Wider rear tire on 2004

Yes i know its been posted before, but i havent found answers from someone thats used a wider tire in the rear. the reason im asking is because im due for new tires, and ive noticed that i have ZERO "chicken strips" which is a little scary considering if i lean the bike just a tad more im out of tire... is this a bonkers concern? i would assume a 190 rear would solve the problem but it seems he handling gets sluggish? does anyone know how true this is/to what extent?

 

Turn in would be a bit more sluggish but hell go for it.

 

it can be done, and you won't even notice the difference

 

I personally wouldn't do it as the bike is already on the slow side when it comes to turn-in. Chicken strips, or a lack thereof, are a vague indication of actual lean. Tire profile and body position weigh heavily in the equation. If you're on a sport-tourer vs. a supersport tire, you'd be loosing 5-8 degrees of lean right there. Also, just because you don't see a chicken strip, especially on the rear, doesn't mean that you're out of contact patch - you're just on the outside edge with several degrees of lean still available to the inside. For instance, on Metzeler M3's I can't remove the front tire strips without employing toe-sliders and dragging the peg (with curb-feeler removed). At that point, the bike is at it's actual maximum lean with my body positioning. I would consider a different brand of tire before going to a 190 and handicapping the bike's performance.

 

+1 good information