I found a decent set of CBR600 F2 wheels and gubbins in a local breakers so I bagged them with a view to getting the Daughtery swap kit.
I’m not sure it will make much handling difference, but I do like the idea of being able to fit modern rubber. Anyway, it is all completely reversible as also got a spare VF speedo drive for modification.
So my question is, with a 120/60 17 front and a 160/60 17 rear, what is the best sport touring tyre out there for the VF1?
I have had good experiences with Pirelli Angel ST, Dunlop Road Smart II and Michelin Pilot Roads before, but not on a bike as heavy as the VF.
My ST4s weighed in at 213kg dry, so not quite heft of the battle cruiser.
I am running Bridgestone BT23s on the Bol,110/80 front and 150/70 fear on standard rims.
These are the GT version built for heavier bikes like the pan and big BM tourers.
They are recommended for use on the Blackbird too even though it weighs less than the VF.
I like them on both the Blackbird and Bol but others don’t.
It’s a very personal thing.
The F2 wheel swap was not intended for our 18" wheel models so I would suggest going up to a 70 profile on the front just to up the diameter of the wheel a bit and reduce the reduction in front end height.
Regards Bif
Yeah, I know it will be tight, but I think there’s room. May need to ditch the standard mudguard for something else, as mine has a Telefix fork brace too. The wrap around mudguard of the CBR might be necessary.
I know the RoadSmarts are designed for anything up to the FJR1300 so there should be scope, but I just thought I’d tap the wisdom.
OK, doing a few calculations here, and I think the 70 profile on the front would work.
I currently have BT45s front and rear.
Front: 100/90-18 56V
Rear: 140/80 B17 69V
That gives an outside diameter of 637mm front and 592 rear.
Going with 17" rims and 120/70 17 front gives 572mm front and a 160/60 rear gives 552
So that’s a drop of 65mm front and 40mm rear.
I think that’s manageable in terms of ground clearance and it does pitch it on its nose a bit, which is no bad thing I think.
The main thing is, that it is entirely reversible plus, my brother races a pre-injection CBR600, so if it all goes pear-shaped, I can sell him the wheels and I’m out the cost of the conversion kit.
hi ascalan,
before i fitted the vtr1000 front end onto my project bike i used to have a mix and match front end, which consisted of vf1000ff stansions, cbr1000f (early model) sliders these gave you aprox the same length of fork.
on this set up you had slightly better/ more modern cbr calipers and 296mm discs which fit onto the F2 wheels, mud guard was from a vfr750fl/m which fits straight onto the cbr mounting points…
Ground clearence was never an issue.
@VFPete: thanks mate, that’s good to know. Clearances was all I was worried about really, laterally as much as vertically. There is 140mm between the sliders, so it should be OK.
My bike has the Brembo discs with good braided lines so a hefty squeeze on the lever does bring her up, even if the initial bite is not breathtaking.
So, I’d be happy enough to see how things go with the F2 wheels and the Roadsmarts. It’s not that I am unhappy with the BT45s, and they way it currently handles, it’s just that I like to fuck about and make life difficult for myself.
