus they work out a bit cheaper. A bit of advice I did get from a tyre fitter was that the 180 stretched over a 6inch rim would probably make the tyre sit too flat across the rim and therefore it would not roll into corners as well as a 200 ?? Another fitter said it would be hard to make a 180 bead properly on a 6inch rim ??

Peter both those tyre fitters are correct. The 200 is the right size for the six inch rim. As for wear the dunlop will definetely give you better mileage. As for grip then the Metz is the ants pants. You can definetely grind pipes and sidestand on both tyres but it comes down to peace of mind. Ive used both. i got about 4000 kms more out of the dunlop and would have probably used it again but because of a rim change i had to go with the Metz. the Metz sticks like shit to a blanket and is very soft in compound. you can get varied opinions on tyres but ultimately its comes down to how hard you wanna ride, how much you wanna spend and how many kms you wanna do on it. Personally the Metz is the pick for grip. Forget the 180.

Cheers Joe, I can't make the dunlop let go so if I get better milage out of it I may as well stick with it.

Avon's handle better.

Pete i think youve made the right decision