Tires

We have rain grooves here too. These tires don't follow them like other ones I've had. The little compressor shown is what I carry in my top box.
Steve

I forgot to mention the Shinko 230's being V rated was also a factor in my choice, most of the more expensive alternatives were not which makes them not really suitable for a bike with the KZ1000's performance

H rated tires are good for sustained speeds up to 130 MPH. Realistically most bikes won't even be that close to that. V rated tires are cool but I doubt I will ever reach their full potential. Nice to know I could if I had to.
Steve

Someone said the V rated tires with spoke wheels and inner tubes, de-rates to H and H de-rates to S etc etc etc

yes..no?

I don't know but it sounds logical.
Steve

I've not heard of that specifically, but putting tubes in tubeless tires is supposed to make them run hotter which might have the effect of reducing the effective speed rating. While I don't see me riding at a continuous speed that would tax even the lowest speed rating tires, I do quite like the idea of having more than you need where tires are concerned. In terms of original fitment tires are usually spec'd to the top speed of the vehicle, even if cruising at those speeds is fanciful.

Got the swing arm and wheel back on yesterday. I can't help thinking I made a mistake buying the smaller tire. I have a 110/90-19 up front and now a 120/90-18 in back. I painted the arm so it looks good and found some loose connections so this morning I'm going out to take care of that. Windy today and will have to ride to the store later when it's done. Guess I'll find out how well it handles in windy conditions. I'll have 6 months to have my new arm modified and welded. It will except a much larger tire and maybe I'll try my hand at lacing a larger rim and mount a larger tire then. :dry:
Steve

Just got home from town. No difference in handling, maybe a little quicker. I know the larger tire being squeezed into the rim made it a little taller. Had to beat a light, down shifted twice and the red line came faster than expected. Uploading a clip now. Might have gained a little more acceleration. The rear brake was a little sticky too so cleaning and lubing it was worth the effort. All is as it should be. Now to see how many miles I get out of it.
Steve

Depending on the model of the Pirelli ...
I just bout two sets of Kenda tires.

650ed wrote: I recommend you replace the front tire at the same time with a matching Pirelli. Doing that will give you the best performance and handling. Miss-matched tires can cause problems. , Ed

I did this when replacing my old worn Avon for a few weeks with a low 700-1000 mileage used 120/90-18 Metzler of mine and within 50-75 miles, my KZ1000 started to develop a very nasty head shake when coming off the throttle from 55pmh to 75mph freeway speeds!
Awful....
replaced both the tires with inexpensive Shinko 712s and the head shake was completely gone..... plus everything about riding the bike was vastly improved.
I'll never mix new with old and across brands again!!

Yup
Steve

Back in my poor days...I always ran unmatch and rear worn out tires on my 77kz1000a and never had a wobble at high speeds.
I change and balance them my self as well.