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Early V7 Radial Tire Thread

I finally got around to buying and fitting some Conti RA3s to my v7ii Racer. The original Sport Demon's had done 2,900 miles, and the handling had noticeably deteriorated. The Sport Demons had always been terrible at following any grooves or joints in the road surface, but recently they had developed a weave from the rear above 60mph in sweeping corners, and the front felt like it was going to tuck on tight turns. Ive gone for the 130/80 rear and the 110/80 front, as recommend by Todd, and coincidentally had settled on the same pressures of 34/36.
Tool the bike out today for a 60 mile ride on country roads and got the tyres nicely scrubbed in. They have transformed the feel of the bike, I feel much more confident in fast sweepers. The bike always felt a little vague in fast turns before, and I was always having to think ahead, I never felt confident that if a situation arose where I needed to change line or brake mid turn, that the bike would do what I wanted. Now it feel much more direct and connected, but now can feel that the shocks could be better, so they are next on the wish list.
 
And I finally got around to installing the Pirelli MT-60's and put a couple hundred miles on them. At very low speed I can feel the lugs on the rear but it's a total non-issue above 10 mph. At first they felt a little tipsy compared to the Demons but with a couple hours and miles they have set up nicely. The tipsy is now neutral and the bike confidently drops into turns. The traction has been fine and the tread definitely saved my butt when I encountered some mid-coner gravel. The MT-60's slipped then gripped much better than the Deamons had in similar situations which is exactly why I installed them. Have also taken them on some gravel and dirt roads with confidence the OEM tires did not offer. The bias rear / radial front does not seem to be an issue as both ends feel predictable at my usual pace. All in all I'm very happy with the performance and look.
semi rough 1.webp
 
Neville said:
I finally got around to buying and fitting some Conti RA3s to my v7ii Racer. The original Sport Demon's had done 2,900 miles, and the handling had noticeably deteriorated. The Sport Demons had always been terrible at following any grooves or joints in the road surface, but recently they had developed a weave from the rear above 60mph in sweeping corners, and the front felt like it was going to tuck on tight turns. Ive gone for the 130/80 rear and the 110/80 front, as recommend by Todd, and coincidentally had settled on the same pressures of 34/36.
Tool the bike out today for a 60 mile ride on country roads and got the tyres nicely scrubbed in. They have transformed the feel of the bike, I feel much more confident in fast sweepers. The bike always felt a little vague in fast turns before, and I was always having to think ahead, I never felt confident that if a situation arose where I needed to change line or brake mid turn, that the bike would do what I wanted. Now it feel much more direct and connected, but now can feel that the shocks could be better, so they are next on the wish list.
Click to expand...

yup, when I had stock demon, I wasn't sure is either the tire or the shock that were soft...

Now I got Conti RA3 which are so much more planted, once I get past 85 MPH (don't come arrest me), my bike starts to wiggle from the ass end...

check for loose bolts and nothing...the only thing that could be contributing was the shock...ya...that stock shock is "shockingly" when going thru corner high speed...
 
TimmyTheHog said:
my bike starts to wiggle from the ass end...

check for loose bolts and nothing...the only thing that could be contributing was the shock...ya...that stock shock is "shockingly" when going thru corner high speed...
Click to expand...
Geometry and suspension. Drop the forks 10-15mm and that will help, the rest requires good suspension components.
 
TimmyTheHog said:
yup, when I had stock demon, I wasn't sure is either the tire or the shock that were soft...

Now I got Conti RA3 which are so much more planted, once I get past 85 MPH (don't come arrest me), my bike starts to wiggle from the ass end...

check for loose bolts and nothing...the only thing that could be contributing was the shock...ya...that stock shock is "shockingly" when going thru corner high speed...
Click to expand...

