Is there any downside/risk to installing a racing motorcycle tire on a touring motorcycle?
Depends what you mean by a touring motorcycle. I assume you mean something like an ST1300 or similar.
If so, then you definitely can install a performance tire on it, as long as you match the tire to the rims you have.
You'll have better traction as the rubber will be softer, but it will also wear faster. The performance tire will have a more oval shape, meaning that the bike will lean into turns much faster than a touring tire, so be careful or you'll drop the bike in a turn.
Touring tires are usually composed of dual compound rubber, which means that because the center of the tire is usually in contact with the road (highway riding), the middle of the tire is composed of a harder rubber than the edges of the tire. This offers the best of both worlds, so when you corner, you're on the softer rubber (better traction), and when you're on the highway, you're on the harder stuff which will make the tire last longer.
Unless your riding style is to always push your limits, then don't get the performance tires and get a real sportbike (with the matching tires). Otherwise, the smarter thing to do is to ride normally and benefit from a good and longer wearing sport/touring tire.
Sport/touring tires are no slouches either. They're a very fine product, so you don't really need to get performance tires.
Now, If you meant a cruiser bike, then I definitely do not recommend it, as you'll be scraping parts all over the road. 
Ride Safe!
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7 users responded in this post
Can you? Of course you can. Should you? Probably not. Down side? How about it would be like driving on ice every time the road was the least damp?
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it would wear out immediately if it didn't blow out from the weight of the bike.
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maby it can because it is a tire right but it
might go slower because the tire is smaller
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yep it wont handle dont do it man
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yes
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Racing tires are very soft compound, wear VERY FAST. If you do not have proper width rims, will have a very poor contact patch, as the racing tires are normally for wider rims, and a street rim makes them too round where they contact the street, there fore, do not have as much rubber on the road as a proper street tire. Also – expensive. The factory recommended tire size, in a brand name tire, Dunlop, Avon Michelin, Metzler, etc, not cheapies, will handle best, and give far better service than a 'racing' tire. If you are racing, of course, all things turn around, the things which make a racing tire unsuitable for the street, mostly are of no importance on the track, as long as you have proper wheels, the wear factor is not important, the greatly increased traction is crucial. And the wheels must be proper width for the tire you use.
Go Fast, Go Safe, Go Smart.
Tomcotexas.
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Depends what you mean by a touring motorcycle. I assume you mean something like an ST1300 or similar.
If so, then you definitely can install a performance tire on it, as long as you match the tire to the rims you have.
You'll have better traction as the rubber will be softer, but it will also wear faster. The performance tire will have a more oval shape, meaning that the bike will lean into turns much faster than a touring tire, so be careful or you'll drop the bike in a turn.
Touring tires are usually composed of dual compound rubber, which means that because the center of the tire is usually in contact with the road (highway riding), the middle of the tire is composed of a harder rubber than the edges of the tire. This offers the best of both worlds, so when you corner, you're on the softer rubber (better traction), and when you're on the highway, you're on the harder stuff which will make the tire last longer.
Unless your riding style is to always push your limits, then don't get the performance tires and get a real sportbike (with the matching tires). Otherwise, the smarter thing to do is to ride normally and benefit from a good and longer wearing sport/touring tire.
Sport/touring tires are no slouches either. They're a very fine product, so you don't really need to get performance tires.
Now, If you meant a cruiser bike, then I definitely do not recommend it, as you'll be scraping parts all over the road.
Ride Safe!
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