140/70 tire on the Vitpilen 401

shibalele

shibalele

new rider
Joined
Feb 3, 2023
Messages
3
Location
Switzerland
Hello guys

I've done some researches on different forums and came to conclusion that a 140/70 tire will "perform" better on a Duke 390/Vitpilen 401
than the stock 150/60 would. But a question I've got is whether you can use the original tube of the Vitpilen 401 for the 140/70 tire or you
have to change it. Another question is where the speed sensor is located on the 401 and whether the speedometer would be affected or not.

Thanks in advance.
 
JJCool said:
In what way are you exceeding the performance characteristics of the factory stock tire now?
Click to expand...
Not saying that I exceed the performance, but from what I've read, the rim width of our bike is 4.00". So apparently 140 tires would fit it better.
150 tires are just a bit too wide and the tire has to be squished so it can fit which changes the tire profile a little bit. People who have tried 140/70 tires report that the handling is much better and the bike is more flickable.
 
I've had a rear Dunlop Arrowmax Gt601 140/70/17 with front
Timsun 45N 80/90/17 with amazing tar perfromance and super low rake angle. Def more flickable.

I now switched to a rear Kenda K761 R130/80-17 and front Kenda K761 F110/90-17 for a more dual purpose type ride and love the results on dirt / sand / gravel roads but had to adjust to the higher rake angle..
 
Lozion said:
I've had a rear Dunlop Arrowmax Gt601 140/70/17 with front
Timsun 45N 80/90/17 with amazing tar perfromance and super low rake angle. Def more flickable.

I now switched to a rear Kenda K761 R130/80-17 and front Kenda K761 F110/90-17 for a more dual purpose type ride and love the results on dirt / sand / gravel roads but had to adjust to the higher rake angle..
Click to expand...
But did you have to buy a new tube to fit the rear tire or is the old one reusable? And did it have any effects on the speedometer?
 
Digging this up with some information from a major tyre manufacturer - Maxxis.

This link gives their recommended tyre sizes (in red) plus a range of tyre sizes that fit various rim widths.

Clearance to other parts is a separate issue for your bike.

www.maxxis.com

Wheels and Rims

It is essential that the wheel and rim size and type is a suitable fitment for the tyre and motorcycle concerned.
www.maxxis.com
 
Imo it depends on the tyre profile. For what I use the bike and ocasionals trackdays, given my height and weight I prefer even wider profile, and that's why I go with 160/60-17 rear and 120/70-17 front.
The bike is extra light, and on the 2018 Svart the fork angle is very short so the handling is fast and nervous.
I feel more stability with wider tyres, and even that, the bike still has great handling.
Anyway, at some point I would like to change the rear rim to a 4.25 and try super motard tyres.
 
Rarroo said:
Imo it depends on the tyre profile. For what I use the bike and ocasionals trackdays, given my height and weight I prefer even wider profile, and that's why I go with 160/60-17 rear and 120/70-17 front.
The bike is extra light, and on the 2018 Svart the fork angle is very short so the handling is fast and nervous.
I feel more stability with wider tyres, and even that, the bike still has great handling.
Anyway, at some point I would like to change the rear rim to a 4.25 and try super motard tyres.
Click to expand...
Sure, you gotta go with what works best for you. And the way in which tyres sit on a given rim width does vary between manufacturers. I think the table gives a good guide though. According to Maxxis the 160/60-17 is one of the optimal fittings for a 4.0 inch wide rim (y)
My personal experience with bikes with a 4” wide rear rim (Honda MC22, RGV250 VJ21) is that a 140 wide tyre works better for me than a 150 (with a 110 front). I found the same with the vitpilen on the track day. I haven’t tried a 160 or a 120 front either.
 
sloegin said:
Sure, you gotta go with what works best for you. And the way in which tyres sit on a given rim width does vary between manufacturers. I think the table gives a good guide though. According to Maxxis the 160/60-17 is one of the optimal fittings for a 4.0 inch wide rim (y)
My personal experience with bikes with a 4” wide rear rim (Honda MC22, RGV250 VJ21) is that a 140 wide tyre works better for me than a 150 (with a 110 front). I found the same with the vitpilen on the track day. I haven’t tried a 160 or a 120 front either.
Click to expand...
Well I came from stocks on the Svartpilen that are kind of hard and off road, so when I changed to something more asphalitic, even wider, the weight on the tyres were very noticeable. So at the end for me it was a high improvement but I haven’t tried 140/70 rear even I have seen all the 300cc on track with this size.
 
Some of the guys I know run 160's on their 4.25" supermoto rears but most stick with 150's in order to stay out of the chain and not have to mess with offset. Different tire manufacturers have slightly different specs in the same widths.
 
FWIW i swapped my stock scorpion with a Shinko 130/70 and despite every blowhard on Reddit telling me that anything other than factory specs was an aggregious sin, it worked out great.

Here is a handy resource in such situations

Tire Size Calculator - Compare Tire Sizes | Tacoma World

Tire size calculator compares diameter, width, circumference and speedometer differences for any two tire sizes. Supports tire sizes in metric and inches.
www.tacomaworld.com www.tacomaworld.com
 
sloegin said:
Sure, you gotta go with what works best for you. And the way in which tyres sit on a given rim width does vary between manufacturers. I think the table gives a good guide though. According to Maxxis the 160/60-17 is one of the optimal fittings for a 4.0 inch wide rim (y)
My personal experience with bikes with a 4” wide rear rim (Honda MC22, RGV250 VJ21) is that a 140 wide tyre works better for me than a 150 (with a 110 front). I found the same with the vitpilen on the track day. I haven’t tried a 160 or a 120 front either.
Click to expand...
thanks for the input. what are your thoughts of having 120/90 front and 150/70 rear? what do you recommend for the back if im gonna run 120/90 front?
 
I have 1500 miles on my Bridgestone S22 tyres which are 110/70/17F and 14/70/17R bike is 2023 Svartpilen 401 with many suspension mods. I am very happy with how these tyres perform and have no issues using all of the rear tyre in the dry. I do not ride in the wet so cannot comment on how they perform in anything other than dry tarmac. I will never go back to 150/60/17 rear on my bike ever! I only wish the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR’ came in a 140/70/17 rear as I prefer the look but for performance the S22 is spot on for me. For context I was using 130mm of the tread on the STR before fitting the S22 and I am now using all of the 145mm on these tyres.
 
Pics…

Rear..
IMG_0007.jpeg
Wear bar showing almost no wear at 1500miles
IMG_0010.jpeg

No flattening of centre tread, you can see the 3 compounds clearly with the super sticky sides showing darker than the harder middle compound.
IMG_0012.jpeg

Only used 1.2mm of rear tread so far.
IMG_0013.jpeg

This is the front. I do not think I could ever get near using all of the tread on the road. It shows no signs of wear at all after 1500 miles.
IMG_0015.jpeg

For context I ride my little 400 very hard, I literally throw her into corners sometimes. I ride very twisty bumpy back roads here in the U.K. and will not take this bike on motorway type roads nor in town.
 
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