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GS450S wheel thoughts

  • Thread starter Thread starter Boba
  • Start date Start date
B

Boba

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I've been searching for some time trying to figure out a way to get a bit of a wider rim on the front and rear of my 81 gs450s

the stock wheels are a bit anemic as we all know

I've found some evidence that a gn400 front wheel, 18x1.85 (a bit wider than stock) will bolt right up and work. That will make the front and rear wheels exactly the same width however.

The more I look up, the more defeated I feel. I'm not trying to get a huge amount of rubber on the bike, but a little extra would be nice. I've thought about maybe excepting some 17" options, but most I find I feel are too much wider, or the rear is disc and not drum. (Not that I'm opposed to switching the rear to a disc, but that sounds like a lot of downtime)

If anyone has any information that can help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm only looking for a little more width so I can add just a little more rubber.
 
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I'm thinking I might be able to go spoked with gs550 rear wheels (non e which were mag and used disc brake)

And now I'm starting to think, what is the length difference between the swingarms from the gs550 and the gs450?
 
You can over size the tires one size up without mounting or bead problems. I've heard of going two sizes, but there are nothing I can offer on whether it will hold the bead properly and about sidewall clearence. It's second hand info.
 
Boba said:
I'm thinking I might be able to go spoked with gs550 rear wheels (non e which were mag and used disc brake)

And now I'm starting to think, what is the length difference between the swingarms from the gs550 and the gs450?
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The early GS550s had a drum rear brake, it's a bigger diameter drum than the 450s had but I bet you can make something work. Or use the entire 550 swingarm, wheel and brake assembly, shorten the swingarm a tad if you need to.
 
gsrick said:
You can over size the tires one size up without mounting or bead problems. I've heard of going two sizes, but there are nothing I can offer on whether it will hold the bead properly and about sidewall clearence. It's second hand info.
Click to expand...

My 450 handled like crap with one size fatter tires, really felt terrible. Put on the proper size and it was sweet.
 
tkent02 said:
The early GS550s had a drum rear brake, it's a bigger diameter drum than the 450s had but I bet you can make something work. Or use the entire 550 swingarm, wheel and brake assembly, shorten the swingarm a tad if you need to.
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Thanks for adding that information. I only know the mechanics of the issue and have only ridden sport bikes with and over sized rear 180/190 and didn't really notice a change, but that could be because the change in radius would be less and on the rear and wouldn't effect turning as much as it would on the front. I do notice on bikes like the M109, when that huge rear tire gets worn out, it's a bear to turn.
 
A 90 front and 110 rear is decent combo for a 450. If you want the best grip get some Avon Roadriders. I doubt going wider on the wheels will allow you to rider faster.
 
tkent02 said:
My 450 handled like crap with one size fatter tires, really felt terrible. Put on the proper size and it was sweet.
Click to expand...

As if a size wider wasn't available when the bike was designed. According to the info I have, going to a /90 series tire is going up a size and from the original 80/100 tire is therefore TWO sizes up from a rim perspective.

I got a deal on a 3.00 18 Pirelli RT66 and it's the best front I've had from a handling pov ever. It's probably not as sticky as the compound that you get with Avon, but is wearing well and for sane[ish] street use works fine. RT66s are listed as a 'cruiser tire' but I think the Italian concept of cruising is not the same as Nebraska's.

You can have as wide a tire as you like, but at 30 psi you'll have the same area of rubber on the road anyway. Besides which, more surface area doesn't correlate to more grip. Wider tires have a wider and shorter contact patch and generate less heat, which allows a softer and stickier compound - or longer life on a harder compound. This is a plus, except that the nimble steering of a narrower tire is lost.

To properly fit a 90/90 18 you'll need a 1.85 rim minimum and the recommended is a 2.15 . But a 1.60 rim is what is there and a 90/90 Avon is going to work well enough; a bit pinched up and tippy, but not unsafe. But is two sizes up rim wise, although there is only a difference of 1/8" per side between a 160 and a 1.85.

I've never had a beef with Avons, but I always had more enjoyment on Pirellis.
 
I've run Pirelli Sport Demons on my 450E and currently run Avon Roadriders on there.

The SD's only come in a 100/90-18 front so I had a 110/90-18 on the rear to go with it, and the tip in had a very weird feel due to the pinched profile. I like the tyres but I would not recommend that sizing at all, not confidence inspiring especially in the wet.

With the Avons I have no weird tip in feelings but am running 90/90-18 front and 100/90-18 rear. You'd have to ask the guys I ride with for how they hold up in the corner speed stakes.

To get a better sizing selection, you're really going to have to move away from the stock cast wheels, maybe look for a 19" front and 17" rear or similar.

