Academic question (I have very little intention of doing it): Is there any reason why one cannot put a 190/50 or 190/55 on the 748? According to the user manual the wheels for both 748 and 916 are 5.5x17 and for the 916 a 190/50. I understand this would change the handling, and of course a 190 is not required for the (lack of) power a standard 748 has. I only had the thought because I have a new 190/55 S22 waiting to go on the Fireblade, which is currently shod with a 190/50 S22 that's still in good condition. If I fit the new 190/55 I will have a part worn 190/50 spare. I am wondering what that would feel like on a 748 with a 120/70 S22 front. Probably like the rear tyre is flat or trying to steer a bus?
So, dont rule out Continentals for track use (not used on road) Used them on R6's, and the 959 and love them. I used to run Metzler's, but found they didnt give much warning once they were past there best - price went up rapidly. Could get 2-4 days out of a rear at best. The conti's basically give me the same grip, last probably a day longer and give a bit more warning once starting to wear - whats not to like - best part of 100quid cheaper a set, last longer (3-5 days) and friendlier when starting to run down. My cousin has a big 200hp thou, he uses dunlops only and didnt get on with the conti's as said got some odd wear patterns and allot less life from them. This is the thing with tyres - every rider and bike his different - could be his riding style, the bike setup and loads of things that meant he didnt get on with them compared to me. But, as a good all rounder they would be my go-to as a first tyre on any new bike i got ETC
Everyone seems to be giving you a list of tyres. Which is fine but everyone has a preference. If you want something that will complement the bike, I'd stay away from 'bigger' rear tyres. TBH, you get more footprint at lean with bigger tyres, but the 748 isn't going to overwhelm the 180 anyway, the other advantage of sticking with 180/55 is that it is generally £20-30 a tyre cheaper. If you ride on the road, then I'd go with Supercorsa SP, or Diablo Rosso Corsa (the latter come standard fitment on stuff like Panigale V2's). If you are doing trackdays on Supercorsa SC's, it's probably worth using tyre warmers to stop the heat cycles. Overall though, Pirelli/Metzeler have a relatively 'soft' carcass so will give feel at our sort of pace, fast fast guys can sometimes get more confidence in Bridgestone's with their much stiffer construction as they can push them that much harder. I've not ridden on bridgestones on the road for ages but HATED the last bike I rode on them which was a 2018 GSXR1K Oh, and DEFFO put a 120/70 on the front, not the standard 120/60, everyone switches to the 120/70 for confidence and feel and there's no issues with it.
Certain tyre sizes and profiles are designed for 5.5” rims and some are designed to fit 6” rims. Just because something physically fits doesn’t mean it’s going to work as it should. Some people say they can’t feel the difference between tyres but a racer or road tester will tell you immediately what has changed. Since the 916/748 were designed tyre development has continued and sizes/profiles are available now that weren’t back in the 90’s. There’s a reason that Ducati started using 180/60 and 120/70 on the 899/959/V2 - they worked with the tyre manufacturer and found what gave the best results. As you already know 190/50 tyre is quite a wide and flat - and is designed for a 6” rim. When you put it on a 5.5 rim you actually squeeze it a little so it makes the profile a little less flat - this can be beneficial as it makes turn in a little quicker and brings the profile closer to the 180/60 shape. But it’s still not going to be the same shape and not as tall - which affects the geometry of the bike as well as the speed of turn in. Ducati have been making small incremental changes in each generation of bike to try and find that perfect geometry 5mm difference in rear ride height might seem like nothing but that’s the kind of figures we are talking about when looking at the tweaks they make from generation to generation. https://www.cycleworld.com/sport-rider/does-size-matter/ It’s worth noting that tyre profiles differ between manufacturers and also between tyre series from the same manufacturer. Swapping and changing tyres between all of these options and truly being able to understand the differences is pretty much impossible for mere mortals. Manufacturers hire out circuits for 3 days at a time to for tyre testing and run incredibly detailed back to back tests under controlled conditions. If the circuit temperature changes significantly then that it going to alter the characteristics of the tyres - even with professional test and development riders it’s a tall order to get perfect consistency. In truth we can talk all we want - most of us would be fine with any tyre that’s ballpark the right size and reasonably sticky - all of the rest is just some bollocks to talk on the internet!
Yes. But the 916 presumably has the same 5.5” rim as the 748, but is specced for a 190/50. This bit I don’t understand and would like to.
The almighty @Shazaam! answered that question in detail here a very long time ago. https://www.ducatisportingclub.com/showthread.php?t=2553 It’s worth reading the whole post but here’s the most relevant bit to your question. “Ducati 748/9XX's come with 5.5 inch rims standard, although some 916's did come with 6.0 inch rims from the factory. In order to get the correct tire profile, the recommended street tire size for 5.5 inch rims specified by the Pirelli and Michelin is 180/55 and for 6.0 inch rims it's 190/50. The outside diameter of both size tires is the same so a switch won't require a rear ride height adjustment. The important difference is that the 180 is a 55 section meaning that it's height is 55% of the width cross-section. The 190 is 50% of it's width. This means that the 55-section tire has a steeper profile, it's taller. When you mount a 190 tire onto a 5.5 inch rim it's profile becomes slightly incorrect. The too-narrow rim forces the tire's outer edges inward into a tighter curve so that you can't use this part of the tire effectively. A correct tire profile creates a correctly-shaped road contact patch essential to optimum handling, better sidewall stability with less tire flex and, and better overall tire wear. When developing the suspension for the 916, Ducati had World Superbike racing in mind so when they sold models for the street they decided to mount 190/50 tires to 5.5 inch rims, a good combination for stable handling. It's been pointed out that WSB Ducati's then used 19/67 race tires, roughly equivalent to a 190/60 road tire. So, we got the wide tire look without the quicker turn-in handling characteristics of the 60 section race tire. In the 1995 916 owner's manual, Ducati specified the 180/55 as an "alternative" to the 190/50 and the bike's under-seat specification sticker also listed both sizes as recommended. It wasn't too long before buyers figured out that switching from the 190/50 to the 180/55 gave a very noticeable change in cornering feel. The 180's, mainly because of their taller, steeper profile, turn-in much quicker and easier. So eventually the word spread, and everyone who has changed to the 180's has praised its positive effects on handling.”
To further endorse 'LiveFast's' comments above, I have both a 748 biposto [120/60 & 180/55] and a 916 sps [120/70 & 190/50], both from 1997. With seven years on the 748, getting on the 916 was a shock, so much so that I had to have it comprehensively gone over by an experienced Ducati racer to learn if what I'd bought was typical of the breed. It was. I disliked the physicality, requiring real force to muscle about but most of all I disliked the tendency to run wide in bends. It's now on Supercorsas with a 180 rear..... and it steers and tracks just like the smaller bike.
Have you checked the steering head angle settings on both? There is a one degree adjustment possibility by rotating the stem 180 degrees from 24.50 to 23.50, making the bike steer into corners faster and hold a tighter line through turns, but I guess you knew that already.
I’ve bought some marchesini forged mags with 120/70 on the front and 180/55 rear, I’ve also got a headstock spanner. I think my problem will be keeping it upright
Yes, I did but thank you - useful for all those members who didn't. I was fastidious in comparing like-for-like even down to the Pirellis I knew and loved - Dragon Evo Corsas on both at time of testing. Fitting the 180/55 rear to the 916 was genuinely astonishing.
