Several (dumb) newbie questions

[Anonymous]

I have a few simple questions about the 81 gs1100 I just aquired:

1. What model do I have?
VIN is GS110X507061
E# is GS110X110172
I looked at the model chart and found it too confusing for my rather small brain.

2. When changing oil, what is the prefered brand?
3. How much tread left indicates tire replacement? There is currently about 1/8" in the front and a bit less in the back. The rubber is in good shape.
4. Is it possible to put a slightly fatter tire on the stock rear rim? The current tire is a dunlop k591 130/90-17
5. How can I tell if I need a tube or not? The rim doesn't say 'tubeless' on it, but the previous owner said he wasn't running tubes.
6. The front fender appears to be painted plastic or grp. Is this stock or was it replaced?

Thanks for the help!!!!

[Anonymous]

I'm not that capable myself, but this is what I learned from other people that are smarter than me - I don't want to pass along misinformation, so if I'm full of sh*t, call me out.

1. I dunno, I'd have to look at it. It is either a GS1100E, or GS1100G, the E is the sports edition and the G is the cruiser-type model.

2. The brand of oil comes down to preference - there is an article somewhere in this site that compares motorcycle specific oils to automobile oils. Most folks smarter than me say the biggest choice is synthetic vs. petrol based oil - that there is no major difference in car vs. motorcycle. In charts, the synthetics perform better and Mobile 1 looked like a pretty decent choice to me.

3. Some use pennies, and they sell a measurement contraption, but this has always been a common-sense type thing with me. Look at same brand new tires and see how yours look in comparison. If you are unsure, switch them.

4. I don't know, but I've found people on this site have enough knowledge to do just about anything, so I wouldn't be surprised, but going far, far wider would need some sort of modification.

5. If you have a cast "mag" type wheel, you can run tubeless tires - I've heard that the valve stem may need to be increased for some tires, but I just purchased tubeless to replace the tubeless that were on my bike, without modification and they are fine. I have Chen Shen Barracuda V's - cheap, but better than anything these bikes came with in '81 - there are better tires, to be certain. Again, some bike-smart folks think a flat on a tube is more dramatic and dangerous than the same on a tubeless. I have never had one, so I couldn't tell you.

6. No idea.

Good luck.

Andys116

[brs127s]

Re: Several (dumb) newbie questions

I have a few simple questions about the 81 gs1100 I just aquired:

1. What model do I have?
VIN is GS110X507061
E# is GS110X110172
I looked at the model chart and found it too confusing for my rather small brain.

2. When changing oil, what is the prefered brand?
3. How much tread left indicates tire replacement? There is currently about 1/8" in the front and a bit less in the back. The rubber is in good shape.
4. Is it possible to put a slightly fatter tire on the stock rear rim? The current tire is a dunlop k591 130/90-17
5. How can I tell if I need a tube or not? The rim doesn't say 'tubeless' on it, but the previous owner said he wasn't running tubes.
6. The front fender appears to be painted plastic or grp. Is this stock or was it replaced?

Thanks for the help!!!!

1. E model-16 valve head, chain driven G model-8 valve head, shaft driven.

2. Oil--It depends on your preference. I run 10W-40 Suzuki 4 stroke oil in my 83 GS850GLD. In the 77 GS550 I had, I ran 10W-40 Amsoil synthetic motorcycle. I suggest a motorcycle specific oil.

3. Look on the sidewalls just at the edge of the tread. You should see little arrows every so ofter which point to the tread. These arrows point to wear indicators in the tread. The wear indicators are usually a bar accross the tread of a tire. If the tire is wore down so that the tread is flush with the wear indicators, then it is time to replace.

4. I am not sure. Once we figure what model you have, one of the guys with an 1100 should be able to tell you. You could look on the underside of the seat pan, or somewhere on the rear fender under the seat. It may have a sticker that gives the recommended tire sizes and pressures.

5. Look at the tire stem. Does it have a nut on top of a metal washer over a rubber grommet against the rim? If so, this is a tubless tire stem. If it just has a nut and/or a washer(no rubber grommet under the washer), then it is more than likely a tube.

