Downsizing front tire to a 130

[Guest Nevada Max]

Have an 05 RSTD and the front tire is ready to be replaced. I was told to replace the 150 with a 130 and will experience better handling. As with most things there are trade off. Would greatly appreciate your ideas.

 

Thanks in advance

Norm

[Stoutman]

I have done the narrower tire with my 05 RSTD. The mod was effective in reducing the top heavy feel of the bike at parking lot speeds. I have since installed the leveling links that raise the back of the bike about an inch. This has a similar effect. With the leveling links I find the stock size tire to be preferable. It is your choice. The smaller size front tire has one advantage in that if you buy the Avon tire it has a higher load capacity than the stock size tire.

 

Having done both I prefer the leveling links and the stock size tire.

 

Best of luck.

[Snarley Bill]

i did my rstd with the 130 avon, you will notice improved low speed handling. on the highway it is more sensitive to the steering input which at first is slightly unerving, and very noticable. you will get used to it, just give it a couple of hundred mile. most big bikes use a 130 front tire. my wing has a 130. the only reason i can see they put a truck tire on the front of the royalstar is to give a little slower steering in the straight line with the rake they use on the front forks. kind of trying to reach a happy medium between slow and high speed steering. i was not happy with it at first on the highway but then became at home with the 130 and would'nt go back. but then i like precise sportbike handling. i am very picky about getting the best handling caracteristics out of my bikes.bill

[LUCKYSTIFF39]

...............................................I had almost 15,000 on my ME 880 tires and picked up a nail in the rear. They still had a little tread on them, but I wanted to try the smaller front so I changed both. Now with just under 5, 000 miles, I really like the front 130. I will stick with the ME 880 and the smaller front. .............Just my opinion, no scientific facts..........

[hale374]

I switched to the 130 about mid summer and love it. Like some folks say, the parking lot is a breeze now. I actually like the feel of the tire at highway speeds especially the response. The response is much faster now and feels more like my Kawasaki Ninja instead of a huge touring bike.

[Squidley]

The 130 will give a more neutral feel on the bike, but there is a cost. If you do a lot of riding IE; interstate, you will get pushed around a lot more by the wind. I have had a 130 Avon Venom on my 2nd '99 and didn't like the squirrely feeling in a heavy cross wind. If you have the inseam height to go with leveling links and the stock 150 front, I think you will be much happier as the results are almost identical. I have run both ways and have an inseam of 32 inches.

[1BigDog]

 

Yep, with a name like LUCKYSTIFF and running Metzlers.....you must be lucky....

[V7Goose]

There are many threads on this site dealing with this subject. Simply do a search on "narrower front" to find a lot of them. I documented my thoughts most recently here:

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=20815&highlight=narrower+front

 

Goose

[flb_78]

I have the narrower front tire. I don't like it. These Panhandle winds push the bike around too much.

[nkbjones]

I switched to the 130 earlier this year and will not go back to the stock size. It made such a dramatic difference that I can complete full lock turns and scrape floorboards at 5 mph. I am only 5'8" and the leveling links were not an option. I have noticed that the bike is a little looser in the wind at high speeds, but once you get used to it there is no problem.

[midnightventure]

I currently have the smaller tire on. When it is wore out I will put the stock size back on. It does handle better at parking lot speeds but the wind blows me around a lot more now.

[Redneck]

I have the leveling links and the 130 front and I like them both with the stock tire you have to muscle the bike into corners with the narrow front it just seems to go into the corners by itself.

[yamahamer]

I love the 130 AVON but like anything it's up to the rider and riding style. If you like a sporty feel to me this was the best fix.

[Tatonka]

I thought about the 130 WWW from AVON but I went for the 150 BW AVON for my trip in August.

 

Even loaded down with things on my luggage rack and packs on the passenger seat, I felt that the front tire really handled well in spite of me dropping it five times this summer. I rode max load most of the time.

 

I hit a lot of gusting wind on the 395 along the Mojave Desert, on the 101 up the west coast and then a lot more from Denver down through Kansas and Oklahoma.

 

In any case, it's only a personal opinion on my part. If some of you personally find the 130 "twitchy" in wind, I'm glad I had the 150 because I did more of my 10,116 mile trip in the wind than I did in U-turns.

 

Ride safe.

[Ponch]

....I did more of my 10,116 mile trip in the wind than I did in U-turns.....

