redhog Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 This is a follow up on an earlier post. I ordered an OEM tire from a reputable on-line dealer. There were 5 tires in this size available in 180/55ZR17 but they were all made to each bike manufacturers specs. (Kawasaki, Yahmaha, Suzuki, BMW and Ducati. The tire width for each tire varied from 6.9 inches to 7.2 inches. I chose the Ducati tire which had a width of 7.2 inches. It came shortly and the local defunct Indian/Ducati dealership's shop installed it with only a few minor scratches to the rim. I used a dark gray Toyota touch up paint to hide the scratches. The problem came when trying to install the tire into the wheel well. Apparently the original tire was narrower and we had to physically wiggle and force this tire past the axle bolt holes. Once installed, everything worked OK with good clearances. Does anyone know the maximum width for a tire for the V11 so that I can make a note of it? I greased the splines and all the driveshaft fittings except for the front fitting which is a cage. How do you lube this one? We torqued the brake caliper bolts and the axle bolts by feel and the result was that all bolts/nut came back to the original yellow paint markings applied from the factory. I am now a happy camper except that I haven't tried to take the bike out for a high speed test run to see if the wheel was balanced properly due to the weather. Hope to do it on Thursday when the rains are supposed to stop. Any info on tire width and front driveshaft lubrication will be appreciated. I love this motorcycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstallons Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 I know this is not any help to your situation. I was told by a buddy that lives in Tx. and worked for a company that tested bikes and accessories. He told me to install or replace OEM tires and sizes. These companies spend a LOT of time testing before installing a particular tire on any bike. I took a grinder to the sidewall of a tire to clear the swingarm of my 87 lemans. When the tire wore out I went back to the OEM size. People recommend a long needle type adapter for greasing the front u-joint available from Lincoln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagehenry Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Try the following thread on fer size "how to, finally, grease the uni joints. greasing the front uni joint on a V11 Ballabio" from the "How To... " forum Now you just have to squeeze that fat tire out, again <_> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocker59 Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I know this is not any help to your situation. I was told by a buddy that lives in Tx. and worked for a company that tested bikes and accessories. He told me to install or replace OEM tires and sizes. These companies spend a LOT of time testing before installing a particular tire on any bike. I took a grinder to the sidewall of a tire to clear the swingarm of my 87 lemans. When the tire wore out I went back to the OEM size. People recommend a long needle type adapter for greasing the front u-joint available from Lincoln. 180/55-17 IS the OEM "size"... If you look at some tires, espcially Bridgestone, you'll see that they spec OEM tires for each manufacturer they supply tires for. For instance, there are five 120/70-17 fronts and five 180/55/17 rears on the BT-014 fitment list. http://www.motorcycle-karttires.com/glamou...&LookupID=9 As far as replacing the OEM tire with a different model, I didn't like the Pirelli Diablo on my Nero Corsa. I also needed something with a longer tread life. That's why I went to the Metzeler Z6 Roadtec and may try the Dunlop RoadSmart. The bike rides and handles great on the Sport-touring rubber... P.S. My Sport 1100 came with Michelin TX-15/25 tires in 1996. They are no longer made. What would YOU do in a situation like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouiji Veck Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Yea...it's a squeeze getting a 180 in there. I let the air out... but also went down to a 170... a very popular move around here. I like it fine. I also quit balancing my tires at all. I started skipping the back one about 3 yrs. ago...and the front maybe 2 yrs ago. I've never noticed a difference in handling or wear. I go through 2 sets a year and change 'em myself. If I ever felt the slightest vibration or feed back that might be a balancing issue on a tire I just put on I'd be at my buddies shop ..pronto. So far ...nada. My other hobby is defying logic..... Don't try these tricks at home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike wilson Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 I also quit balancing my tires at all. I started skipping the back one about3 yrs. ago...and the front maybe 2 yrs ago. I've never noticed a difference in handling or wear. I go through 2 sets a year and change 'em myself. If I ever felt the slightest vibration or feed back that might be a balancing issue on a tire I just put on I'd be at my buddies shop ..pronto. So far ...nada. Try gears other than 1st & 2nd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete roper Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 This is a follow up on an earlier post. I ordered an OEM tire from a reputable on-line dealer. There were 5 tires in this size available in 180/55ZR17 but they were all made to each bike manufacturers specs. (Kawasaki, Yahmaha, Suzuki, BMW and Ducati. The tire width for each tire varied from 6.9 inches to 7.2 inches. I chose the Ducati tire which had a width of 7.2 inches. It came shortly and the local defunct Indian/Ducati dealership's shop installed it with only a few minor scratches to the rim. I used a dark gray Toyota touch up paint to hide the scratches. The problem came when trying to install the tire into the wheel well. Apparently the original tire was narrower and we had to physically wiggle and force this tire past the axle bolt holes. Once installed, everything worked OK with good clearances. Does anyone know the maximum width for a tire for the V11 so that I can make a note of it? I greased the splines and all the driveshaft fittings except for the front fitting which is a cage. How do you lube this one? We torqued the brake caliper bolts and the axle bolts by feel and the result was that all bolts/nut came back to the original yellow paint markings applied from the factory. I am now a happy camper except that I haven't tried to take the bike out for a high speed test run to see if the wheel was balanced properly due to the weather. Hope to do it on Thursday when the rains are supposed to stop. Any info on tire width and front driveshaft lubrication will be appreciated. I love this motorcycle. If during all this strugling to get the trunnions greased or the wheel in and out you accidentally separated the two halves of the driveshaft DO make sure that they are correctly alligned before you try and ride the bike. this is very important. pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 If during all this strugling to get the trunnions greased or the wheel in and out you accidentally separated the two halves of the driveshaft DO make sure that they are correctly alligned before you try and ride the bike. this is very important. pete Both my 1100i and V11 had the UJs incorrectly positioned when I bought them, despite both having been serviced by the dealer prior to me picking them up.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike wilson Posted April 30, 2008 Share Posted April 30, 2008 Both my 1100i and V11 had the UJs incorrectly positioned when I bought them, despite both having been serviced by the dealer prior to me picking them up.... Pete's somewhat luckier than the rest of us in that regard....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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