120 is much better. Makes the handling instantaneous, and the bike will carve corners way better. I was amazed when I changed mine.

Only issue is that it leaves more of a gap between the fender and the tire, so it looks a little odd until you get used to it.

 

A #120 front tyre will bring the meanie front end in line with a sports bike front end . but IMO the 130 front wont impact that much in regard's to handling , it's a matter of personal choice .

 

I went from 130 to 120. No major diff. There's a lot more deals to choose from in the 180/120 market for tires.

 

This guy put a 150 on his front. Looks pretty dumb, in my humble opinion. Really hope he's not a member here or I just really put my foot in my mouth. Hehe. The thing is bigger than his back tire. Maybe he thinks it makes it look like a Honda Fat Cat.

 

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
THAT is TOO Funny.
I don't care if he is a member here!!!:razz: :razz: :razz: :razz: :razz:

 

I have been contemplating the same thing and as I have the Low and Mean Reaper fender and it will make an even bigger difference than with the stock fender.
I have decided to stay with the stock front tire size due to that fact as it would look absolutely stupid otherwise.
If you need to know just how much of a difference a size is going to make go to this link and it will give you the deminsions so you can calculate how it will look. http://www.powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi

 

I went with 120 and I think the handling improved greatly over the 130... but I also went from stock to D208s at the same time. That could have been part of it too.

 

Another thing to think about is load rating. I think MawKaw uses the 130 on front because it has about an extra 50-90# of load rating vs. the 120. If you look at Dunlops web site, the oem 170 tire is H speed rated which will give it a bit longer tread life over the 170 size Z tire and the 120's are also Z rated. I think this is done for the Mean Streak(and Yamaha Warrior) for their extra weight over sport touring bikes. Since I ride 99% solo, I'll probably go the 120/180 route for more choices(leaning toward the new Avon Storm) but the Metzeler Marathon 880 radials in stock size are in my thought process too ..Troop

 

Definitely true. The 208 is definitely a softer tire than the 220 and will wear faster. But, that also means it hugs the turns better. And the tread pattern looks so much nicer that I'm willing to change tires a little more often for the better look.

 

I made the switch between seasons, therefore, I can't really determine if the handling is better since I loved the handling when I first bought the bike anyway. As for the looks and gap from fender, There isn't a major difference here either since we're only talking about a few milimeters. Needless to say, I bought the Metz ME880s which I have always bought for all my bikes. I will never use another tire unless Metz stops making them. Overall, I'm very happy with them and the 120 front tire.

 

I went to 120 because there are more choices and it seems to handle better than 130.

I was wondering if the 120 front tire will make the speedometer even more inaccurate.

 

I was wondering if the 120 front tire will make the speedometer even more inaccurate.

Hmmm... never thought about that. According to the little calculator thingy... would be a 1mph diff.

Tire size results
Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revolutions Speedometer Odometer Difference
120/70-17 3.3" 11.8" 23.6" 74.2" 854/mi 60MPH 10000mi N/A
130/70-17 3.6" 12.1" 24.2" 75.9" 835/mi 59MPH 9772mi 2.3%