so far I've been a good law abiding citizen, but no more 

This TÜV thing in Germany only allows me to put on tires that are Big Brother approved and it bothers me because so far no 2-compound tire has been approved. The logic behind it is that, since there's no speed limit in the Autobahn, the demands on a tire are higher, specially on temperature. If any of you has done a short stint at 150 mph + for 20 or 30 miles, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you stop shortly afterwards, you can take pieces of rubber off the tire with your fingers like if you were digging your nose. Sorry for the gross example but that's what it feels like (so I've been told  )

But I seldomly drive my bike beyond the 120 mph. I rather settle for a comfortable, stress free 100 mph, and that is only when I actually use the Autobahn at all, since I always prefer nice B-roads with curves.

So, if I'm going to mount the new Angel GTs and be illegal, I might as well go all the way and start experimenting also with the size of the tire (yes, changing that is also forbidden in Germany), hence the title of this post. Could somebody explain the differences and give me some advice? According to my math, a 180/55 is 1,3% bigger (5/16") in diameter than the original 190/50, while the 190/55 is 3,05% bigger (3/4") in diameter, helping both the turn in and speedo accuracy.

Something else to think about? somebody has experience with this?


[yes, I did the search... it helped a lot, thank you very much]

- perhaps not really the answer you're after , but , I have Angel STs in stock size mounted on my bike and its brilliant.

- compared to the stock b'stones (021) , its night and day

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- perhaps not really the answer you're after , but , I have Angel STs in stock size mounted on my bike and its brilliant.

- compared to the stock b'stones (021) , its night and day

.

me too. I've had them for the last 4 or 5 rears and 3 or 4 fronts and indeed they are brilliant compared to the OEMs. But I was wondering if there's room for improvement in the chassis...

I run a 190/55 pr3. Very satisfied with it. I have read of folks running 180/'s with no noticeable difference due to the slight decrease in width. 180 or 190/55  

Of course we have no autobahn.

I am running the 190/55/17 and I like the way it turns with this tire, way better than stock for sure. Speedometer is correct now too.

190/55   

That extra 5mm not only results in better handling, but the speedo gets accurate too

190/55   

That extra 5mm not only results in better handling, but the speedo gets accurate too

True that, the handling improved a fair amount using the 55 profile! Love them PR 3's!!

I went to Michelin PR3's with a 190/55 in the rear at about 600 miles into ownership. I cannot believe how positively this impacted handling. The bike steers so much lighter into turns, it's like a different bike compared to how it handled with the OEM tires.

 

Another vote for PR3 in 190/55.  Turn in is WAY later than before, bike just tips in nicely, no effort.  I was quite surprised at the difference. 

DISCLAIMER - I HAD TWO MAKES OF TIRE ON THE BIKE BEFORE THE SWITCH.

But it is still a no-brainer mod.

Barry

 Here is some indication of what the profile actually looks like mounted on the rim of the three different sizes you list.

I highly suggest the 190/55