180 section rear tire on Cali 1400s?

[Lcarlson]

Anyone have experience/comments on using a 180 section rear tire vs. the OEM 200 section? I usually follow the manufacturer's choice on this, but suspect the choice of 200 width for OEM may have been dictated primarily by styling considerations.

[oldbike54]

 The 200 is only used on one or two versions of the 1400 , correct ? Don't the others use a 180 rear ?

 Dusty

[Lcarlson]

The 200 is only used on one or two versions of the 1400 , correct ? Don't the others use a 180 rear ?

 Dusty

Eldo and (surprisingly) MGX-21 use 180s; Custom, Touring and Audace use 200s.

[oldbike54]

Eldo and (surprisingly) MGX-21 use 180s; Custom, Touring and Audace use 200s.

 That might answer your question if the geometries are all the same , or close enough .

 Dusty

[timonbik]

Might want to check that the rim section is identical and the profile of the 2 different tires,

Cheers Tim

[Lcarlson]

I suspect that rear geometries and rims would work out. I guess I was looking for somebody who had actually made the switch, and how did they like the result?

[Kiwi Dave]

There were some guys on the now defunct Cali 1400 forum who did the change and reported favourable results.  One was a guy from Taranaki, New Zealand I remember.

Personally, I like the way my Cali 1400's handle with the stock rear, although I have fitted a Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT 120/70/ZR18 on the front for improved response when cornering.

[Lcarlson]

There were some guys on the now defunct Cali 1400 forum who did the change and reported favourable results.  One was a guy from Taranaki, New Zealand I remember.

Personally, I lik e the way my Cali 1400's handle with the stock rear, although I have fitted a Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT 120/70/ZR18 on the front for improved response when cornering.

i

Interesting, thanks. I hadn't thought about an alternative for the front. I also am happy with the stock setup (especially compared to the competition) but just wondered if even better performance might be possible.

[Zoom Zoom]

I too recall someone here replacing their 200 with a 180.

I will say that my stock rear on the 1400 Eldo is holding up well. Before heading out to Cedar Vale, I had used only 3/32 or tread with 7800 miles on the clock. (Started with 10/32 on new tire.) I have not checked since returning. Now over 10K on bike. Stock tire is a Dunlop but I'm uncertain of what model. It is a radial though.

John Henry

[Kjon]

I have a 180 on my Cali touring & love it. Ditched the Dunlops for Bridgestones which I preferred over the originals & got 7500 miles out of them. Subsequently fitted Avon Cobras with a 180 rear & its a great combination. Evaluating tire changes is always difficult, going from squared off worn profiles to new ones always always makes a big difference, but acknowledging that, the 180 definitely makes the bike more nimble, the Avons seem to be wearing well also.

Jon

[stephenm]

I wore out the OEM D251 in 6,500km, followed by a Bridgestone Exedra in about 8,000km on my Touring. I then switched to my current tyre, a Dunlop D407 in 180 size. This is a 'Harley Davidson' marked tyre, and is multi-compound. The rim size of 6" suits 200 optimally, but the 180 is referenced as the narrowest allowable for a 6" rim. The Eldorado etc use a 5.5" rim. I am up to 26,000km now, so 10,500km on this tyre, with maybe 5,000km of tread left.

The bike handles just as sweetly as it did on the 200 tyres. I am currently riding in Spain (shipped my Touring to the UK from Australia to ride here in May and June) and am putting in day after day of every corner possible on sublime roads. The tyre works. I have ridden in torrential rain, down impossibly steep cobblestoned laneways in the wet (at 3kmh), fully loaded with a pillion, top case and panniers, on all kinds of roads. I am using the OEM front.

It was clear that the 180 tyre profile pulled out a bit flatter than the stock 200 on the 6" rim, but this has not negatively impacted the handling, from my experience.

For reference, where I ride in Australia is usually warm, with mostly straighter roads.

Stephen

[jasper]

I echo everything Jon said. I put a 180 Cobra on the rear of my Custom and couldn't be happier. Not only is the bike more nimble, the ride is also smoother than with the stock Dunlops.