 

I think that says it all. We have to decide where our best interest is. Can we improve our riding skills or do we down size the front tire or jack up the rear suspension and overcome the low speed handling issues only to suffer handling stability at highway speeds. Perplexing.

 

I've been considering the 130 front for awhile and since I need a new front I guess I gotta get off the fence now. Dang it.

[Silver Bullet]

LOVE MY 130 AVON. THE THING SO MUCH BETTER AND FILLS SO MUCH LIGHTER THAT I DON'T THINK I WILL GO BACK.

[bugfish69]

I switched in late summer and don't regret it at all. The difference on the highway (wind, trucks, etc..) is noticble but not bad. I would much rather have the quicker handling.

 

bug

[sargergp]

I recently made the switch to the Avon Venoms and to the 130 on the front. Not only did I notice better low speed handling but the tar snake and road groove wiggles are gone! As for the wind pitching on the highway. I figured out just by accident when the bracket on one of the OEM lower wind deflectors broke and I removed the lowers completely that the wind pitching at highway speeds was greatly reduced.

As for the tires, I don't have a lot of miles on them yet, but I'm loving them so far.

[winston66]

Hi there, I recently aquired a 1996 xvz 1300 RS with standard tyres. I felt that it was a bit heavy at low speeds. But I did not buy it for crusing around parking lots. Then I found a write up about contra body steering ,when initally you push the handle bars in the opposite way that you want to go around the corner. I was very dubious about this because after about 40 years of riding I had always just leaned into the corner after picking my line. that always worked for me , probably because I was never in a hurry.

However with my heart in my mouth, the other day I plucked up enough courage to try it out. I am stoked. I used to get so tired. Now the BEAST is so responsive I have to go for a ride every day. The quick response of the machine stil surprises me. If you do not know about this type of steering and cornering controll please do yourself a favour and reasearch the topic. It has beern a relevation to me and I am still surprised as to how effortless the controll is. I still do not understand the physics involved but I dont care anymore. This all means that I will not be buying any new skinny tires for the front as I am not concerned about parking I just want to feel the wind and enjoy the open spaces. ride with confidence. This is from a new member . Winston 66.

[SilvrT]

I've also switched to a 130 and doubt I will go back. The bike is a lot "nimbler" at slow speeds and I don't have to muscle it thru the twisties anymore. The only downsides are that it feels a bit more "squirrely" when it's windy and on "groovy" roads (where the trucks have made tire grooves, etc).

[SilvrT]

...contra body steering ,when initally you push the handle bars in the opposite way that you want to go around the corner. ..... If you do not know about this type of steering and cornering controll please do yourself a favour and reasearch the topic.

 

Hiya winston66! Glad you've discovered what many of us have been doing for years ... this is how ya can lay back in the saddle and steer with yer toes.. Anyhoo, your scoot is a bit different than these RSV's I believe and these sukkahs are a BEAR when it comes to low speed handling and twisties IMHO. The 130 tire (or the levelling links) are a HUGE improvement. My scoot now feels a lot closer to having the handling characteristics of my 2 first gen's.

[dkip]

I changed my stock tires to elite 3 with the 130 on the front. I put 2800 miles this winter in Arizona and my 2006 Rstd fells like a different bike. I did lots of interstate riding and didn't mind the feel. It could be partially that the elites are just better tires but I will not be going back to a 150 at this time

 

Dale

[eagleeye]

the only reason i can see they put a truck tire on the front of the royalstar is to give a little slower steering in the straight line

 

I just had to quote Snarley Bill, it's the best description of the stock front tire that I've heard.

 

I've had a 130 on the front of my 05 RSTD for two years now and it feels much lighter and more agile to me.

 

Steve

[jburrell]

 

LOVE MY 130 AVON. THE THING SO MUCH BETTER AND FILLS SO MUCH LIGHTER THAT I DON'T THINK I WILL GO BACK.

 

DITTO DITTO DITTO! Except I have the dunlops.

WHE HE SAID!

[craigatcsi]

You folks have convinced me about going with the 130 for the front, but I just now called Avon and told them that I have an 07Venture. They said they offer nothing for my bike in a WWW. I really want WWW this time.

 

So I guess I will have to switch to Dunlops. But they don't appear to offer the 130 in WWW, So if I want the WWW, I will have to keep stock size.

 

Craigr