Any improvement in suspension & brakes is never a waste of time, but why the pizza wheel tyre size. I have addopted 185x60x13 as a minimum substitute standard for the front of 1000 to 120Y models & are quite legal on rims as narrow as 5".
If you were using stock 13" steel rims from a 180B or similar, then 175x65x13 are legal down to 4-1/2" rims & both have an outside diameter that is close to the original 12" tyre. Either of these has to be a big safety upgrade over what you have now.