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Front and Rear Tires What type will be the best

  • Thread starter Thread starter Thelen82gs550l
  • Start date Start date
I'm also looking for new tires, I'm curious about different brands but the Metzelers I have on right now looks to have the best grooves for water dispersal and I ride a lot in the wet. They also talk the most about wet performance in the marketing box, for what it's worth.

BUT they seem to have discontinued the size for my rear which is 120/90-17, but they have the 100/90-16 for front. The alternative brands are Avon Roadriders and Bridgestone BT45s. OR...I could put a Metzeler 130/90-17 on the rear. The price difference between the three brands is practically nil.

Can anyone vouch for wet performance on the BT45s or Avons? I really want to stay in spec on the sizes.
 
Steve - Unless you are going to enter the bike in Concours competitions, looks don't really matter. What matters is keeping you upright.
My vote is for Cheng Shin Hi-Max tires, 100/90 in front, 130/90 in the rear.
Although the 90/90 is stock, the 100/90 will virtually eliminate your inherent speedometer error.
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Do you know if that sizing/speedometer info holds true for the 78' GS1000E?
I didn't run my bike enough to bother doing a speedo check before I tore it down this winter.

Also, does anyone know what kind of fuel mileage I should expect from a 1000 with about 20k on it?
 
Phaseman said:
Do you know if that sizing/speedometer info holds true for the 78' GS1000E?
I didn't run my bike enough to bother doing a speedo check before I tore it down this winter.

Also, does anyone know what kind of fuel mileage I should expect from a 1000 with about 20k on it?
Click to expand...
If you change the tire size it will change the ratio.

The milege depends on how you ride it.
35 flogged
45 highway at speedlimit.

My bike gets under 30 when I ring its neck (way under) and up to 40 on the highway doing the speed limit (which is rare) :D
 
argonsagas said:
Spitfires have been the most popular replacement tire in the Toronto area for some time, yet my own experience with them has been negative.

The G and the GK both had them installed when I bought the bikes, and both showed the same problem of slipping away sideways during mild acceleration when pulling away from a stop sign, and turning at the same time. Left turns were quirky and annoying, as they put me in front of other traffic and having the tire slip away was not desirable.

On both bikes I found Spitfires to have less grip on both wet and dry than I liked, especially wet, however these concerns disappeared when I switched to Metzelers.

Here cost difference is considerable, but inside USA the same tires are MUCH lower in price and the difference between Metzelers (here ONE tire was $200,) and Spitfires is about $50. maximum
Click to expand...

I made sure to scrub the mold release agent off of my tires when I installed them.

When I would take off fairly hard around a corner, first thing in the morning when the roads were dewy, I would feel a bit of slip, but definitely nothing after that.

No matter what tire anybody is on, becareful at intersection and pulling away hard because that's where most of the grime is, especially in the center.
 
Just ordered Spitfire S11 tires for my 79 GS 1000 I'lll let you know what I think of them after the Brown county Rally.
 
I have spitfires on my 750/1000 clone, they are OK I guess, they stick fairly well. For a few dollars more, you can get Avon Roadriders, $160 to the door. Very very good traction, the bikes all handle extremely well, they stick on wet, sand, dry, very confidence inspiring. They seem to be holding up fairly well on my three bikes that have had them. Putting them on the 750 when I change to spoke wheels and the new brakes, anybody want an almost new set of Spitfires?
 
free tire

free tire

I believe I have an as new cheng shin that I would give you for free if you can pick-up in Dubuque iowa Or just for the cost of shipping contact me privately @ gregr@mchsi.com
 
82Shafty said:
Spitfires are a good balance between cost and performance. There are much better options out there for the knee draggers club, but you will certainly pay for it.

I've run two sets of Spitfires so far and have thoroughly enjoyed them.
PICT1049.jpg
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I love this bike. How in the world did you get it this clean???
 
Looking for a Metzler Rear

Looking for a Metzler Rear

I replaced my front last year (lazertec) 120/80-16 and thought my rear was in good shape (tread depth) but after further inspection found small (very small) side wall cracks and who knows how old??

Anyway I need to get it inspected and want to stay with a Metzler in the rear (lazertec) The size im looking for is a 130/80-17 I was very happy with the front last year and have had good luck with Metzlers in the past. Any one ???
 
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Never been a big fan of the "L" models...but I have to say that thing is down right gorgeous!!
 
Very Nice; I'm trying to convice Bill he should (I mean I should ) paint his that color. :lol:
 
I was wondering how an older post came back from the dead.

Guys, thanks for the props.

Two things that led to me cleaning up this old girl:

1) Thankfully, the previous owner had done a good job of keeping it out of the elements, and all she needed was a little spit and polish to bring a tad more shine out of her.

2) I started off in life with some pretty rough vehicles, but it had taught me to not only appreciate a nicer bike, but to do the very best that I could to keep anything that I owned as respectable as I could.

The truth in the photo I posted, I had not even touched the stator cover or gear indicator cover at that time. Those two items now shine a little brighter, but still aren't up to my standards. I spent the last winter working on Roadrash's bike, bringing it his bike up to the next level.


Here is my Dad's bike that I just finished running through my spit'n polish shop.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=140629

Now that I have his bike out of the way, I can resume cleaning my bike up a bit further.

I always had hopes of getting a father/son mag cover with a classic metric rag for having a set of clean classic cruisers; ah it's nice to dream.
 
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