What are the best tires for the GS?

[robinjo]

Replaced the tires on my bike today for new Macadam 50's 100-90-19 front and 120-90-18 rear (your bike needs 130-90-17 I believe) and they work very well. I tried to get the 501 tyres that KGB suggested but my shop didn't carry them.

I also have the Macadams on my TDM and they last pretty well even with lots of cornering speed :twisted:

[Anonymous]

I am using Dunlop Elite K491 front and back on my 82 GS1100G.

I used Bridgestone Spitfires front and back on my 79 GS1100E when I had it. :roll:

Michael

Suzuki made a GS1100E in '79?

[Anonymous]

Metzler ME33 (Perfect) on the front, ME88 Marathon on the back. ME33 came with the bike as an extra when I purchased it. If you push them too much (like hard riding on the Tail of the Dragon in Deals Gap, NC), they will let you know it. OK for milder sport touring, but after the first trip on the Dragon, decided these tires will get relplaced by stickier Metzlers when the time comes.....

[Anonymous]

new tire size/brand advice for my '81 GS650G?

Does anyone else have specific experience with or comments about Cheng Shin or Kenda tires (for my new '81 GS650G)? As a new rider I'm more concerned with traction and handling than mileage.

It also has a 130/90-17 on the rear instead of the factory recommended 120/90-17. Is this an improvement or would the stock size give me a better front-to-rear handling balance?

Thanks for all comments on either question....

[mdole]

I have run Chen Shin tires on various bikes. The biggest reason I run them is that they are usually the only thing available in older sizes without ordering the tires.

They are generally good quality tires they are just old technology and are possibly as good as the good tires were when the GSs were made. They act just like older compond type tires not very stickey and also not the best for wear. But they work just fine for every day riding.

I currently have a Hi Max (Chin Shin on the back of my 750).

I plan on ordering an Elite II Dunlop MU90/16 prior to needing the replacement. I try to order from a local shop that has treated me well for a number of years. I pay a little more but usually not list price on the tires. It may take up to a month to get the tires though. It only took a little over a week to get the front tire in when I ordered the Elite II for the front. Metzler 880s took me a month an a half to get so I thought that I'd try the Dunlops.

Mike

[Anonymous]

MichaelHoward wrote:
I am using Dunlop Elite K491 front and back on my 82 GS1100G.

I used Bridgestone Spitfires front and back on my 79 GS1100E when I had it.

Michael


Suzuki made a GS1100E in '79?

Hmm, Michael - was the bike manufactured in '79 and sold for the '80 model year? The '80 model was the first 1100E that I'm aware of. Been wrong before though.

[Anonymous]

They are generally good quality tires they are just old technology and are possibly as good as the good tires were when the GSs were made. They act just like older compond type tires not very stickey and also not the best for wear.

Thanks Mike, the prices were very attractive but I'll probably try to find a more modern tire in that case.

Any advice on my current 130/90-17 rear vs. the stock 120/90-17 size? Is this a straight line traction vs. handling balance trade-off?

[mdole]

I have a GS 750L with a 140/90- 16 rear. With other bikes I have owned I haven't seen a big difference in running a size bigger on the rear as long as you have the clearance to do it. I have gotten slightly better wear with a larger rear tire and maybe a little more traction.

It really depends on the bike and suspension setup. An example of a bike not to go up on was a 1979 Yamaha 650 Special. It cam with a 510 wide and I can't remember the width. The bike handled worse than the 1971 XS-650B I traded in on it. In a tight corner the rear tire would walk to the outside. I changed the suspension and went to a 450 width and the handling improved quite a bit. I think the problem was that going to a smaller rim and wider tire made the rear end too heavy for the lightweight bike and so the rear would walk (a series of slight slips) to the outside.

Mike

[Anonymous]

i agree with the spitfires going bald quickly, it happened to me also.

me33 for the front was great, no complaints there.

I just changed both my tires, for BT-45 battleaxe, bridgestones. So far did 2500 kilometers, and not a problem. So far i like them.

[Anonymous]

I have a GS 750L with a 140/90- 16 rear. With other bikes I have owned I haven't seen a big difference in running a size bigger on the rear as long as you have the clearance to do it. I have gotten slightly better wear with a larger rear tire and maybe a little more traction.
Mike

thanks, I've ordered a 130/90-17 Metzeler ME550 to upgrade the ME88 that was on the rear.

[MichaelHoward]

Hmm, Michael - was the bike manufactured in '79 and sold for the '80 model year? The '80 model was the first 1100E that I'm aware of. Been wrong before though.

Oops, did I say 1100???
Typo I guess buddy, It was 1000E model. There that's better.

[mdole]

I just thought that I would add a word about cheap tires.

I have run the Chin Shin Hi-Max and Barracuda tires and had good luck with them the have decent traction in both wet and dry conditions and running them on various bikes they usually last about 5k to 6k miles.

I have also run Maxxis tires with about the same results as the Chin Shins.

I used King Tires on a couple of bikes and they had a better feel than the Chin Shins for a bout the same price and lasted better (6k to 7k miles).

I have had good luck with Dunlop 491 Elite IIs. I usually got 16k out of a rear tire on a V-65 Sabre and would expect to get more on the GS750. I couldn't get the size I needed in a front but I used Dunlop F-11s and usually got 21k out of the front and I also used a Metzler 880 front that went 16k and looked like it had quite a bit of wear left when I got rid of the Sabre. The Dunlops had good wet and dry traction and provided a good feel. I also used these tires on ice and snow several times and they worked better than I expected. I liked the ME-880 a little better as it provided more feed back on road surface conditions and felt a little stickier than the F-11. I also used this tire in snow and ice and it was just fine. I also used the 880 with a King rear and made it home across a mountain road that was closed while I was on it due to extremely icy conditions. There were long sections of glare ice that looked like glass. The tires did better than I thought possible under the conditions.

I have also run Dunlop 591s that were sticky and felt great but were shot in fewer than 5k.

Chin Shin Barracuda rear 6k good wet and dry traction
Chin Chin Marquis front 6k good wet and dry traction
Kings rear 7k good wet and dry (better)
Dunlop F-11 front 21k good wet and dry traction (better)
Dunlop 591 front >5k very sticky vg wet/dry good feel
Dunlop 491 Elite II rear 16k vg wet and dry (best rear)
Dunlop 491 Elite II front (?) vg wet and dry (current front)
Me-880 front (>16k) vg wet and dry (best front so far)

Mike

[Anonymous]

front tire size upgrade?

Back to size: can I safely up-size my front tire from 100/90-19 to 110/90-19 to match my new up-sized 130/90-17 rear? I'm about to buy a new Metzeler ME-33 to go with my new ME-550 rear.

[saaz]

On standard rims a 110 may be ok, just make sure you have enough clearance to the mudguard. Also the speedo may also read differently, so check what speed you are really doing!.