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Old 09-10-2012, 11:50 PM   #25 (permalink)
3-Wheeler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beatr911 View Post
.....I can see that using a 17" wheel is preferable for tire choice. The small cruisers use a 130/90-15 (~24" OD) tire which is about equal in OD to a 130/70-17 so that evens out with tire choice. I was hoping that the small cruiser 15" tires would be a height advantage, but this is not the case.....
Back in the mid 1980's, there were 3 tire choices for sport bikes, the 16, 17, and 18 inch rim size.

My bike has a 16 front and 18 rear, and there was much discussion about this in the press.

My choice for the front would be maybe a 17 or 18 instead of the 16. The 16 is faster from a fast transition standpoint, but I prefer more feedback to steering in the front than the 16 provides. Just my preference. I've had numerous bikes with 18 sized wheels, and they felt "normal" to me.

Before 1985 or so, all the typical Japanese bikes came with 18's front and back, and then in the late 1980's switched to mostly 17's.

I really think it comes down to a personal choice.

Jim.
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