Tires or Bars?

So last Friday I got a flat tire while riding to my parents house in LI, and since my tires were on their last leg anyway, I skipped getting it plugged and ordered a new set of Bridgestone BT-023's. While the bike was off the road awaiting new rubber, I also installed a set of FZ1 bars.

Got the tires installed yesterday and took the bike out today for a ride. I dont know if its the new tires, the new bars, or just a combination of both, but it feels awesome! So much more nimble and lighter on its feet and takes far less effort to dive into a corner.

I just cant wait to scrub in these new tires so I can really get a feel for the new attitude of the bike. I am just wondering if you guys think I should attribute this new feel more to the bars or shoes or an equal combination of both. Thoughts??

Probably both, maybe the tires a little more. I've done the FZ1 bar swap out and found the improvement (for me at least) a big improvement mostly on comfort but some improvement in steering input. That being said, there's nothing like a new set of skins to make your bike feel like new. Enjoy both! :thumbup:

I'd say it's prolly a bit of both but primarily the bars. They instantly effect the "feel" of the bike

Could also be a tire pressure difference on top of bars and tires. I found out I was running about 10 lbs too low so I pumped them up and went on a 140 mile ride with my family tonight. The bike felt just as you described. Nimble and quick.

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I agree with Lefty. The bars are also a tad wider so you'll have slightly more steering leverage which will make it feel like quicker turn-in.

Can't go wrong on Stones!

Yea man, it feels like a whole new machine. Ride to work this morning was so enjoyable. I felt like I was riding in on a new bike. Turn in is awesome now!

The new bars are also definitely more comfortable. I like how they are wider and teh wrist angle seems more natural. And even though they are lower, they dont seem to add any additional strain to the wrists or lower back whatsoever.

Tires, when I first put the 023's on I felt like the bike would lean over if I just thought about turning.

iSteve said:

Tires, when I first put the 023's on I felt like the bike would lean over if I just thought about turning.

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Yea dude, thats exactly how I feel. Its pretty amazing. It jsut dives into turns and then sits there so comfortably. The bike does not have the same push to go upright that I felt with my older tires.

Gotta be both. The more rear tire is squared off the more drastic the change in handling will be when you put new tire on. (Bike goes from not wanting to turn to *just tipping right in*)
FZ1 bar does make a difference too.. wider and lower.. more weight transferred to the front.
It all adds up.

Erci said:

The more rear tire is squared off the more drastic the change in handling will be when you put new tire on. (Bike goes from not wanting to turn to *just tipping right in*)

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Agree 100% and I think that any of the top tires would make this difference. Tires like everything go away slowly so we don't notice how bad thing are getting until we replace them with new. This is why everyone raves about how much a improvement product X makes. When in actuality brand new anything beats old and worn out all the time.