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Tires, bike, or both???

1.3K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  bennymx  
#1 ·
Previously had a 2011 RR

Loved it. Knew what it was going to do every time, never questioned a corner.

I now have a 2017 RR, and I feel like it wants to lean automatically almost... not that I ever had to muscle my '11 over into the corners, but if I dip an inch, it wants to lean more as if it has a mind of it's own... getting more used to it now.. but at first, sort of felt like a passenger who's super eager for the corner, and initiates the lean before you expect it, or exaggerates it.

Is it just the bike? Or is it just the profile of the tires? I've never run Battleaxe Hypersport S20's before... but they came with the bike... so I'm wondering what may be causing the phenomenon... I don't mind the lean, but just seems like it's more than what's required, specifically in city corners, and I'm not so sure I trust the tires for the lean angle that the bike seems to want to jump into.


Anyone else experience this?
 
#3 ·
If you've got the forged wheels, that'll be vastly different than the '11 RR's cast wheels. I experienced that when moving from a '13 RR to a '14 HP4 (from cast to forged wheels).

Don't know about Bridgestones...been a while since I had them (on the '13), but the Racetec RR's on my '17 are...wow!

If you have the cast wheels, it's got to be related to the '17's geometry and electronic suspension.

My '13 felt like a truck compared to the HP4, so what you're experiencing is "within normal parameters".

Enjoy!

:grin2:
 
#4 ·
I had a similar experience going from a 2015 to a 2017. I had over 3,000 track miles on my 2015 with its cast wheels and was very familiar with it. I then did a school that has very new 2017's with forged wheels. When I first dropped into a corner it was startling how relatively little input that it took to get it leaned over. In fact, after the first session I immediately checked the steering damper but found the setting to be stiff enough. I assumed that it was some combination of changes in suspension geometry and the addition of forged wheels that made the steering feel much lighter, although I didn't think that the bike was necessarily any faster.

It was also so much quieter that I stopped wearing my hearing protection.
 
#5 ·
The forged wheels have a LOT to do with the ease of turn-in into corners, but the tire (it's profile, pressure, etc.) have a lot to do with it as well. From the old '01 Gixxer I'd been riding until I got my 2015 in June 2015, to the BMW, it was a world of difference, and did take a little getting used to. I wasn't like when I tried Metzler M5's for the first time, and didn't like how the bike felt like it "fell" into corners because of the triangulated profile, this is a lot more linear (more rounded profile), and predictable, just a lot easier. since it's more linear, its a lot easier to get used to. I test rode a '14 with cast wheels, and a '15 with the forgies, and am SO glad I got the forgies.
 
#6 ·
Previously had a 2011 RR
Is it just the bike? Or is it just the profile of the tires? I've never run Battleaxe Hypersport S20's before... but they came with the bike... so I'm wondering what may be causing the phenomenon... I don't mind the lean, but just seems like it's more than what's required, specifically in city corners, and I'm not so sure I trust the tires for the lean angle that the bike seems to want to jump into.
Anyone else experience this?
It's the bike.
Since your bike came with Bridgestones, you must have cast wheels, as Pirelli are ONLY mounted to Forged wheels.

There's been quite a lot of chassis changes since your first generation bike. Even if you have the peasant's suspension (no ddc) you SHOULD notice a remarkable difference from your '11 to the '17, just due to the geometry changes in steering offset, swingarm pivot position, rear suspension linkage, and changes to the forks compared to the first generation model.
I had a 2014 RR and went straight to the 2015, both with basic suspension and cast wheels, and could feel the difference in handling right away. There was a few changes to the chassis from 09-11 to the 12-14 and a whole lot more in 2015, so there's no doubt in my mind that is why it feels so different/foreign to you.