Factory with 190 rear slicks

[Kiwi_M5]

Hi Guys,

I am about to start club racing, and consequently prep'ing my bike for the season ahead.

I have found that I can buy used Pirelli slicks but they are 190's. They all have 10 minutes or so of use, so should have a fair bit of wear left in them, but I am concerned that the Factory has 180's from the factory.

Are they ok to use? And what difference would I expect in handling between the 180 and 190's?

Thx
Dean

[Scooter]

Hi Dean!

I will take a stab at this.. Im sure Clarkie will follow since he is familiar with racing in your neck of the woods.

First- are they the Pirelli 190/55's or the 190/50's? This makes a big difference. If the guy you are getting them from is attending track days and giving you his take-offs then I hope they are 190/55's. These have a higher crest on the tire and perform much more like a 180. These would be the desireable tires of the 190's.

As far as the 190/50's- Those are not ideal for running out at the track for the simple reason that it takes a little more bar/lean effort to get the bike to drop down into a lean, making left right transitions a pain. But keep in mind that if this is your first time out at the track then you wont notice that much of a difference. The 180's just lean and transition easier for track riding/racing. The 190/55's were created to raise the crest on the 190 tire to mimic the 180 tire, if that makes sense. I race with guys on the 190/55's who absolutely love them.

What kind of track are you on? If it is a fast track with fast turns a 190/50 will not be that bad- if it is a tight track with a lot of transitional corners (esses, tight corners, etc) than you will notice after practicing and getting used to the track that the 190/50's feel a little sluggish.

If you are worried about a grip difference- dont. Both the 190/50 and 180 will grip fine- especially at a beginning racer's pace.

Try them out. But while you are at the track ask around for some 180's for later use.

[Kiwi_M5]

Thx Scooter.


Not sure which profile the tyres are - they are actually all the used ones from Bruce Ainsly, the 04 Isle of Mann winner, who is back here for our summer series, so they are well used for the short time he uses them (he puts on new sets for each race as opposed to each meeting) and they come off his GSXR.

I had the 04 R which had the 190 and when I got the Factory, I noticed a massive difference in between the two, but didnt know whether this was just tyre differences or the Factory's better suspension setup, or the lightweight wheels (or all of these).

Your comments about 55 vs 50 profile are interesting so obviously the 55 sounds the better option. I am far from experienced in fact never raced in my life, so if they are 50's, maybe they will do me for my first year till I get to know the bike better in race conditions.

So in general, would you say that the preference for tyres would be 180's followed by 190/55's with the 50 being the last choice??

Clarkie - if you see this thread, I will be racing mostly at Manfield (long straights and tight hairpins), Ruapuna and Taupo.

Thanks
Dean

[clarkie49]

hey dean,

i agree with what Scooter said about the 190/55-17 Pirelli tire, it was designed to have the same profile as the Pirelli 16.5" rim, Dunlop did the same thing but the tire came out as a 195/70-15.

to be honest i think what is more important is that he can keep the supply of tires coming, the last thing you need to to use a different shape/profile tire because he doesnt have any take-offs or is away overseas.

Also look at some of the DOT tires as it will save you having to change tires if it is a little damp and the slicks are only better if you are riding at 100% all the time.

also remember cheap tires can end up causing you to crash, cheap isnt always better ;) I can destroy a set of tires in one race if it is the wrong compound and it is a sprint race, or i can make 1 set of tires last all weekend, it all depends on the situation

[Kiwi_M5]

So far I think I can access 10-15 sets so far and I think we are about half way through the season. Supply should be ok even allowing for the odd dud, but I doubt I could tell which is good or bad. I am only looking at 2nd hand for this year as my budget is all being blown on getting the bike track ready - next year I'll be ok for buying new tyres.

The guy selling them runs the local race team for Sawyers (you remember them Aaron?) so I would have to rely on him for advice. He didnt know what profile they were when I asked him today.

To be honest, wet weather racing gives me the shits as I dropped my R at Manfield and just dont trust myself - but then again its NZ, so maybe thats the only racing I'll get to do :D

Thanks Aaron

[clarkie49]

the tires (and supply) sound good, find out the exact size of the tire ie. 180/50-17, 185/55-17 etc and that will tell you the profile :cool:

[Dr. Thrillride]

great to see you're following through with the club racing Dean. Let us know what you do to her, it's always great to see other ideas as to what constitutes best track weapon. I run 180's on the R on a really tight track, the 190's were sluggish as Scooter and Clarkie say. You're probably not as fast as those guys, but you're probably not as slow as me either, and I noticed the difference right away. good luck!

[Kiwi_M5]

Thx Russ.

The triple car garage is a mess with bike parts strewn all over the place (no room for cars in it), and like all kiwi's, I am taking the shortcut (read, the cheap way) with everything. The biggest challenge I have is with plastic - I cant really afford the race skinz given shipping costs (this year anyway), but at club level, a 250ml bottle on overflows is all that is needed. So the standard plastic has had some serious welding/bog work (it was all stuffed from my accident) and is getting painted next week.

Cant believe how much I have spent just getting the basics sorted. Still waiting for a shipment of goodies from AF1 which should ship any day now, so once it is coming back together, I'll post a "what I did" like yours.