6. Don't know for sure. Some fenders were metal, some were plastic.

[argonsagas]

Memory is not good on this point, but I believe the x is a year designator, and represents 1981.

You got the other information, regarding shaft (G model) or chain drive. (E model)

Tires...that is the standard size, and if you have a shaft drive you cannot go up more than one size in width without touching the swingarm.

The Dunlop is a good tire. Even more important than tread depth, in your case, is the age of the tire. You can ask a tire dealer to check the serial numbers and tell you the age, but a quick check can be done at home.

Do you have a lot of little cracks and/or lines on the sidewalls? Are they few and very tiny, or more obvious? If obvious, scrap the tire. If you drag your fingernail HARD across the rubber, does it feel like there is a bit of give? If no, it is probably too old, and the rubber is getting hard. Scrap the tire.

If tread is less than 1/8 inch on the front, you can still run it, but there is minimal life there and less in the rear.

Ride carefully, and Start Shopping.

Tire pressures......ignore the label under the seat. Those numbers were meant for tires available at the time. Today, once you decide on replacement tires, ask for the manufacturer's recommendation for those tires when fitted on your bike.


Oils.....endless opinions on this. Just STAY AWAY from those that offer extra ingredients like graphite and/or moly (molybdenum disulphite) They are definitely not good for wet clutches.

Change ALL the oils on your bike. You are far better off in knowing what is in there, and the expense is small.

If it is a shaft drive, you will be in a perfect position to grease the rear splines while the wheel is off for new tire installation.

[first timer]

i would like to add another suggestion about the tires. If the tires have become flat (they look like a car tire) then it is a good idea to replace them, what happens is when you are turning, you will get the tire on this corner that have developed thru tire wear and will cause an uneasy loose feeling as you go around a corner and in some cases even effect your traction going around a corner. new tires will have a nice flowing arch in them with no flat spot (kinda like a ten speed bike tire), that allows the tire to have even contact with the road no matter what angle the bike is leaned dureing a turn. if you are unsure of your tires or don't know the history of them and have the money its always a good idea to get some new ones. also the advise about replaceing a tire with cracks and hardening of rubber is very good too.

ryan

[Anonymous]

Thanks

The rubber feels ok, but I'll probably replace them in the spring. I was looking at the dunlop site and the GT501 is apparently the replacement for the 591 line. However they only make 2 sizes for a 17" rim, the 140/80B17 and the 150/70B17. Both of these say they are recommended for a 3.5 width rim, so I'm guessing they wouldn't work with my rims which are stamped 2.5". Metzler has a 130/90-17 so I'll probably go with that.

I guess my bike is an 'E' as it has a chain.

Thanks for the help!

[argonsagas]

You won't go too far wrong with the Metzeler.

Try the ME550 for the rear. I bought one in August, and have logged about 6000kms on it. Wears well, keep the pressure up and it rides well at high speed.

No complaints at all.

[Anonymous]

It is either a GS1100E, or GS1100G, the E is the sports edition and the G is the cruiser-type model.

The last statement is quite incorrect. The G model is any shaft-driven GS, all of which had an 8-valve head. The "L" suffix designates the cruiser model.

Nick

[Anonymous]

argonsagas, I was checking out the me-550 on the mezeler site.

the description said this:
"New generation of bias tyre for motorcycles with medium capacity e.g.Suzuki GS 500,Honda CB 500,Kawasaki Zephyr 550/750, Yamaha TDM 850"

Does that mean my 1100 is too heavy or shouldn't I worry about it?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Even if you can go up in tire size you may not want to. Wider tires on the stock rims will change the profile and make the bike seem 'tippy'.

1/8" on the front and less on the back - I agree with Ron - start shopping.

[Anonymous]

The wheels on that bike are not meant for tubeless tires as they do not have a "tubeless" marking on them.

Mine has a Bridgestone F11 up front and a Metzler Perfection on the rear. I really don't know anything about these tires other than I'll be pulling them off whenever I insure the bike. The front tire looks to be low mileage but has a lot of cupping on it which makes me wonder about the quality of the tire (or the bike? )

As for the fender, mine is painted too. I imaging it's plastic but I've never looked closely. Your chain guard, engine, and seat rail should be chrome (or polished).

Steve