| Author | Message | ||
     Shaiss |
I've just about worn out my stock Dunlop's after 7000 miles of daily riding over the last 8 months. What new tire should I buy? I've heard metzler's are good, but what model? Any other opinions? And does anyone know the stock tire size? I've always preferred to stick with the same size when it came to car tires. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Stock size is 120/70/17 Front, 180/55/17 Rear. I just replaced my Dunlop D208's on my Firebolt (rear got a flat). I put on the new Dunlop Qualifiers. Now I really liked the stock Dunlop D208's on my 'Bolt because they stuck like glue and never felt nervous even when I scrubbed them to their edges. The D208's however, had a strong tendency to stand the bike up under heavy braking, or made the bike very, very reluctant to lean under heavy braking. Well, the Qualifiers are even MORE confidence inspiring than the D208's. When leaned way over, the Qualifiers feel extremely stable. Best of all, the Qualifiers have removed most of the bike's tendency to stand up under heavy braking. In fact, I can now trail brake deep into a corner without the bike NOT wanting to lean. If you love the corners, try the Qualifiers before you try anything else. If not that, I heard great things about the Pirelli Diablo Corsas, which now come standard on every XB-R and XB-S. | ||
| Shaiss |
Hey Rouge, I'm the opposite, I couldn't stand the 208s. I don't know much about bikes or there mechanics, but I know any lean Id take the bike would fight me to straighten up. I ended up going with Metzler M1s and loving it. Any lean or corner is with easy, bikes not fighting at all to come back up. We'll see this weekend at Ortega... | ||
| Rogue_biker |
The XB's are very sensitive to suspension setup, especially sag. Small adjustments make immediate, noticeable differences in handling of the bike. I have found that my 'Bolt, when setup properly for my weight, is very manueverable and stable. However, it does require a low but constant pressure on the bars to maintain a good arc on long sweeping corners like those you will find in Ortega Highway. Some bikes, you lean, and they stay leaned until you put opposite pressure on the bars to change direction. The Buell XB's are not like that. However, proper suspension setup is key to minimize that tendency. Tires have little to do with it. In any case, any bike that straightens itself when leaned has a suspension that is NOT setup properly. This characteristic is usually the case when there is too much preload up front and/or too little preload out back. In other words, the front of the bike is sitting slightly HIGHER than the rear. You may want to check your Lightning's setup. Consult your owner's manual and set the sag AND damping rates per the book to YOUR weight. I found this to be key in getting my XB to handle just right for me. Unlike Japanese bikes, the XB's very short wheelbase and chassis design give it a very narrow range in which a rider can find a sweet spot for the bike to handle very well for him/her. This is why Buell includes a very comprehensive suspension setup/adjustment chapter in their owner's manual. And their suspension "guidelines" seems to be right on.  |
