New Tires 190/55 R17

190/55

I like my angel gts also..i have the 50 profile...i just counter steer into the corners if i need more angle...

Angel GTs... 55 profile here... love the profile and the tire!

I have the Pilot Road 4's in the 55 series. I think going to the 55 made more of a difference than anything. I can actually feel what the bike is doing at lean.

One thing that does concern me slightly, is my chicken strips after only a day of riding already seem to be smaller on the 55 then they were on the 50, and I really haven't pushed it a whole lot yet. Slightly concerned about running out of tire. That said, I never have before, and have always had some healthy chicken strip left.

I run 180/55's on mine, the handling is soooo much better now!

Wow... you guys are like 3 years behind... 190/55 is the best tire for this bike - should have been the OEM size. The rounder profile will make getting to the edge harder. You'll drag the pegs before you get any serious wear on the edges with this size. So if you measure your riding skill by how big your chicken strips are, stick with the 50 series tire. Switching to the 55 series gives the bike more neutral handling and requires much less effort to turn. And If you want even more turn-in, push your forks all the way up into the clip-on risers (its only ~ 7mm) and the bike will transition from side to side like a true sportbike... I don't recommend the 180/55 because its designed for 5.5" wheel and we have a 6" wheel. You are stretching the tire carcass out and flattening the profile a bit in doing so.

we're not 3 years behind; Kawasaki is for this particular bike.

Black Sheep said:

push your forks all the way up into the clip-on risers (its only ~ 7mm) and the bike will transition from side to side like a true sportbike

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Could you explain this a little further?

pushing forks up in triple clamp quickens steering.

alang said:

pushing forks up in triple clamp quickens steering.

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Exactly. The 55 series raises the rear a bit and the pushing up the forks lowers the front a bit. The changes in geometry are small, but the dividends are huge. I used to really struggle at Deals Gap to muscle through all 318 turns. After making these changes, the bike just rails through all the turns with minimal effort.

I am also thinking of going 180/55. Can you post a picture also how it looks like?