Thx for your thoughts on tyres - I doubt I would be ever be regarded as fast - I'm into this just like golfers do what they do - to better myself. So the tyre choice shouldnt make a big differnce this year, but if I notice too much of a diffference, then I wont be skimping on tyres.

So whne you used the 190, did you have a 55 or 50? Per another post, I noticed a big difference between my R and the Factory in cornering - the R felt numb, the Factory felt extremely agile, but put most of that down to wheel weight and rotational mass stuff.

[RSKiwi]

Kiwi M5

I have raced RGV's and the Aprilia RS250 on and off for the past 11 years. I have found used sllicks to be better than DOT tyres.

I often get Ray Clee's fronts (wet and dry) and really prefer them to any road legal race tyre.

That's just my 5 cents worth! I don't know about on a bigger higher HP bike though.

Regards

Mark

[Dr. Thrillride]

So whne you used the 190, did you have a 55 or 50? Per another post, I noticed a big difference between my R and the Factory in cornering - the R felt numb, the Factory felt extremely agile, but put most of that down to wheel weight and rotational mass stuff.

they were the stock 190/50s that were on there for a nanosecond. I haven't tried the 55s yet.

don't you just love packages of goodies in the mail? have fun!

[Kiwi_M5]

Kiwi M5

I have raced RGV's and the Aprilia RS250 on and off for the past 11 years. I have found used sllicks to be better than DOT tyres.

I often get Ray Clee's fronts (wet and dry) and really prefer them to any road legal race tyre.

That's just my 5 cents worth! I don't know about on a bigger higher HP bike though.

Regards

Mark

Thx mark ... the idea is growing on me, and particularly knowing that they have good life. The $$ rule at the end of the day :D



don't you just love packages of goodies in the mail? have fun!



Doc ....

It's a tad under USD$3k, so its slightly larger than my usual parcel of goodies:lame: :D

Had my tyre warmers arrive in the weekend, got my new leathers and helmet Friday .... its like friggin xmas every coupla days :D :D

But I think your parcels outdo mine ... arent you due for a certain 100mm parcel ?!?!?;)

[Dr. Thrillride]

Yes, I'm due for a parcel, but it'll be a while yet as Clarkie has some special parts on the way. :D

I'm going to be in Australia in the third week of February. Was thinking of wondering over to your neck of the woods. I owe Scott2ride a biatch slap or two, so...:D He doesn't know I'm coming, thought I'd stalk him for a bit :devil: kidding...

Would love to meet up to see your project if you've got an hour or so to spare.

[Jet City Racer]

Tits like friggin xmas every coupla days :D :D


Preparing for the season a few years ago I literally had nothing but a frame with electrics on Monday the week of the season opener. The cams were in Pennsylvania, the crank was in Florida, the cylinders in Alabama, forks in Palo Alto, shock in LA etc............. Since the UPS depot was right down the street from me, whenever a package came in they ran it over before their regular deliveries. Wednesday we had everything, pulled an all nighter to get it done, ran 4 heat cycles, and threw it on the dyno Thursday afternoon. Loaded up and pulled up to the track at 3 am Friday morning.

Man that was fun!!!!!

The engine never missed a beat either. :)

[Kiwi_M5]

Hey Russ .. it would be great to meet up with you.

Which part of aus you going to? Scooter is in akld but he gets about a fair bit on his "scooter". I know he is planning a ride down this way in feb sometime. He is trying to convince me to get my other Factory from the shop and go out and play.

Might be a bit expensive flight wise to bitch slap him in akld and have a beer with me in wgtn, but let me know your plans and scoot and I will plan something. I'll see when he is coming down my way and let u know.

drop me an email on deanharding @ xtra dot co dot nz


Jet .. you're a bloody miracle worker compared to me. I have the engine, suspension, frame and wiring in place and everything else off, and just know I am gonna have some nuts and bolts left over :D :D Even pics of Doc's engine being dropped scared the crap outta me. I wont tell you how long it took to get everythying off either .. just too embarrassing :D :D

I'ld love to have the skills (and tools) to pull a motor to bits, but I'm afraid I have to leave that stuff for people more clever than me ;) :happy:

[Jet City Racer]

Jet .. and just know I am gonna have some nuts and bolts left over :D :D
I'ld love to have the skills (and tools) to pull a motor to bits, but I'm afraid I have to leave that stuff for people more clever than me ;) :happy:Just think of it as saving weight. :D

Take your time, and double check all your fasteners for tightness, I'm far from perfect.(understatement) I found a clutch cover bolt in the belly pan after the first session. OOPS! Plus it took 3 of us almost 2 hours to realize that a cam chain sprocket had spun. We scratched our heads going, "huh"? :WTF:If it ain't right on the bench, it ain't gonna be right in the bike.

You do have the service manual, don't you?

[Kiwi_M5]

Just think of it as saving weight. :D

Take your time, and double check all your fasteners for tightness, I'm far from perfect.(understatement) I found a clutch cover bolt in the belly pan after the first session. OOPS! Plus it took 3 of us almost 2 hours to realize that a cam chain sprocket had spun. We scratched our heads going, "huh"? :WTF:If it ain't right on the bench, it ain't gonna be right in the bike.

You do have the service manual, don't you?

Ohhh, so the heavier the parts I have left the better performance ... sweeeet :D ;D

haha .. your story sounds a bit like me :D

Yeah I have the manuals but where's the fun in following step by step instructions :D .. they are a last resort thing.

Cheers