Having ran 120s, 130s and 140s in various different brands on the Tenere, I can honestly say, from my point of view, that a 140 gains you nothing apart from giving the bike a slightly more "manly" stance/appearance. In the 140 size I have tried K60, TKC80 and Trailmax TR91, and I have used all those in 130 sizes too, so am able to make direct comparisons. Read here for my thoughts on the TKC80 in all its permutations.) Personally, I thought fitting a 140 took the edge off the on-road handling compared with a 130; it doesn't ruin it, I just thought it wasn't as good, not as sharp, less feedback and feel. Off-road, I agree with Petenz, I found a 140 spins up and loses traction much more easily than a 130.

Fitted to a 2.75" rim the 140 gets pulled in at the bead, which in turn pulls the tyre into a slightly pointy oval shape in cross-section. I found that this accelerated squaring off and made for more fidgety straight line stability and increased the falling over feeling in corners when the tyres were new.

IMHO, chose a 120 for off-road use, a 140 for looks and a 130 is the best of both worlds, a good compromise, which is why I guess it's the recommended size!

As ever though, tyre choice is personal, it's up to you. There will undoubtedly be someone pop up who will swear by the fact that a 140 gives them superior grip on the road.

Do what you like, experiment and find out what works best for yourself.

__________________