98 CBR900RR with 17" front? should i be worried

hori · 08-14-2004, 08:19 PM

looking at a 98 CBR900 with 17" front wheel, does changing the stock 16" to 17" affect handling or stabilty. the front forks are the stock ones just front rim change..is there anything I should be worried about??

bpmull · 08-14-2004, 10:20 PM

I don't think it should be a problem, although I am not 100% positive. In case you didn't know why someone would change the front rim to 17", it is because it offers a greater tire selection... just trying to be helpful and make sure you know.

twinspool · 08-25-2004, 12:38 AM

Na. some ppl say the 16 is better handeling and others say it's the 17. Almost everyone who gets the 900RR wants to change to the 17. so I would say no worries.

Schiernbeck · 08-26-2004, 01:07 PM

A lot of people take a wheel off of an F3 and put it onto the 900RR for supposedly better handling. There is also a lot more choices of tires to pick from because you can use a 120/70/17 on the front instead of a 130/70/16.

Baldman · 08-26-2004, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schiernbeck

A lot of people take a wheel off of an F3 and put it onto the 900RR for supposedly better handling. There is also a lot more choices of tires to pick from because you can use a 120/70/17 on the front instead of a 130/70/16.

F3?

The F3 came with a 16" wheel. A 929 front end (better brakes, suspension - rake and fork valving) is usually the choice for 900 owners wanting additional performance.

F3 Specs

A long discussion on 900 front end mods

rino451 · 08-26-2004, 04:14 PM

I think that the original rational for the 16" tire was to have a tire with a really large contact patch when leaned over compared to the tires that were out in the early 90's. The 16" tires are really round (Dunlop's at least), almost hemispherical in profile. The OEM Bridgestone Batlax's (sp.) to me were almost scary in how fast they want to tip in because of their funky profile. Since then, tire profiles have evolved to accomplish the same thing on a 17" hoop at maintain the lower profile of the tire and the geometry of the bike.

Anyway, a 16" can get really twitchy on you if you don't maintain the correct front tire pressure. If you want to try it out, drop your pressure from 36 to 25 or so and start carving around. I had to check mine because it was really starting to wallow in long fast sweepers. Other than that, I've been fine with the 16" and I put 1500 miles a month on my 98.

Another thing to consider - 16" tires are dirt cheap when you can find them. I think that my last one was under $80 on close out including shipping. (Should have bought as many as I could but I have bad karma and would have trashed the bike the minute they shipped.)

Randall

powerplant · 04-11-2005, 07:45 PM

The 17" front wheel swap from an F3 is common and shouldn't be any problem. A direct bolt on swap. Even the same appearance.

My '95 CBR600 F3 came new from the factory with a 17" front wheel. Maybe it was a fluke, but then again every F3 I've ever seen has the same fluke.

Actually, every Honda CBR600 has had a 17" front even back to the old hurricanes from the '80s. The other models are not a bolt on mod.

It was an odd thing for Honda to stick with the 16 incher for the bigger CBR. Something to do with keeping the rotating inertia low so you could change directions quickly.

21 natas · 04-11-2005, 11:15 PM

like the other's have said it should not be a problem. I know a few people that switched from a 16 to a 17" wheel and they all seemed to have liked it.