What size tire will fit inside the stock touring 2014 fender
By all means ride the tire you wish.
That car tire WILL negatively affect your handling.
Therefor, I would think adversely affecting handling further with an extra large front tire would not be advisable.
Just sayin' . . .
 
BigNorm, You should listen to what these wise gents be tellin you. I am one who took the good advice of many on here that have gone to smaller tires on front and there is no doubt that it makes the front end of the bike more nimble & easier to handle. The standard size tire makes it sluggish, A bigger one would make it even worse.
What are you trying to accomplish going bigger anyway? more grip in turns? remember, wider will also usually be taller.
I copied this for you:
A myth exists that leaning a motorcycle reduces the cornering grip (friction) of the tires. Notice that the mass of the vehicle does not change—if it weighed 600 lbs. on a straightaway, it still weighs 600 lbs. in a curve. However, gravity works in corners to help us out. Friction is actually increased when g-forces come into play. Camber thrust and total grip is also affected by centrifugal force as the motorcycle leans when going around a corner. Cornering causes centrifugal force to press the tires downward into the asphalt, compressing both the front and rear suspension springs, reducing ground clearance.

A taller front tire is going to increase ground clearance & so reduce the ability to handle corners
And the smaller front tire also is much easier to handle the bike at low speeds (think parking lots, maneuvering, ect)
 
Hmm, I have a different opinion by a bit than most it seems. I think the rocket is too low stock, far to easy to drag hard parts, and I think going to a smaller front tire is a terrible idea.

The 1.5" lift of the rear of my rocket acts to make a slightly more forward weight bias, improves agility through altered trail distance, and increases clearance. With another rocket in a certain turn I was still about .5" from dragging anything and he was dragging pegs and highway pegs all through it, the results are real, not perceived. The same effect of altered geometry is achieved as when switching to a shorter front tire, but I am gaining clearance vs losing it like the 130 size tire users do.

Concerning a wider front tire, you can squeeze a wider tire on the front, or run something like a Pilot Road 2 rear tire on the front. Its stickier than our stock front, has a sharper profile, high load rating, and has a high wear life thanks to it's dual compound construction.

The shape of the front will effect agility more than its overall size. Michelin's tend to have a more V shape instead of a U shape like the stock Metzler. As such, I'd bet a handsom sum of cash that a 160 or 170 pilot power 3 or Pilot Road 2 reae tire on the front would improve handling despite the additional width.

The primary concern however will be the distortion of the wider tire squeezed onto a narrow rim. You will be squeezing the bead area of the tire together a little further than intended, the effect will be the tread area is a little taller than the profile would lead you to think. So it would be a lower aspect ratio to buy than you think, example below:

Stock tire nominal diameter - 26.448 inches
180/50R17 nominal diameter - 24.086
180/60R17 nominal diameter - 25.504

Because of the distortion they will probably grow in height slightly to more like areas

180/50 - 24..6"
180/60 - 26"

It will ride fine because the distortion will make it even sharper of a tire than when fitted to a wider rim. The only way to know if the fender will work is to measure the width of the narrowest point of the front and see if there is room.

Same as car tires though, kiss any and all insurance good bye if doing this.
 
A 225 will fit the rear. However, running a 205 instead, it is difficult to tell the difference in handling.
 


Claviger, Not doubting what you say here. You do have much more knowledge about bike performance than I do & I highly respect all of the info on bike performance that you share on this forum, but I go back to my original question to BigNorm: What are you trying to accomplish going bigger anyway?

Aside from dragging pegs (not everyone has the skill level/ba!!s to lay over as far as you do). So is it a question of how aggressively you lean the bike?
Does not a lower center of gravity increase handling in corners?
I'm asking because I really feel that my bike handles better with the smaller front tire & many others have reported the same.
Maybe another factor to consider is that I went with the larger Exedra Max rear coupled with the smaller Avon front that would, as you say, make a slightly more forward weight bias?
 
OP is probably asking for the visual appeal and symetey.

It's the change in geometry that gives the flickability and agility change, the lowred center of gravity is such a small change I highly doubt it's even a significant factor.

If you look up some of the changes to perfect handling you will find a lot of people raise the forks in the triple clamps to lower the front end. It doesn't take much, usually an inch completely transforms a bikes handling.

I just suggest lowering the front on the Rocket is slightly dangerous if you like to corner hard, and suggest that raising the back with longer shocks achieves the same effect more safely.
 

Those are interesting comments . . .
The pavement is what it is regarding the available friction at a certain time and condition - period.
Based upon many scientific tests, most level, dry asphalt roadways yield about .74g.
The roadway friction is not constant for a motorcycle in a turn.
The motorcycle speed and the radius of the curve determine the friction available.
v^2 = 14.9ur where v is speed (in mph) squared, u is the available friction, r is radius of the curve and 14.9 is the constant derived from v^2 = gur.
Transposing for u (mu) we have u = v^2/14.9r
Using this you can easily see that changes in speed or radius change the amount of available friction.

Also the tangent of your lean angle is the available friction you have, so lean angle directly affects available roadway friction.
Just for argument sake, at Texas A&M my PhD Physics prof taught that there is NO centrifugal force, only centripetal.
 
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