Maxxis promaxx 130/90b-16 rear

[Giblet]

Just ordered a MAXXIS PROMAXX from these guys http://www.americanmototire.com/ for $66.06 including shipping.

I am replacing the Dunlop GT501 I had on the rear. Since my speedo went wacky somewhere along the way, I'm not sure how many miles I actually got out of it but, I know it wasn't good. So much for dual tread compound. Maybe some day I'll find one of these wheels so i can chuck the 16" GK wheel and get back to the 17" wheel with the GK/late model spoke pattern.

 

[Griffin]

Man, their prices are low. I'm a gonna have ta order me some tires from them I think.

 

[Giblet]

Man, their prices are low. I'm a gonna have ta order me some tires from them I think.

I've been all over Ebay etc and finally ended up here on the recommendation if a friend that rides a wing & runs Avons on it.

 

[bwringer]

I've ordered a couple of sets of tires from AMT. Good prices, fast service, etc.

When you factor in shipping, the top vendors are usually within $5 to $10/set of each other.

http://americanmototire.com
http://tiresunlimited.com
http://denniskirk.com

TiresUnlimited has a huge variety of tires, and orders usually show up the next day for me here in Indianapolis (they're in Dayton, OH.)

Dennis Kirk shows you current inventory, which is very nice, and ships out the same day up until 8:00 their time. Normal delivery from Minnesota to me is 2 days, but sometimes DK simply has Tires Unlimited send tires from their warehouse, which feels odd. DK's shipping is free on orders over $100.

I no longer recommend Southwest Moto Tire -- they've screwed up my orders a couple of times. However, many other people have used them for years without a problem. YMMV.



Lastly, I'm fairly certain that the stock wheel size for a GK is 16". If you want a 17" wheel like the one pictured, you'd need to find one from an '82-'83 1100G or 850G.

The 16" wheel gives you a much wider choice in tires, though. Grandpa swapped between the two sizes on his GK, and reported that there's no detectable difference from the saddle.

 

[Redman]

.............
the 17" wheel with the GK/late model spoke pattern.
.............

.........
a 17" wheel like the one pictured,
..........

Not to purposly highjack the tread about reviewing the tire.......

Yes, GK rear is 16 inches (82 anyway).

But, what...?
Brian Mr bwringer can tell by looking at picture that the wheel in the picture is an 17", huh?
And,
Steve Mr Giblet is talking about different spoke patterns? What?
Huh?

'splain to me, please.
Apparently I am ignorant of something here.

.

.

 

[Nessism]

Not to purposly highjack the tread about reviewing the tire.......

Yes, GK rear is 16 inches (82 anyway).

But, what...?
Brian Mr bwringer can tell by looking at picture that the wheel in the picture is an 17", huh?
And,
Steve Mr Giblet is talking about different spoke patterns? What?
Huh?

'splain to me, please.
Apparently I am ignorant of something here.

.

.

Seems to me Gilbet has a 16" but would like a 17. As Brian stated, second generation 17" shafty wheels only came on 82+ 850/1100 G's.

I'm another one that likes AMT. Picked up a couple sets of Avons last year from them. Good supplier.

 

[Giblet]

Lastly, I'm fairly certain that the stock wheel size for a GK is 16". If you want a 17" wheel like the one pictured, you'd need to find one from an '82-'83 1100G or 850G.

The 16" wheel gives you a much wider choice in tires, though. Grandpa swapped between the two sizes on his GK, and reported that there's no detectable difference from the saddle.

You are correct, 16" is the only size for the GK. And the wider choice in tires appears to be true too. I just wanted to go back to the 17" to see if there is a discernable difference in fuel mileage/RPM. I keep thinkig if I mention it casually, eventually some one will say "Hey! I have one of those". I just happen to have (2) GS1000G wheels and a usable Cheng Shin 130/90-17 tire to try out next Saturday. The Cheng Shin is 8 years old but it should be OK fo a short run to check.

 

[Giblet]

Not to purposly highjack the tread about reviewing the tire.......
Yes, GK rear is 16 inches (82 anyway).
But, what...?
Brian Mr bwringer can tell by looking at picture that the wheel in the picture is an 17", huh?
And,
Steve Mr Giblet is talking about different spoke patterns? What?
Huh?
'splain to me, please.
Apparently I am ignorant of something here.

