180 /55 hwy 'wobble'??

[no cowl]

Looking for some feedback from other riders that have used tire set with rear being 180 / 55 on thier bus.
I recently had to get new tires and opted for this set up. I wanted to lighten the ‘feel’ of the bike, increase ease of turning, and give her a better feel in the corners. DONE, DONE, DONE! :bounce: I love the way the tires handle around town and in twisties. I am sure a better rider could get more out of them, but for me they are MUCH more ‘fun’….. and isn’t that really the point??

So my question is this, at ‘highway speeds’ (at or above 65mph) I find that these tires give me a feeling of ‘wobble’ in the grip as well as the bike. It is kind of hard to explain, but if you have felt it, you would know. It is like the tires are being pushed out from under you (laterally) while there is a slight shake in the grips (what I would imagine, would feel like at the very onset of a ‘tank slapper’) . This feeling and feedback is not really a comfortable feeling. If there any cross wind WOW, it is even worse!!

Sorry for the long post. Has anyone else changed from stock size to these and get this ‘problem’ at high speeds??

 

[Tufbusa]

If you can mount your busa and distinguish the difference in a 180 & 190 tire, you are a better rider than me!

 

[CaBusaGirl]

By going with the 180/55 in the rear you have taken away your "contact patch" (where the rubber meets the road). If you want lite feel I would trash the 180 and go with a 190/55. What brand of tire did you go with? Did you leave your front tire stock? What year is your bike? Mileage (could be head set bearing ware)? When you lay on the bike does this "wobble" go away? Sorry for all the questions...

 

[semi]

i have run both sizes without any issues like that, the first thing i would check would be if the tire was balanced correctly

 

[PADEROLIS]

Been running 180/55 for awhile now; no wobble issues here!

 

[Bird Hunter]

i have run both sizes without any issues like that, the first thing i would check would be if the tire was balanced correctly

 

[mike1180]

The rear needs balancing if it started when you changed it out.

 

[Mr Bogus]

If you can mount your busa and distinguish the difference in a 180 & 190 tire, you are a better rider than me!

dont tell me we just had this conversation..

heck I just found out I had a 180 on my bike and it replaced a 190/55,

I only found out when I was cleaning the wheels after an outing at the track..

 

[dadofthree]

I've been told the 180 actually lays a better patch when being used for drag racing. 190 for town and twisties.

 

[no cowl]

By going with the 180/55 in the rear you have taken away your "contact patch" (where the rubber meets the road). If you want lite feel I would trash the 180 and go with a 190/55. What brand of tire did you go with? Did you leave your front tire stock? What year is your bike? Mileage (could be head set bearing ware)? When you lay on the bike does this "wobble" go away? Sorry for all the questions...

I understand what I gave up, I will try the 190 / 55 next time I need new tires. (can’t afford to trash them just yet) Answers to your questions : The tire is a Bridgestone Battle Axe BT016R. Brand new front and rear. She is a 2005, with just over 11k miles on her. Laying on the bike or full upright does not make much of a difference. I have done all that I can to make it go away, such as: confirm there is no rider input on the grips, put ALL weight on feet, as much weight on tank as possible, put positive pressure on both grips….. none of them do anything to help.

I am thinking I should take it back to the shop and have them confirm that the tire is balanced. But don’t you think they will give me greaf that it was balanced when I left….???
Thanks for the help yall.

(oh and Yes Tufbusa, I felt the difference as soon as I sat on her after the tire change. It felt like I went from a fat wide tire to a single center rail. Like switching from quad roller skates to inlines. Much smaller area to balance on)

 

[Mr Bogus]

I understand what I gave up, I will try the 190 / 55 next time I need new tires. (can’t afford to trash them just yet) Answers to your questions : The tire is a Bridgestone Battle Axe BT016R. Brand new front and rear. She is a 2005, with just over 11k miles on her. Laying on the bike or full upright does not make much of a difference. I have done all that I can to make it go away, such as: confirm there is no rider input on the grips, put ALL weight on feet, as much weight on tank as possible, put positive pressure on both grips….. none of them do anything to help.

I am thinking I should take it back to the shop and have them confirm that the tire is balanced. But don’t you think they will give me greaf that it was balanced when I left….???
Thanks for the help yall.

(oh and Yes Tufbusa, I felt the difference as soon as I sat on her after the tire change. It felt like I went from a fat wide tire to a single center rail. Like switching from quad roller skates to inlines. Much smaller area to balance on)

it would be my guess you felt "new tire" to "old tire" differences... New tires always have a "light" feel and usually feel much better on tip in etc...

I quite literally was on the race track when the wrong tire went on my bike and I was not aware of the change.. Lap times were virtually identical and I did not feel anything out of the ordinary.. grip in the corners at full tilt with a knee on the ground or busting out of corners at full throttle.. the drift felt the same, as did the lean.. lap time says speeds were the same too..

I was taking to Tuf on the phone as a matter of fact when I found out I had been racing on the 180 instead of the 190 , we got a good laugh out of it

 

[no cowl]

Maybe there was some expectations of it feeling differnt, but it sure fell a lot more 'tipsy' when I took her off the stand than it did when I got the OEM replaced a while back.

 

[CaBusaGirl]

it would be my guess you felt "new tire" to "old tire" differences... New tires always have a "light" feel and usually feel much better on tip in etc...

I would agree with you but I have never felt a "wobble" from a new tire. I would say that his tire would be out of balance BUT, then you would be getting a "wobble" at much lower speeds (20-30). It's only happening at speeds 65+ which leads me to believe something else could be wrong. If your tire was out of balance then wouldn't you be getting more of a bad "vibration" at higher speeds then a "wobble?"

Either way this sounds dangerous and is something that needs attention asap.

 

[Mr Bogus]

Maybe there was some expectations of it feeling differnt, but it sure fell a lot more 'tipsy' when I took her off the stand than it did when I got the OEM replaced a while back.

yea, swapping new tires on usually does feel that way... I would bet however if someone was to start swapping new tires around on the bike and then have you ride it, you would be very hard pressed to say which tire was on the thing...

 

[dadofthree]

Had a bad tire once. It gave me similar issues. I just kept it within the speed limits until it wore out. I probably should have replaced it immediately.

 

[brpo]

Tire Pressure??? 42 PSI or so, not 36 or so like front... If I recall the correct the pressures. Not sure though. Check the manual...

 

[brpo]

Double check chain adjusters... Axle and sprockets aligned correctly? + 1 on balance if nothing obvious.

 

[vvmt]

It couldn't be on backwards? ???