Perforated Bearclaw!

OK....Er...ahem......bit scared to ask but f*** it......... does the 55 have any effect on the handling?

laraza said:

OK....Er...ahem......bit scared to ask but f*** it......... does the 55 have any effect on the handling?

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The E-max on the rear will do one or two things.

It lifts the rear axle and ALLOWS a bigger weight shift under braking. You will almost certainly need to address the forks - esp if Sam is with you.
It also effectively sharpens the steering angle a little. So depending on your preference could feel more nervous or less lazy.
I find it a very progressive roll side to side. Though SOME of this is also due to front tyre choice.

HAHA.....Its all good man...but ive been on bikes for 55 years now dont appreciate being called a novice...
Ok, forget that!..
The 55 on a 240 wide tyre is 132mm and the 50 is 120mm so there is about 6mm height difference in the ride...at the rear...dosnt sound much does it but it gives you a bit more clearance and changes the angle of the bike from rear to front...seat of the pants its hard to tell.

laraza said:

OK....Er...ahem......bit scared to ask but f*** it......... does the 55 have any effect on the handling?

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Bit nervous to answer.

In my opinion, and there’s also lots and lots of earlier discussion about this over several years, the Rocket is the perfect bike for the higher profile tyre. The torque of the Rocket isn’t troubled at all by slightly taller gearing and by lifting the back up a bit you also have slightly quicker turn in. The tread area of the Exedra Max is also flatter than either Metz or Avon, providing a bigger contact patch. I ran them for years having first tried the only other alternatives and rated the Avon as twice as good all round as the Metz, and the Bridgestone is twice as good as the Avon. That’s handling comfort and mileage.

Some have also gone for a 140 on the front, either with or without the taller tyre on the rear, to gain the handling improvement. Only downside is that I recall (could be wrong) that if you go up on the and down on the front you can upset the ABS.

I’ve commented before that it’s interesting that owners of the C109 Boulevarde, the bike the Exedra Max was made for, actually go for the lower profile Metz and Avon because they make their bikes a bit more lively. I suspect any negative effect on handling isn’t as noticeable on a bike like that or not as important and a bit more go off the line.

Tal said:

The 55 on a 240 wide tyre is 132mm and the 50 is 120mm so there is about 6mm height difference in the ride.

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Ahem - Maths check time. The sidewall height is 12mm bigger - and usually all the way round. The rolling diameter would be twice that - not half. Antipodean maths may be different of course.

CanberraR3 said:

Bit nervous to answer.
Some have also gone for a 140 on the front, either with or without the taller tyre on the rear, to gain the handling improvement. Only downside is that I recall (could be wrong) that if you go up on the and down on the front you can upset the ABS.

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From experience - I would suggest a 150/70 front as a better solution to the 140/75. This does mean however adopting the (for some) devious practice of fitting a rear tyre up front. Yes - I am a heretic.

Thats very true..my mistake...it is 12mm. and no, our maths are the same i think..just my brain was in neutral for a while..

Tal said:

.just my brain was in neutral for a while..

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Testing how the other half live?

barbagris said:

Testing how the other half live?

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Just had a rough old day....said things i shouldnt have and i apologize for that to CanberraR3 for being hasty in my reaction...its a fault of mine which has caused alot of blood and guts over the years.
Riding the Rocket gives me time to breathe deep and reflect on my actions and refresh the system.
So, the brain was in neutral...not on the topic.

Mikethepie said:

So if i had another couple of NZ$000 on top of pipes, ramair and pcv, what would your best bet be bang for bucks to increase performance more?

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Progressive front forks Mike and grade 7 oil...that will compliment your new rear shocks and stiffen the front a bit..