2014 Bonneville SE Tire Substitution Sizes?

[2wheeljake]

Hi there
New to the site and just acquired a 2014 Bonneville SE with 17" rims. I need to replace tires for certification and wondering what tire size substitutions are possible with this bike - I believe the tires on the bike are stock front Metzeler 110/70R17 Rear Metzler 130/80/R17
Specifically wondering if anyone has successfully replaced tires with larger sizes - in the past on bikes I have often gone up 20mm in width but not sure with this bike - any experience with this?

Ideally if I know what works I can work within those parameters.

Thanks

Jake

 

[2wheeljake]

So I was in a rush to get tires for the bike to get it certified and registered on the one day I was home this week (Saturday) - timing is always a challenge for me. I was having difficulty sourcing stock sized tires for the bike (they are relatively narrow compared to most modern bikes) and in my area shops are having trouble or not bothering to carry a lot of stock - it seems they mostly all order tires as needed - I didn't have access to the bike and could not definitely determine what larger tires I could fit (this would have made more options available) so the only stock sized tires I could source in short notice were Kenda 671s. These are probably the cheapest tires you can buy - and I don't usually opt for that as I like softer better quality rubber - but in an effort to get the bike registered and on the road I decided to give it a go. The stock Metzlers were actually totally serviceable (under 5000 miles on them) but the bike tech insisted on new tires for certification due to their age. I figured if I didn't like them I could replace the Metzlers after the safety - or keep them for future use.

Once I mounted and balanced the Kendas I went for ride and while they are not sticky track tires (far from it) after a little scrub in I pushed it into the corners a little and tested them out with some hard(ish) braking on the road. The bike actually handled quite well and the tires seemed good. The bike rolls in nicely when cornering and I really couldn't fault the tires for their street traction on asphalt at all. Really only the second decent ride on the bike and I am enjoying it more and more. It really is a nice contrast to my big sport touring bike - it feels light and nimble and relatively "peppy" (do people still use this word?)

I do think I will look into the decat procedure with the x-pipe or replace the exhaust with a straight though version in the future - I also want to replace the bars with lower ones and get the tall mirrors out of my way - maybe with bar end mirrors.

I do like the highway pegs my dad fashioned for it - but I will be removing the red "Thigh Master" foam once the bike is in my possession - He's a bit of a MacGyver but sometimes I don't relate to his artistic flair...

Cheers,
Jake