[grumpyoldgit]

IMO it's a bigger risk than having a bike lowered.

Risk from lowering the bike? Please illuminate.

Lowering the bike changes the steering geometry. Most people swap the dog bones, and never bother to worry about the forks... and the bikes handle like crap.

Ahh, well I already lowered the forks in anticipation of my dogbones arriving from ne-oublie

[fasteddie]

I have lowered and put a 180 on my bike, mixed with a little common sense and safe riding habbits I have no problems!!

[blkpitbull]

Thanks for the reply eddie. I was wanting to get some 180 feedback from those who have run them!

[eortizr]

here were I live there is a guy with a 2001 750, he has a 180 in the rear and I ask him about it, he told me that the handling is better and no power loss. He also use his Kat for the track. Is his second 180. and also the tire look good in the bike. He has the stock 4.5 inch rim

[cameron]

well i also read everything i could about the 160 on a pre 98 stock rim. and it scared the $h*t out of me. thing is by then i had already went through one and well into another one without any problems. but i ran out and got a new rim anyways {04 katana rear} better safe than dead when your talking about motorcycles. just my two cent

[GregS]

Sounds like the original poster is only concerned about the bike going down the road and not the handling / feel / traction or any other of the concerns that a bike rider should be concerned with.
IMO - people like that are the ones that ride choppers. Looks are everything to them and you can't tell them otherwise about safety. If you don't firsthand know of someone who died from some mod, then it must be a good mod to perform.

[blkpitbull]

Sounds like the original poster is only concerned about the bike going down the road and not the handling / feel / traction or any other of the concerns that a bike rider should be concerned with.
IMO - people like that are the ones that ride choppers. Looks are everything to them and you can't tell them otherwise about safety. If you don't firsthand know of someone who died from some mod, then it must be a good mod to perform.

Wrong Wrong Wrong. I do care about handling, traction, etc.... I personally do not own a kat anymore, and my bike now is set up for handling NOT looks.

I only noticed a Kat with a 180 that the owner said he had no problem with, and wanted to know:
1: why everyone says do not get a 180, "cause its dangerous" when obviously it isnt dangerous at all, just takes alittle getting used to the different handling.
2: wondering if there ever has been a legit failure, due to being to big on a small rim, anyone has seen or heard of.

Thats it. I could care less what size tire anyone puts on there bike. I was just clearing the air about the "180". Its NOT dangerous (in the sense that it will fail or seperate from the rim) and aparently, from hearing from a few 180 riders, not that bad if difference in handling!

[GregS]

Poor handling and danger are very closely related. Also if a bead is not properly supported on the rim, as when an oversize tire is mounted, it can fail to stay mounted. Also, an oversize tire will flex more and build up heat. Overheating will cause tread separation and total catostrophic failure, ask Ford Motor Company and Firestone.
You are wrong to assume any different. We are not talking viewpoints here, I'm stating facts.

[blkpitbull]

You may be stating facts(that I am not arguing btw) but WHERE is the REAL world overheating and tread seperation and total catostrophic failure you speak of pertaining directly to a 180 tire on a 4.5 inch Kat wheel. You can talk facts all day long, I know them, but the FACT of the matter is still a 180 has never, to anyones knowledge, failed in any way on a kat. Thats ALL im saying. Im not by any means telling kat owners to go buy a 180, just that it is a option that isnt quite as dangerous as some project...........

[Brian_M]

When I bought my Katana in march this year the PO had a 170 dunlop on the rear. I ran this setup for 2 months before getting some Diablo Strada's on the bike and I got a 160 rear. Going from the 170 to 160 was noticeable, but I think this is more because the dunlop was a crap tire and the strada is really good. I do miss the look of the 170 but I like the added maneuverability of the 160.