best tyres ? adviced tyres ?

[igor]

Hello everyone ,

 

I need to change the tyres of my v11 le mans . Bought it with Pirelli Angel on it , the rear is pretty worned flat in the middle , makes the handling a bit strange .

What tyres would you suggest ? I was thinking on dunlop roadsmart 4

Thanks for your help .

Igor

[docc]

Consider, also, what size rear tire you wish to try.  Some prefer a 170 on the later V11/ 5.5" rim over the 180 they were delivered with.

Similarly, some early V11 Sport/Rosso Mandello owners with the 4.5" rim prefer a 160 rather than the 170 they were delivered with.

The more "pointed" profile of the larger tire "pinched" onto the rim can promote flattening of the center . . .

[GuzziMoto]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major players. The Dunlops are fine tires. So are Michelin, Bridgestone, and Pirelli.

I like the multi-compound tires they have nowadays. For road bikes they are a step up.

I also prefer a narrower tire for the rear, the V11 doesn't need more than a 160. It just doesn't have that much power. But you should pick the tire size based on the wheel size. A 4.5" wheel fits a 160, a 5.5" wheel fits a 180. 

[MartyNZ]

Everyone has a favorite, so you are unlikely to get complete agreement on the best. It's hard to go wrong with the popular brands, as @GuzziMoto said.

Have you seen this post:

 https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/28190-a-test-report-for-v11-tyres/

 

[stewgnu]

the narrower the better in my opinion 

[stewgnu]

wide tyres are for them that fling themselves around race tracks

[LaGrasta]

After becoming a believer on my dual sport, I keep defaulting to Kenda. I have repeatedly bought them now for a few years, with amazing value. I now have them on my KLX250 and my 2010 V7. When my V11 is in need, I'll start there again.

[billgreenman1]

+1 on preferring the narrower tire. To me it almost makes the bike feel lighter and I don't think I've ever gone so hard as to think that it needs "more skin" out back...

[p6x]

@igor

You may find this topic interesting;

 

[igor]

21 hours ago, docc said:

Consider, also, what size rear tire you wish to try.  Some prefer a 170 on the later V11/ 5.5" rim over the 180 they were delivered with.

Similarly, some early V11 Sport/Rosso Mandello owners with the 4.5" rim prefer a 160 rather than the 170 they were delivered with.

The more "pointed" profile of the larger tire "pinched" onto the rim can promote flattening of the center . . .

Hi Docc ,

The ones mounted on mine are 180/55/17

Sould i consider another size ? what are the pro's and con's ?

Thanks

[docc]

2 hours ago, igor said:

Hi Docc ,

The ones mounted on mine are 180/55/17

Sould i consider another size ? what are the pro's and con's ?

Thanks

Running a 170 would likely give a rounder, more natural, profile on the 5.5" rim offering a smooth, predictable turn-in and more even wear. Probably somewhat easier to mount and a little lighter than the 180.

Cons? It won't look as big and wide.

I have the early Sport with the even narrower 4.5" rim, so perhaps members with the later V11 will chime in with more experienced feedback . . .

[GuzziMoto]

As mentioned, there are two different rear wheel widths for the V11, a 4.5" wide rear wheel on the earlier V11's and a 5.5" wide rear wheel on the later V11's.

You do not want to install a 160 on a 5.5" wide wheel, but it works great on a 4.5" wide wheel. If you have the 5.5" wide rear wheel you can go with a 180 or a 170, either should fit that rear wheel just fine. I would prefer the narrower 170, as it will give lighter handling all else being equal. And reality is the V11 does not make more power than you can comfortably use with a 170 rear tire. That said, some people like the wider rear tire and the way it makes the bike feel and look.

[LowRyter]

I've never gone down to a 160, 'd like to try it.  I think the bike is agile enough for its weight but am a little concerned about stability.   I'm in the other camp so far as tire life.  The bike has plenty of off the line torque and I find the bike eats tires.  In fact, all my radial tired bikes seem to eat their rears.  

[GuzziMoto]

1 hour ago, LowRyter said:

I've never gone down to a 160, 'd like to try it.  I think the bike is agile enough for its weight but am a little concerned about stability.   I'm in the other camp so far as tire life.  The bike has plenty of off the line torque and I find the bike eats tires.  In fact, all my radial tired bikes seem to eat their rears.  

I would not run the 160 unless you have the 4.5" wide rear wheel. The wider 5.5" rear wheel is not really suited to the 160.

To deal with tire wear I recommend the multi-compound tire options. They seem to really help with tire wear.

A 500+ pound bike is going to wear its tires.

[igor]

thanks everyone for your help .

Very interesting to see that you could put a 170 in place of the 180 recommended .