Been thinking about something. What if you found some FXDF (fat bob) take off wheels. They are 16 in. x 5 in. FB comes with a 180mm tire and most people seem to be putting 200mm on without a problem. Could probably find a take-off for a reasonable price.

We all know that 17x4.5 is such a freakin oddball size and it's tough trying to find tires in that range. You can find 16's and 18's all day long.

 

Good point SC but I'm thinking of possible clearance issues with the brake caliper and tire on a smaller (16") wheel. As you pull the wheel out from under the bike the clearance is pretty minimal between the brake caliper and the tire. With a smaller rim diameter it may be even more difficult to get the tire/wheel around the brake caliper. I don't know and haven't heard of anyone having problems like that but just from personal experience I can easily see not being able to get a wide tire and small rim into that narrow swingarm and convince the brake caliper it should wedge in there. Of course if I was a smart fella I would check the part numbers of the FB swingarm against the SB and see if they match and then I wouldn't have any questions, lol.

 

right you are good sir

a local indy told me the dragons don't get quite the mileage as the other replacement tires ... he recommended the marathon for both handling and mileage. thus my comment.
that's also the reason i mentioned the continental. their tires are supposed to be softer on the sides for grip, with a firmer middle blended in for longer wear in the center of the tire.

I would love to see the continental owners speak up a little and let us know their experience.

My main discontent is that I sacrificed some mileage for width...and didn't get it. because they in my opinion lied and said they didn't know the actual width of the tire that they make. ummm...ok.
I would have bought the marathon for a little more mileage had I known it wasn't a true 180 like it's advertised.

not a huge deal, and i will enjoy the tire im sure....if not i'll get drunk

ok..ok.. i'll get drunk either way (i dont wanna false advertise)

 

I got my Night Dragon 180/16 today - with the bead held out at the rim width, it's 1/4" shy of 180 wide...BUT...it's about a whole INCH taller! On my heritage, scraping is a problem and that height should help a lot.
I'll assume that the speedo will read better too, since it's off.
Back tire is 2.25mm deep yet, and book calls for change at 1.6mm, so it will be a little while before I put it on. Or not.

 

Heck, I bet you could burn that .7mm off in no time...and on video.

 

I got mine a while back still need to put them on,just 1 more short ride then I will

 

I don't really expect more than 6k out of the dragon, since I'm 2 up half the time.
No burnouts, sorry man. It costs plenty enough to maintain a hog.

 

Update: at about 3000 on the Dragon, I'm sick of the rear sliding every time I brake hard. It corners great, but is no better than the Dunnie stopping, so I'm going Darkside - great grip and EXTREMELY LONG lifespan!
From what I've studied these last months, I see every darksider remain one; they don't go back.

 

The Night Dragons are excellent tires and stick very good. I just measured mine and it came in at 175mm and the Pirelli spec for the Diameter is 25.98" which is only .18" larger in diameter than the stock K591 160/70-17 at 25.8", hardly a large difference. I have 6K on my rear ND and it is just shy of the wear bars and I am hard on tires. You would be dragging the primary cover before you ever use the full tread so a 180 is a waste other than for looks and in the case of the ND its great handling. I would get another one, but I really want to try the Avon Storm 2 Ultra 160/70-17 and see how it compares. I could care less about the wide tire crap, it costs less and may wear better because of its multi tread compound yet handle good with the softer side tread. If the Avon tire does not work, I will definitely go back the ND.
CB

Running a car tire (dark side) on the back is crazy, there is no tread to ride on when cornering and just plain dangerous.

 

I have had the night dragon on for about 8 months and 5000 miles i should get 2500 more out of them if the new motor build does not destroy them first. best tire i have ran, only problem i have is that i am running out of clearance before i run out of tire in the turns,, my pegs are taking a beating with the grip these things have.