Tire question?

[Carlos]

Has anyone tried or know something about Dunlopīs Qualifiers. I was wondering if a 170/60r17 would do any good in my 04 600c.c. Katana.
Thank for any tips or info.

[Mat0302]

qualifiers are good for sportbikes, but not totally necessary for touring bikes. 170 will fit, but is too wide to do any good

[JBLUE]

Has anyone tried or know something about Dunlopīs Qualifiers. I was wondering if a 170/60r17 would do any good in my 04 600c.c. Katana.
Thank for any tips or info.

stock rear tire 150/70/17 or 160/60/17

[crazyaussie]

I ran the Qualifiers on my '99 600 before switching to the Pirelli Diablo Stradas. IMO, they stuck great, but the mileage I got out of them stunk! I think I squeezed 6,000miles out of em.

As far as size, everyone on here will tell you not to go bigger than a 160, but I've had a 180 on there, so I know a 170 will fit, but you'll suffer in your handling.

(and for all those thinking I'm crazy for running a 180...it wasn't my choice, the PO had it on when I bought it)

[nd22121]

sorry i dont want to hijack this thread but does the 160 tires size give you better handling or is it better to get a new tire in the stock size, (rear tire that is)?

[Mat0302]

i think that is a matter of opinion, but supposedly the 150 has a little better handling. think of the 150 compared to a 190. the wider the tire, the flatter it is.

[nd22121]

so wait, i dont want to sound stupid, but i thought the wider a tire is the better handling since it has more surface area, or is that only true in a car since they dont lean when they turn?

[Psycho1]

I read somewhere a long time ago, that if the rear tire gets too much larger than the front tire, the mismatched radius's between the 2 can cause undesireable handling characteristics, like going into a corner smoothly, then feeling like the bike is suddenly falling into the turn. Never ridden a fullsize motorcycle with a big missmatch in width, but have felt similar handling quirks on 110cc super pocketbikes.

[crazyaussie]

If by "better handling" you mean being stable while driving in straight lines, then yes, a wider tire will provide better handling. However...most motorcyclists (myself included) like to ride the twisties, so the narrower tires (150) make the bike more "flickable"

[nd22121]

oh ok, thats what i want, good handling in the curves, so i think a stock tire size would be my best bet. i could probably search but since i am already on this thread, what are some of the best tires you can get for an 01 600?

[The CyberPoet]

so wait, i dont want to sound stupid, but i thought the wider a tire is the better handling since it has more surface area, or is that only true in a car since they dont lean when they turn?

It's not even true of cars.
In an ideal world, you want as little weight on each wheel (car or motorcycle) as possible while still maintaining a large enough contact patch to actually grip well. As car or bike power outputs go up, tire sizes have to go up in order to retain grip under the maximum output of the engine. The less weight is in the unsprung section of the vehicle, the better the handling will be.

When it comes to the Kats, unless you've done something extremely serious to the displacement or the compression ratios (i.e. - bandit 1200 engine, bore-over engine kit), the power output can't overwhelm the stock tire sizes even banked full over, so there is no advantage in up-sizing the tires. Larger output bikes have huge back tires not because they are the most ideal, but because they'll keep the corporate lawyers from having to deal with a dozen cases a day of a rider getting on the throttle in a turn and losing the rear end.

Now that said, there is a small benefit to having a larger contact patch on dry pavement, but you can accomplish the same thing by simply lowering the pressure in your 150 tires by one or two PSI when you really want to rail hard, instead of penalizing yourself with huge tires.

Once you get into anything that acts wet (rain, sand over pavement), the narrower the tire, the more the tire will want to cut through the liquid and the less likely it is to hydroplane -- this ability to "cut" greatly increases effective grip in marginal situations.

So it basically boils down to your choice: do you want more bling, or do you want the real thing?

oh ok, thats what i want, good handling in the curves, so i think a stock tire size would be my best bet. i could probably search but since i am already on this thread, what are some of the best tires you can get for an 01 600?

My opinion is the Metzeler Z6 Roadtechs, in the OEM sizes. You'll find a lot of other riders here who agree with this, as I have been giving out this advice for years, ever since I did my tire comparo. If you are running the OEM stock tires, the difference will be night-and-day.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mat0302]

Yeah, what he said.

I have Conti-road attacks and I think they're at the top of the list with the metzler's. I've put 7400 miles on them and still have plenty of tread left.

[nd22121]

thanks guys. cyber poet, awesome info, thanks for setting me straight. as for the bling, with the katana i want the real thing, so i will try the psi thing. does the tires say what the psi is supposed to be?

[fsand03]

I am running Continental Conti Force tires and really like them a lot. That said, I may have to try some Metzler Z6's just to see what all the hoopla is about. Many, many on this site sing the praises of the Metzler Z6. Have fun

[The CyberPoet]

thanks guys. cyber poet, awesome info, thanks for setting me straight. as for the bling, with the katana i want the real thing, so i will try the psi thing. does the tires say what the psi is supposed to be?

The "right" PSI depends on the brand/make and the load weight. The tires that shipped with the Katana are base-line pressure of 33 psi for a 140 lb rider; the Pirelli's and Metzeler's all base-line at 36 psi instead for a 150 lb rider.

I work out the general formula for tire pressure vs load weight & pressure spread in this thread (currently 2nd to last post), plus why you shoot for that ideal as a good starting point 2 posts above that: http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=82813

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet