These things can make differences but a lot of tyre preference is in our perception. For instance I had PR3s fitted the day before I took my advanced test had them fully scrubbed in and on the day of the test it was raining and on the way to the test the tyre slipped on some wet white lines. So there I was taking my advanced test on tyres I had no confidence in, I managed to pass the test in spite of this but PR3s were off of my list of preferred tyres.
The suspension, ball joints etc. all affect weight distribution.
I agree that a lot of tyre preference is perception. One mans (or ladies!!!) quick steering is another mans unstable and having confidence in your tyres is essential, especially in the wet.
Way back in the 90's I had a FJ1200 and a K100RS 16v. I'm sure most people would see those as similar bikes (large, fast sports tourers with lots of torque). I fitted whatever the latest flavour of Avons were to the Yamaha and absolutely loved them. Long life (for the time), stable yet I could happily wear away the hero blobs with confidence. Wet weather grip was easily good enough for me. The tyres were so good I also fitted a set to the BMW. They were awful! They felt completely wooden and, although they never actually put me into a situation where something specific went wrong, I never had any faith in them. It was so bad that even I, a tight Scotsman who doesn't like wasting money, ditched the tyres at less than half worn just to get something fitted that allowed me to enjoy riding again. Perception? Definitely yes but there must have been something significantly different to give me that perception.