Alternatively go for the GS500 setup, although that does require some modification due to the disc brake rear...
 
yes as Pete is suggesting-look for some rims from a 450T. They will fit I bet...these are 19"Front and 17" rear .However,note that my 17" rear with 120/90 17" spins very close to the swingarm(stock is 110/90 17) -without issue, but forget 130! unless maybe on an L's 16" rims. The L front is also 19 but the rear is 16. Might also fit.
I swapped them (19 + 17) from my 81 gsx400 T to the E just to see for a day or so..and it was pretty much a straight swap brake drum and all but you will want the T Fender also I think.. I know I did. It is taller than the E/S ....and maybe the axle bushing was a tiny bit tight to get in for no obvious reason.
I think they were have been a little more "work" on a windy road versus the 18" wheels. But it's hard to be qualitatively sure because the tires were very different too and the traffic on the road made it hard to get a good feel for any difference....it's not going to be important unless you are some kind of fiend (like Pete!)
 
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My reasoning for the wheel change is to add a slightly wider tire, not much. In the past, I've tried to add a wider tire to the stock rim and the feel was horrid, especially when going through the single S curve I go through on the way to work, my one and only curvy moment in life (The round-abouts here are paved in brick... ugh)

I'm not trying to race like a maniac, in fact I take corners quicker in the Fiat on most days than I do on the bike, but that's another story. I want to try out something different to see if a slightly wider tire feels more confident. I'm not trying to put a car tire on the back LOL

I also don't want to pinch the tire using a stock rim and putting on a wider set than stock recommended. If enough people have tried going one size up and liked it, I'll give it a shot.

And I'm currently running roadrunners. The bike came with shinko but I didn't ride it for very long before redoing the rear wheel with new parts, so while everything was off I changed the rubber.

I have a second front rim and rear swingarm (Thank you GSRick). I could potentially put together a setup, not like it at all and let everyone know how correct they were, and then have the bike back to stock without anyone being the wiser. I also have a stock L 16" rim, just no. ;)

S and E bikes do not need to be made into L!! xD

So I've found a route to go with 17" using a "complete triple tree from a GS850G (not from a GS850GL), GS500 forks / fender / wheel / caliper / etc.. The stock instrument cluster mounts to the GS850G top clamp, and the GS500 forks line up perfectly to the GS850G triple tree" -Big Rich (GS Twins forum)

He also said the bandit 400 rear will line up the sprockets very nicely without modification.
 
well, my E didn't look radically different with 19+ 17" wheels...except for the chrome T fender I needed too ...to reiterate, you might need to be careful with wider tires rubbing the swingarm in any instance.
 
Good stuff, I meant to say best talk to Big Rich as he did that on his 450... glad he got you the info!
 
Yeah I think I'd have to go gs500 swingarm and weld show mounts onto it. I dunno if maybe the 17" being a bit smaller diameter sets the tire further back so I can add a little width. I do notice how close the tire is to the swingarm.

Big Rich said the rear end he had on was a 130/70 17 (two sizes smaller than the bandit 400 stock tire) and the front was 110/70/ 17 (stock gs500 rim and wheel). So basically, it is just a nice bump up in width from the stock gs450s tire width, I go tubeless, rear disc brake, 520 chain and 520 sprocket, more tire options (unfortunately no dual sport tires in 110/70 17 that I can find lol hooligan), upgrade in forks and triple tree that will fit the original gauge cluster, and when all is said and done, I can revert back to the original setup and the bike will look like it did when I bought it, minus the powder coated white rim in the rear.

That's what this is looking like. Hmmm.. anyone with a 850g triple tree lying around? LOL
 
Wait, you want dual sport tyres? If so, from memory Shinko had some that would be the right size for the stock 18's... but that was a long time ago and they weren't available here in Aus so I never tried it out. I had some dual sports on my 450 when I first put it on the road, but had to go 100/90-18 on the front like the Sport Demons and they felt horrible.
 
pete said:
Wait, you want dual sport tyres? If so, from memory Shinko had some that would be the right size for the stock 18's... but that was a long time ago and they weren't available here in Aus so I never tried it out. I had some dual sports on my 450 when I first put it on the road, but had to go 100/90-18 on the front like the Sport Demons and they felt horrible.
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No I was joking around lol
i wouldn't be doing all this just for dual sport tires. It's 86% just to see if I can and how it feels once complete, 14% due to my insanity
 
Hahaha ok cool... I'm happy with the skinnies myself but it's all up to personal preference in the end.
 
I love the bike stock as is. I feel the need to experiment and see "what if" with the wheel/tire possibilities. Hence the reason I'm only doing this in a way that it's reversible. Having the extra swingarm from a cannibalized 450gl makes it possible. Otherwise I'd be pouting about the rear brake impossibility.

At the same time, I've acquired and waiting for delivery of RaiderGT's 450 motor from his part out. With that, I'm redoing the motor with the gs500 upgrades. Cylinders, pistons, cams, carburetors...

It's a whole laundry list of projects ahead for me. BUT, hopefully with the tactical approach, I will have minimal downtime if any.
 
My GS450 had a fatter tire on it from the PO and the rim had been eaten away by the chain. I forget what size is was but maybe a good thing to keep in mind.
 
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