New Tires

[Guest]

For my new-to-me stock 1981 GS850G:

Michelin Road Classic's (this is all from the Revzilla website)

Rear 130/90B17 68V TL

Front 100/90B19 57V TL

Not my initial first choices but due to supply chain issues and also the fact that a few manufacture offer the rear but the front is out-of-stock, these at least get me a mated pair close to the old OEM sizes from 41 years ago.

So the old cracked (and I mean bad enough that I won't ride the bike till the new ones are installed) tires say "Tubeless" and these new one's are "Tubeless" as well. But is there really tube in there? I'm told there is.

If so what tube am I looking at purchasing?
And is there such thing as a "rim strip:" on cast wheels?

Thanks, first post.
stagewex/mike wex

[Nessism]

Rim strips are for spoke wheels.

Your tire selection is good, but expensive. This is a good site to check for pricing. Shipping is free. Regarding tubes, they are pretty generic. Just get the proper size and you should be fine.

BTW, the Avon Roadrider (MK II) are a forum favorite.

https://www.americanmototire.com/

[Guest]

Thank-you. The Avons were my first choice and "out-of-stock" everywhere. I was just buying tires for my car and similar... it's really just a supply chain thing nationwide that you can't just get what you want, at least right away.

There are lots of 17 & 19 tubes available so the question was "are there actually tubes in these tubeless tires on my bike"?

I'll get that answer (size & part number) from the Revzilla text chat dudes later and post.

[Grimly]

I've never run tubes in my 850s. Some people do.
It's up to them.

[Rich82GS750TZ]

"are there actually tubes in these tubeless tires on my bike"?

I think the only answer anyone here could give you is "maybe". Even though your tires are very old proabably, I doubt that they are original. Even if they are original, we know from past posts of people who bought bikes new in the early '80s, that some bikes with TUBELESS embossed on the wheel, still came from the dealership with tubes. Some of us that have such wheels actually have tubes in, some do not. For a wile I ran a tube in the front, but not in the back, only because the guy that I trust to change my tires advised me to do so because there was a lot of surface corrosion inside the front wheel that he felt may keep the tire from sealing properly on the bead. I have since cleaned up that wheel and now run with no tubes.

If you deflate the tire, can you push the valve stem into its hole? This would indicate a tube.