No problem my friend. Hijack my thread anytime. You are correct about wheel size. When the old GK died she had a nearly new Dunlop D404 on it and I needed to get my use out of it. I had to do a bit of shimming with a huge washer since the is a difference in the (I think) in the width of the wheel hub/swing arm. The G wheel (star) sokes actually cross forming a star. The GK wheel spokes do not. See below. When I change tires I'll take a couple of pics and dimensions on the washer I used to shim.

 

[bwringer]

Well, you can clearly see the tire size printed on the tire in the photo in the original post above, which tells you it's a 17" tire...

I had to dig around for an old photo of my bike (1983 GS850GD) that shows the rear wheel, but here's the wheel pattern used on the 82-83 1100G and 850G with 17" rear wheels:

The GL models use 16" rear wheels AFAIK. However, I did see a 1980 850GL that used a 17" rear wheel. The owner and I weren't really sure if that was stock, though. You can interchange them pretty easily, although you may need to do some very minor shimming of the brake rotor. The difference in "gearing" is reportedly slight, but I haven't tried it firsthand.


Finally, FWIW, I'm a big, big fan of the Avon AM26 RoadRiders. Performance per dollar is excellent with these.

However, Shinko, Kenda, and Maxxis all make somewhat less expensive but perfectly good tires, too. They're all light-years better than what these bikes came with from the factory 25 years ago.

 

[Redman]

Well, you can clearly see the tire size printed on the tire in the photo in the original post above, which tells you it's a 17" tire...

I had to dig around for an old photo of my bike (1983 GS850GD) that shows the rear wheel, but here's the wheel pattern used on the 82-83 1100G and 850G with 17" rear wheels:

.....

Oh, my monitor is so old that it is so dark that I could not see the lettering on the tire. Doah.

And, yes, Brian, that is old picture of your 850G. Doesn't have the tall plug caps and yellow ignition wires.

Ah, Steve, okay, I see pattern difference.

Okay, now that I look at photos I have of the 80 850G I had, yah, I see a different spoke pattern than I have now on 82 GK (not crossing, like Brain picture of 83 850G). Had not noticed that before, or if I did; I had forgot that I did (probably the more likley situation) Oh, Man.

Pic of 80 850G with Spoke pattern crossing, and 82 650G with spoke pattern not crossing.

So somewhere between 80 and 82 it changed (regardless of 17 or 16 inch), I would guess at 82.

Thanks Steve.
Thanks Brian.
.

Okay, back to tires....................
Nobody mention oil.
Nobody mention Catholics.

.

 

[Giblet]

Okay, back to tires....................
Nobody mention oil.
Nobody mention Catholics.

What about oil used by Catholics?

You had to know that was coming.

 

[Clone]

I was actually thinking of putting on a GT501, the front I can find, but the rear I cannot find in 130/90-17. :-k
So, you say the life is not good, would 10000Km be out of the question?
The other option I was looking at was Avon AM26, is this a good tire?

 

[Giblet]

Dirty dog! Thought you'd throw me with the Km angle didn't you (10Km = 6214 miles). I'd guess that is about what I got judging on how much I typically ride each week. From what I can tell, Dunlop does not offer a 130/90-17 GT501. I was ready to put the old 81 wheel back on till I started looking for one. I have a GT501 on the front and am happy with the handleing. I haven't used Avon's but I have a buddy that rides a Wing and he swears by them.

I was actually thinking of putting on a GT501, the front I can find, but the rear I cannot find in 130/90-17. :-k
So, you say the life is not good, would 10000Km be out of the question?
The other option I was looking at was Avon AM26, is this a good tire?

 

[bwringer]

The other option I was looking at was Avon AM26, is this a good tire?

The Avon AM26 is not just a good tire -- it's an excellent, outstanding tire. I'm on my third set, and all my friends use them as well with excellent results.

I get around 6,000 hard miles out of every rear and 12,000 out of every front -- they're the first tire I've ever felt comfortable using 2 rears to each front. They handle wonderfully start to finish, too -- none of that wobbly wiggly crap when the tread gets thin.

