170 rear to 180 swap on 1600 Vulcan C

[copperhead1817]

Can you swap a 180 rear tire over the stock 170 on a 2007 Vulcan Classic or Nomad? Has anybody placed a 1500 drifter front fender on a 1600 Classic or is it possible with relatively minor fab work?

[dkdixie]

Lot of members, including me, are running 180 rear tire on Nomads.

Welcome to the KawaNOW nation

[VulcanE]

Copperhead, the standard up-grade rear tire for a Nomad is a 180/70-16. I've had 3 Metzelers, and now running the Avon Cobra 180/70R-16 (Great tires BTW).
I haven't got down to "looking" if a Drifter fender will fit on a 1600, but I like the way they look.
I have seen one on a 1500 classic though.

[claybuster]

Originally Posted by VulcanE

Copperhead, the standard up-grade rear tire for a Nomad is a 180/70-16. I've had 3 Metzelers, and now running the Avon Cobra 180/70R-16 (Great tires BTW).
I haven't got down to "looking" if a Drifter fender will fit on a 1600, but I like the way they look.
I have seen one on a 1500 classic though.

Were you running Metzler 880's? What are the differences that you notice between the Metzler's and the Avon's. What kind of mileage did you get out of the Metzler's?
I'll be ready this summer for my first tire replacement on my 07 Nomad.

Thanks.
Glenn (Claybuster)

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by claybuster

Were you running Metzler 880's? What are the differences that you notice between the Metzler's and the Avon's. What kind of mileage did you get out of the Metzler's?
I'll be ready this summer for my first tire replacement on my 07 Nomad.

Thanks.
Glenn (Claybuster)

I am replacing my ME880 rear as soon as my new Avon Cobra gets here. I got about 9,000 out of the Metzeler. They are a good tire - much, much better than the stock Bridgestones, but I ride in kind of "extreme" conditions for a good part of the year (180-200 degree asphalt temps) and I think that contributes to the lower mileage from the Metzeler.

[landman]

welcome aboard copperhead.

[VulcanE]

Originally Posted by claybuster

Were you running Metzler 880's? What are the differences that you notice between the Metzler's and the Avon's. What kind of mileage did you get out of the Metzler's?
I'll be ready this summer for my first tire replacement on my 07 Nomad.

Thanks.
Glenn (Claybuster)

Glenn, they all 3 were the ME880 180/70R-16. They were a BIG improvement over the stock stones. The difference between the Cobras and the Metzelers (in handling and smoothness of ride) is as great as the difference between the stones and the Metzelers were. I only averaged around 7000 miles on the Metzelers. I can't say on the Cobras since I've only got around 1200 miles on them so far. If I can get 7000 miles out of it, I'll be happy and have found my replacement tire from now on.
I LOVE THE AVON COBRAS (so far)

[VulcanE]

Glenn, I forgot to post about the differences between the 880s and the Cobras, here is a quote from another thread I posted back in the fall

I went through 3 sets of the Metzeler ME 880s(150/80B-16 front and 180/70R-16 rear) and got 7,561 out of the first set, 1820 on the second rear (screw in tire) and 7095 out of the last set. I was wanting to try something different. The Metzelers was a VAST improvement over the stock Bridgestones and other than mileage, I was happy with them. I got my set of Avon Cobras (witch are radials front and rear) mounted and Saturday, I took it for a 70 mile break-in ride with 36psi front, and 40 psi rear. It felt a little sluggish in the corners, So Sunday I pumped the PSIs up to 38 front, and 41 rear. The difference between the Cobras is as large as the difference between the Bridgestones and 880s were. The handling is more nimble than the 880s, and the ride (smoothness) is MUCH, MUCH better, like going over expansion joints in bridges/roads, tar snakes in the road, manhole covers, etc., etc.
Depending on the mileage I get, even if it's the same as the 880s, this will more than likely be the the brand of tires I will run from now own. I couldn't believe the difference in the way the bike handled when I switched to the 880s, and the difference when I switched to the Cobras is just as great. One other thing about the rear tire, even though it was the same size as the Metzeler it replaced, in order to get it between the differential and swing-arm, I had to let the air out and wiggle it in. after mounting and torquing the axle, I aired it back up.
Some things I noticed about the Cobras
The tread depth on the rear is 12/32 (that's 3/8" )
tread depth to the wear bar is 10/32 (that's 5/16")
The tread depth on the front is 8/32 (that's 1/4")
tread depth to the wear bar is 6/32 (that's 3/16")
The front tire is "V" speed rated
The rear tire is "H" speed rated
They do look like "sport-bike" tires

