Big Kat tire size

[Tuna11]

Time for some new tires for my Big Kat,I was wondering though if I could apply 160 80 16s to the rear tire? Instead of the 150. Back when I had an 89 Kat 600, I was able to go ten up on the front and rear tires. I was wondering if the same could apply to the 1100,cents a 17 inch conversion is not in the cards,~ 130 70 in front and 160 rear? Thanks.

[dumdum21]

yes u can ive done it to my 95 kat. just make sure u look at how close it comes to your break bar it might rub on it

[cintidude04]

yes u can ive done it to my 95 kat. just make sure u look at how close it comes to your break bar it might rub on it

Anything you may have done to your 95 kat does not apply to the original question.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

I like OEM size

[Wild-Bill]

Probably best off with the original 150. There's a bunch of doing to play with wider tires although I'm a big fan of my 17 inch rims. Maybe now's a good time to make the conversion yourself.

If you're sticking with the original wheels I just saw on another thread that Michellin has a new 16" tire for us.

[Tuna11]

Probably best off with the original 150. There's a bunch of doing to play with wider tires although I'm a big fan of my 17 inch rims. Maybe now's a good time to make the conversion yourself.

If you're sticking with the original wheels I just saw on another thread that Michellin has a new 16" tire for us.

I have considered and rejected the idea to labor-intensive,
I will look into the Michellin tire. Thank you all for your input.

[DClark]

Probably best off with the original 150. There's a bunch of doing to play with wider tires although I'm a big fan of my 17 inch rims. Maybe now's a good time to make the conversion yourself.

If you're sticking with the original wheels I just saw on another thread that Michellin has a new 16" tire for us.

I have searched the net and found no mention of a 16" tire that would be appropriate for the big kat. Mich might make a scooter tire that will "fit, but if you are looking for a ZR rated radial tire for the front and rear, the only tire available are the Avon's.
There are still a number of bias ply tires available. In fact, I think you can still get the oem metzler laser tires.
But, once you go to radials, you don't want to go back to bias ply.

[Wild-Bill]

My bad. I found the thread and it was Hoevding. He found a front, bias-ply Michellin Activ for a 16" wheel.
The Michellin Commander is avaliable in 130-90-16 front and 140-90-16 rear but that's a high-mileage, bias-ply cruiser tire. The Scorcher "31" is out there, too in 130-90-16 front and 150-80-16 rear. That's a bias-ply cruiser tire, too and it's co-branded with Harley Davidson.
Pirelli Sport Demons (also bias-ply) are also available in 16 inch sizes.

[DClark]

I saw somewhere that someone makes a radial scooter tire that will fit our bike.
WTF? The dinky rims on our bike are considered scooter sized? At any rate, the tires would fit, but they are not speed rated and probably have low load.
I still see a lot of people on the net selling the avons so I think stories of them stop making them (and thus the tires are "old") are false.
I am on my second set of Avons and they are a good tire. Nice wear (about 6,000 miles i think), decent handling, nice ride, good in rain. We are fortunate that the only radial left that fits the bike is also good. The old michlin macadam tires were crap, front cupped out, I think I had Dunlap radials, a little better, Avon the best. Pirelli used to make radial 16" tires, but I never got around to trying them before discontinued.

[Wild-Bill]

Aaaaand this is why I went to the trouble of converting to 17" wheels.

[KatKrak]

In the spring of last season I went on a tire hunt for mine. Available at that time were the metzlers and the avons. As I understood it then, the Avon azzaro's were no longer being produced and if you were to find a set, it would be old stock. Not certain about that, but I couldn't find azzaro's anywhere so I went with the ST.
When I rebuild this bike, I'll be doing a 17 inch conversion for this reason alone.

[DClark]

Aaaaand this is why I went to the trouble of converting to 17" wheels.

If I didn't have a C14 sitting in the garage as my main ride, I'd have gone 17" wheels too.
As much as like the Avon Azzarros, I think something like 17" Mich PR3's would really transform the handling on the big kat.
But you know, life is a give and take deal.
17" wheels and new tires for the '91 kat that I don't drive much?
or...
Full exhaust and tune for a '11 C-14 that will make it faster in the 1/4 than a mid '90's ZX11 (and faster than the kat)?

[Wild-Bill]

...I think something like 17" Mich PR3's would really transform the handling on the big kat.

Pilot Power 2CTs sure are nice.

...But you know, life is a give and take deal.
17" wheels and new tires for the '91 kat that I don't drive much?
or...
Full exhaust and tune for a '11 C-14 that will make it faster in the 1/4 than a mid '90's ZX11 (and faster than the kat)?

And yet they still handle like a bus which is why you've still got your big Kat, right?

[DClark]

Pilot Power 2CTs sure are nice.


And yet they still handle like a bus which is why you've still got your big Kat, right?

Brand new, with the crappy stock tires, the C14 handled better than the kat. With the PR3's, it is light years ahead in handling compared to the kat. Ride is also nicer.
If anything, the kat feels like a bus compared to the C14. Hard to believe that a bike weighing 190lbs more would be better riding, but I guess that's what you get when you give engineers 20 years of extra time to design a suspension
Comparing the handling of a '11 C14 to a '91 Kat 1100 is like comparing the handling of a '11 Camaro to a '91 Camaro

[Wild-Bill]

Hmm... Trying to remember what it was you liked better about the Kat. Could have sworn it had something to do with handling.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Connie. Can't afford one right now but if I were in the market for a new bike that'd definitely be one I look at. Meanwhile I like my Kat plenty and like it even more with the better wheels and tires.