Seriously Considering the F2 wheel conversion...

What size tire on the Ø17" front do you recommend?

 

120-70-17 works pretty good on my 1000.

 

Yes, a 120/70 has almost the exact OD as the stock VF tire. This is nice because fender clearance is not an issue and also the speedometer doesn't get out of whack.

 

So it's just the profile change with the 120/70-17 that makes it better?

 

basicly like with a car you go down 10 in the aspect ratio when upsizing the rim...makes sense.

 

The size of the wheel itself makes the most difference. The fact that you are switching to a modern, radial tire doesn't hurt either!

 

Jamie,

Going from the 110/90-16 to the 120/70R17:

The overall dia is the same (.18" smaller), but it has .69" shorter of a sidewall, and an extra .4" in width. Is it then the change in the width of the tire, or is it the reduction in sidewall, which allows the tire to deform less vs. the movement of the front wheel?

(I'm just trying to understand what change(s) is(are) the critical one(s) that improves the handling.

Of course, on my bike, with it's 4yo Dunlops (according to the DOT date marks on the sidewall), I think anything would help.

 

Just like with running low profile tires on a car. Its the stiffer sidewall thats a major help.