I whip my GS850 like a rented mule, so most normal people will get even more life out of them.

Giblet, promise to let us know how that Maxxis handles and lasts, okay? Looks like a great tire for the money, but a firsthand report will mean a lot to a lot of people. :clap:

 

[Giblet]

Giblet, promise to let us know how that Maxxis handles and lasts, okay? Looks like a great tire for the money, but a firsthand report will mean a lot to a lot of people. :clap:

I will report back. I'm still looking for the tire with the perfect balance of price, performance & wear. My recent career change & subsequent lower income is dictating much closer scrutiny of expenses, hence the Maxxis :dancing:.

 

[RobC]

The 850GL I bought last year included a set of the same Maxxis tires brand new. As far as handling they grip the road quite well in both dry and wet conditions. Cornering is good to as they still are holding on the road when I'm scraping parts of my bike/feet on pavement.The 850 is my first street bike so I can't really compare to other tires, as they are the only tires I've ridden on.

So far I have put just over 4k miles and the tread is holding up great, even with my 230lbs and all my gear strapped to it.


Hope that helps,
Rob

 

[Steve]

...And, Steve Mr Giblet is talking about different spoke patterns? What? Huh? 'splain to me, please. Apparently I am ignorant of something here.

... The G wheel (star) spokes actually cross forming a star. The GK wheel spokes do not.

Okay, now that I look at photos I have of the 80 850G I had, yah, I see a different spoke pattern than I have now on 82 GK (not crossing, like Brain picture of 83 850G). Had not noticed that before, or if I did; I had forgot that I did (probably the more likley situation) Oh, Man.

Pic of 80 850G with Spoke pattern crossing, and 82 650G with spoke pattern not crossing.

So somewhere between 80 and 82 it changed (regardless of 17 or 16 inch), I would guess at 82.

Suzuki used the "star" pattern through the 1981 model year. Starting with the 1982 model year, they used the "spoke" pattern that did not cross. This was regardless of model or size. The Katanas had their own pattern that was distinctly different.


Now, back to tires ...
Although they will cost you more to purchase, you will probably not find a longer-lasting tire that also grips quite well, giving you more miles per dollar than any other tire, if you get the Dunlop E3. Not available in a 17-inch rear, but the 16-inch rear is no problem.

How long will they last? The first set I had on my Wing lasted 23,000 miles and you could still see the tread. It wasn't deep, but it was still there. The second set only lasted just over 21,000, but I got a third set anyway. No doubt they might last even longer on a GS.

When you factor in shipping, the top vendors are usually within $5 to $10/set of each other.

http://americanmototire.com
http://tiresunlimited.com
http://denniskirk.com

TiresUnlimited has a huge variety of tires, and orders usually show up the next day for me here in Indianapolis (they're in Dayton, OH.)

Some day I might look into comparing prices between tire suppliers, but Tires Unlimited is just up the road from me. The in-store price is just a little more than the on-line price, but I only have to pay tax, not shipping, so it adds up to about the same amount. Now that I have a new air compressor and a decent selection of balancing weights, I am more likely to start mounting my own tires. I have mounted a few for GSs, but have not done my Wing tires, yet.
I have heard too many horror stories on the Wing forum about mounting them.

 

[RobC]

I have heard too many horror stories on the Wing forum about mounting them.

I have a friend that mounts his tires on his wing, and does so quite easily, of course we both work on an Air Force base and have access to the hobby shop and it has a pneumatic tire mounting machine. He also has his own static balancer. He has mounted all his tires since he bought his wing 4 years and 98k miles ago, so has gotten to be quite a pro. Got him to mount my tires and from start to balanced was about 20 min.

 

[Steve]

Yeah, some of them work OK, others just can't seem to get the beads to seat.
Might have something to do with how the tires were stored, and whether the beads have been pressed together.

.

 

[Nessism]

Yeah, some of them work OK, others just can't seem to get the beads to seat.
Might have something to do with how the tires were stored, and whether the beads have been pressed together.

.

Using proper tire lube really helps. Bwringer was always talking about the stuff so I got me some.