I to had that 'ass end wiggle' on my V7 III, not only at high speed but when pushed hard into a corner even at lower speed. Emulators in the forks helped a little but better shocks completely cured the problem. I choose not to raise the forks in the triple tree because I was happy with the turn in and didn't want to quicken things up at the risk of reduced stability at higher speed. The RA 3's did wonders for improved turn in and feedback to the handlebars.
With emulators, new shocks, and the RA 3 the bike ride comfort, control, and safety have moved to a much higher level..... Soooo NICE!!

Paul
 
Getting a set of the Conti RA3s put on today. Below is a shot of the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II rear radial after 8.5K miles: totally worn down, lasted a lot longer than the first pair of Pirelli Sport Demons did. Excited to compare with the full radial front and back setup and the performance of the RA3s. The Scorpions were some of the best all around tires I have ridden on any motorcycle I've owned - was a tough decision not to get another pair of them, but figured I needed to give the Conti's a shot too. After putting some miles on them will report back.

XIEEjIa.jpg
 
Geometry and suspension. Drop the forks 10-15mm and that will help, the rest requires good suspension components.
Click to expand...
I dropped the forks 10mm when I fitted the Mupo cartridge emulators, need better rear shocks now.
 
A new pair of radials for the V7: Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41 - it is a 90/10
Also new - Bridgestone Sport Touring T31 - They have a front to fit, but not a rear. Road tire.
Has anyone tried them?

Dan
 
Along with installing the MT-60's I added stiffer progressive rate Ikon springs to the front and 20mm longer Hagon shocks to the back. The bike still feels very planted but with easier turn in. Sits a bit higher too which is not a bad thing when I put the MT-60s to work on gravel and dirt roads. Anybody know where to get an engine guard / bash plate? Plastic or metal would work to deflect rocks the tire might throw.
 
Can anyone tell me the actual installed width of the Conti RA3 110/80 18? I installed Conti Classic Attacks on my BSA and the actual front tire width was only 93mm (after 6000 km) and not 101 to 108mm (100/90/19 front) as stated in Conti tech manual. Not complaining as they work great, but would like to confirm the size before I install the RA3s on my v7iii Stone.
 
Garth Weston said:
Can anyone tell me the actual installed width of the Conti RA3 110/80 18? I installed Conti Classic Attacks on my BSA and the actual front tire width was only 93mm (after 6000 km) and not 101 to 108mm (100/90/19 front) as stated in Conti tech manual. Not complaining as they work great, but would like to confirm the size before I install the RA3s on my v7iii Stone.
Click to expand...

Don't have the bike in the garage to measure for you, but both front and rear tires fit thru the stock shocks & forks with much to spare...
 
Has anyone tried an 18" rear rim on their V7. I talked briefly to a guy at the Australian MotoGP who had laced up an 18" rear rim and he said it really helped the handling and he liked the higher gearing. I didn't ask what width tire he was running and now I'm wondering if it has the same effect as dropping the front. I'll upload a picture I took. I've also found an Outex tubeless kit on Ebay that would allow running tubless tires without tubes on spoked wheels saving unsprung weight.V7 Racer 18" Rear Rim.webp
 
The effect is the same as dropping the head clamps on the fork stanchions, up to a point. Of course, you eventually run into tire clearance issues, depending on the size of the tire being used, and it is jacking you up a bit which changes the dynamics of handling the bike through corner transitions. Plus you've got more unsprung weight and rotating mass to manage. It can be good, it can also degrade things ... It's the sort of small change that done within reason you might find nice but you might not, too.

When the suspension was done on my Racer at GT, we dropped the clamps 10mm to good effect: the front end feels easier to turn without instabilities. I think I could drop it another 5-10mm to quicken the steering even further with the Conti RA3 tires before I start to hit the point of feeling too quick, but I kinda like a slightly lazy feel. And, with the Conti RA3s fitted, the gearing seems just about perfect to me. So upping the rear tire diameter is not a change that I'd be all that interested in trying.

But ... as they say, "Your Mileage May Vary"! :D

G
 
My conti ra3 didnt come with a balance mark, did anyone elses come without a balance mark?
 
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