EA6BMECH Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 So my '05 636 came with 65's on it. What's an advantage or disadvantage to going back to a 65? Never has one back on it since it was stock. We're talking track too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNLOP-RTS Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 So my '05 636 came with 65's on it. What's an advantage or disadvantage to going back to a 65? Never has one back on it since it was stock. We're talking track too. The 636 came stock with a 120/65x17 front tire. I would recommend using the 120/70x17 front for performance riding, street or track. All manufacturers make a 120/70x17 performance race tire. The 120/65x17 will be for OEM replacement if you want it exactly like stock. The 120/65x17 was what Kawasaki wanted on the stock bike for whatever marketing reasons, not for all out track performance. Honda and Suzuki alos ran 120/60x17 front tires for this same reason. Keep in mind that virtually all front rims on 600, 750 and 1000cc sportbikes from 1988 to present have 3.5" x17" front rims. Thus the 1000's and 600's all have the same rim and thus the same tire works on them. The 120/70x17 is a much higher performer and an upgrade to the 120/65. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khp Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 The 120/70x17 is a much higher performer and an upgrade to the 120/65. Steve, Out of curiosity, what makes the 70 a much higher performer than the 65? Is the compound different or is the height the factor here? My old YZF600R had a 120/60 front, and many changed to a 120/70 (it barely fit and you had to lower the front to get the right geometry back). Most explanations came down to a more pointed tire profile and the higher sidewall allowed the tire to flex more. Kai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUNLOP-RTS Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 The 120/70x17 is a much higher performer and an upgrade to the 120/65. Steve, Out of curiosity, what makes the 70 a much higher performer than the 65? Is the compound different or is the height the factor here? My old YZF600R had a 120/60 front, and many changed to a 120/70 (it barely fit and you had to lower the front to get the right geometry back). Most explanations came down to a more pointed tire profile and the higher sidewall allowed the tire to flex more. Kai I do not know the exact differences between the 65 over the 70. The 65 was very rare and only on that model. I have seen where a manufacture wanted a certain "Size", so the tire manufacture simply made that "Size" printed on the sidewall. I noticed this on models of the late 1990's, where a 170 was used on a 600 with 5.5 rim, and a 180 was used on 750 with 5.5 rim. Same rim, 2 different tires. But if you looked at the spec sheet for that model tire, the 170 and 180 were both exactly the same width and diameter, thus I concluded they were the same tire just having a different sidewall markings. Often the OEM tire is simply placed on the bike for marketing reasons. They are there to make the bike be stable and to attract street riders. I would not put any emphasis on the OEM tires when doing track days or racing. Its apples and oranges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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