i am getting my first bike will putting a wider tires make my bike handling better?

F

Firestormer

New member
No, wider tyres will not make your bike handle better. If anything, it will make it worse. Its not the same as a car where wide tyres provide more grip. a bike tyre is round in profile and changing that "roundness" for want of a better term, will change the handling characteristics.
Apart from crash bars, there aren't any safety mods you can do to a 250 that are economically viable. The best way to make the bike as safe as possible is to keep it in good conditio. Check your tyre pressures regularly, keep the chain lubricated and the engine serviced properly.
As for making it look racy, they end up looking lame and it decreases the value of the bike a lot. You might think flame stickers look cool, but a buyer won't. A general rule that I stick to is, only do mods that can be reversed eg put a new exhaust on but keep the old one
 
Hey guys so i recently lost my beloved car, and my job i am a 20 year old student paying my way through school,so instead of putting a financial burden on my family for an other car, i would like to get a sport bike, " no ego hear" i am getting a 250cc 2009 or 2008 ninja, but i am concerned about safety, as all new riders are i imagine, so would putting wider tires make my bike handle better? Also what are some safety and mods i could do, and what are some other mods to make it look i bit more racy. lol sorry if i am a total newbie, but i rather get all my question answered at once so i can plan, thanks again and please no answers about not to ride bike in general. i am hear for sound advice not lectures :-) cheers
 
No, that's just ridiculous. Why would the engineers at the manufacturer put tires on a motorcycle that aren't the best for handling? People who put wider tires on their motorcycles are just reducing the performance. Don't do it.
 
Tyres for bikes are rounded.

In order to go around corners, the rider tilts, or banks, the whole bike sideways and the centripetal (or centrifugal - I forget) force from the speed makes the bike turn. Because the tire has a round profile, when the bike is tilted over, the tire's "footprint" on the ground remains constant, so you don't lose grip.

This is totally different to a car where you turn the steering wheel change direction. Only at very low speeds do you ever turn the handlebars on a motorcycle to steer, and this is when you are not able to tilt the bike due to the low speeds (or you'd simply fall over).

If you were to mess about with the tyre width you would risk decreasing the tyre's footprint when you've got the bike banked over, making it less stable and having less grip.

Stick with the manufacturer's recommendations until you get really good, by then you'll understand exactly what you can and cannot get away with.

As for safety, leave the bike alone and spend money on your own clothing and helmet - this is what will save you if you come off. Make sure your clothing has approved protection at the elbows, shoulders and a back pad, knee protectors on your trousers and always wear proper motorbike boots with shin protection.

My instructor gave me one golden hint - "nobody ever died from going into a bend too slowly". All joking aside this has saved my skin in numerous occasions. PS John Woods, if you're reading this, thank you, Sir.
 
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