Again, I want to say that I am very impressed with the SMOOTHNESS of the ride, and how much of a difference they make in cornering compared to the ME 880s. If I can get 9000 miles out of them, I'll be one happy camper

[copperhead1817]

Thanks for the information about the tires. That was extremely helpful. Should anybody find out about the feasibility of putting a drifter fender on a 2007 1600 Vulcan please fill me in.

Thanks again,


Copperhead

[claybuster]

Originally Posted by VulcanE

Glenn, I forgot to post about the differences between the 880s and the Cobras, here is a quote from another thread I posted back in the fall

I went through 3 sets of the Metzeler ME 880s(150/80B-16 front and 180/70R-16 rear) and got 7,561 out of the first set, 1820 on the second rear (screw in tire) and 7095 out of the last set. I was wanting to try something different. The Metzelers was a VAST improvement over the stock Bridgestones and other than mileage, I was happy with them. I got my set of Avon Cobras (witch are radials front and rear) mounted and Saturday, I took it for a 70 mile break-in ride with 36psi front, and 40 psi rear. It felt a little sluggish in the corners, So Sunday I pumped the PSIs up to 38 front, and 41 rear. The difference between the Cobras is as large as the difference between the Bridgestones and 880s were. The handling is more nimble than the 880s, and the ride (smoothness) is MUCH, MUCH better, like going over expansion joints in bridges/roads, tar snakes in the road, manhole covers, etc., etc.
Depending on the mileage I get, even if it's the same as the 880s, this will more than likely be the the brand of tires I will run from now own. I couldn't believe the difference in the way the bike handled when I switched to the 880s, and the difference when I switched to the Cobras is just as great. One other thing about the rear tire, even though it was the same size as the Metzeler it replaced, in order to get it between the differential and swing-arm, I had to let the air out and wiggle it in. after mounting and torquing the axle, I aired it back up.
Some things I noticed about the Cobras
The tread depth on the rear is 12/32 (that's 3/8" )
tread depth to the wear bar is 10/32 (that's 5/16")
The tread depth on the front is 8/32 (that's 1/4")
tread depth to the wear bar is 6/32 (that's 3/16")
The front tire is "V" speed rated
The rear tire is "H" speed rated
They do look like "sport-bike" tires

Again, I want to say that I am very impressed with the SMOOTHNESS of the ride, and how much of a difference they make in cornering compared to the ME 880s. If I can get 9000 miles out of them, I'll be one happy camper

Thanks VulcanE. Your post was very informative.
Glenn

[kenb]

I was looking for a replacement front fender for my 08 Nomad. Until I found the OEM fender that is on it now, I was looking into the other model fenders as well. I found no info on which fenders fit which bikes. I did scour the parts info on cheapcycleparts.com to see which bikes had the same fender mounts and triple clamps. Then likely the fender should fit. I do not have the info anymore. Just an idea if you want to do some crossreferencing.

[taranis]

VulcanE, great post. I'm getting the Cobra's installed tomorrow. Hoping all goes well.

[phenrichs]

Wow it is starting to sound like the Cobra is the new Nomad tire of choice around here at least.

[Cajunrider]

Thanks VE. My plans were for Cobras and your post erased any concerns I may have had.

[VulcanE]

Your welcome everyone, I don't know how they will last/wear, but for right now, I LOVE THESE TIRES. It's almost unbelievable the difference this set of tires made in the total "feel" of the bike.