Tyre advice: Changing wheels for the right tyre

Q. I am missing out on so many good tyre deals because my 1998 RRW Fireblade has got a 16 inch front wheel that I want to switch to a 17 incher.

Will a VFR800/Hornet wheel drop straight in?

Andy Kent, e-mail

A. It is possible to change the front wheel of a Fireblade from 16 to 17 inches. If the bike is a 1992-1996 model it will take the same wheel and discs that are fitted to CBR600s and VFR750s of the same vintage.

If it’s a model from 1997-onwards then there’s a bit of engineering involved as the six disc mounting holes need elongating to allow the head of the bolts to sit 1mm further out from centre of the hub.

When you do change the wheel make sure you fit a 120/70 x 17 tyre as a 60-profile will ruin the handling (and your nerves too).