some 1100e questions... speedo, tires, and performance.....

[Anonymous]

Just got a 82 gs1100E

22k miles
perfect shape, I mean this is nearly showroom condition. The previous owner owned it for a year, and replaced or reconditioned nearly everything on the bike, right down to replacing the stator, which was not bad, he just heard that they go.

He repainted forks, replaced pipes, mirrors, turn signal, instrument housing, chain+sprockets, re covered the seat, he did a valve job, and re finished the outside of the engine.

I will take pics and post them soon.

Ok now to the questions.

Is there a speedo upgrade that will get rid of the stuipd 85 mph peg, as I need to know how fast I am going.

Tires, what is a good high performance tire for the bike, and in what size, i mean i may do some track days, but mostly alot of really spirited back road driving. I wanted a Dunlop gt501 but cant find the proper rear tire size.

Third, performance wise, how good will she be, i mean it has alot of power, but will she let me push it in the corners, or am i looking at a bike more suited for straight line travel.


Thanks
Earth Brown

[Anonymous]

Speedo upgrade, find one from an "83" GS 1100 E. 140 mph. I always liked the Metzler Perfect ME 77's, or the even softer ME 99's. The sizes, 100/90/19 front & 130/90/17 rear keep getting harder & harder to find, from any mfg. The GS 1100 E was great in it's day, & still is, but don't be trying to keep up with the newer GSXR's, FZR's, CBR's, & Ninja's, hammering thru the twisties, these bikes are designed specifically for carving curves. Your old GS was designed to do everything well

[Anonymous]

Tires, what is a good high performance tire for the bike, and in what size,

Try Bridgestone BT-45's for decent rubber. A buddy races his RD400 on them and swears by them. They also last a decent distance, as a bonus.

Third, performance wise, how good will she be, i mean it has alot of power, but will she let me push it in the corners

You can always push in the corners (at least to the bike's limits), but it is not going to beat a new sport bike. Keep in mind, it is heavy and large compared to today's bikes and they have 20 years of R&D on it. That said, you can do a lot to improve the performance in the corners.

Put new shocks (Progressive Suspension is a good choice for these) on that are +1" or even +1.5" longer to raise the back up. This will speed up steering and add ground clearance, both of which your 1100 needs. Add a fork brace, new fork springs (Progressive Suspension is about the only game in town for these), Race Tech cartridge emulators and fresh oil. Change the swing arm bearings for new ones, or even better, fit close tolerance bushings instead of the stock bearings. Change the ball type steering head bearings for tapered rollers. With all of this done, it will be better than it ever was new in the 80's and it will be more than fast enough for any intelligent street riding you can do and probably faster than a lot of the riders at a track day.

Links for the above:

Bridgestone - http://www.motorcycle-karttires.com/
Progressive Suspension - http://www.progressivesuspension.com/
Race Tech - http://www.racetech.com/


Enjoy the bike, it is a great classic machine that will last you many years.

Mark

[robinjo]

Tires, what is a good high performance tire for the bike, and in what size,

Try Bridgestone BT-45's for decent rubber. A buddy races his RD400 on them and swears by them. They also last a decent distance, as a bonus.

Third, performance wise, how good will she be, i mean it has alot of power, but will she let me push it in the corners

You can always push in the corners (at least to the bike's limits), but it is not going to beat a new sport bike. Keep in mind, it is heavy and large compared to today's bikes and they have 20 years of R&D on it. That said, you can do a lot to improve the performance in the corners.

Put new shocks (Progressive Suspension is a good choice for these) on that are +1" or even +1.5" longer to raise the back up. This will speed up steering and add ground clearance, both of which your 1100 needs. Add a fork brace, new fork springs (Progressive Suspension is about the only game in town for these), Race Tech cartridge emulators and fresh oil. Change the swing arm bearings for new ones, or even better, fit close tolerance bushings instead of the stock bearings. Change the ball type steering head bearings for tapered rollers. With all of this done, it will be better than it ever was new in the 80's and it will be more than fast enough for any intelligent street riding you can do and probably faster than a lot of the riders at a track day.

Links for the above:

Bridgestone - http://www.motorcycle-karttires.com/
Progressive Suspension - http://www.progressivesuspension.com/
Race Tech - http://www.racetech.com/


Enjoy the bike, it is a great classic machine that will last you many years.

Mark

I'm with you on the BT45's and WP suspension also makes progressive front fork springs.