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Tire Size Confusion

  • Thread starter Thread starter srg
  • Start date Start date
S

srg

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I need to replace my tires. I'm confused. Here's why:

Currently On My Bike
Front: 100/90-19 (or 3.25/3.50-19) 57H Tubeless.
Rear: 130/90-17 (or 5.00/5.10-17) 68H Tubeless.

Bikez.com's Specs
Front: 3.25-19
Rear: 3.75-18
Source: http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/suzuki_gs_550_l_1980.php

TotalMotorcycle.com's Specs
Front: 3.00-21
Rear: 3.75-18
Source: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcyclespecshandbook/suzuki/1980-suzuki-GS550L.htm

So everything is giving me conflicting advice, even conflicting rim sizes. I have no idea if the rims are OEM or not. Can anyone advice? Should I go with what's on the bike currently (because the rims may not be OEM?)

Thanks!
 
If you have mag wheels, iirc it is in the stamping on the rim what size it is.
 
The tire sizes should be listed in the manual as well, although my experience is that you have to go up 10mm or so on width (the first number) for each one because it's hard to find tires in the old sizes.

I would trust the factory service manual over random websites any day. Although if you suspect your rims are not original, then neither will be all that helpful...

For reference, the tires currently on your bike are the same sizes as the ones on my GS850GL. So you might be in the right ballpark.
 
srg said:
I need to replace my tires. I'm confused. Here's why:

Currently On My Bike
Front: 100/90-19 (or 3.25/3.50-19) 57H Tubeless.
Rear: 130/90-17 (or 5.00/5.10-17) 68H Tubeless.

Bikez.com's Specs
Front: 3.25-19
Rear: 3.75-18
Source: http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/suzuki_gs_550_l_1980.php

TotalMotorcycle.com's Specs
Front: 3.00-21
Rear: 3.75-18
Source: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcyclespecshandbook/suzuki/1980-suzuki-GS550L.htm

So everything is giving me conflicting advice, even conflicting rim sizes. I have no idea if the rims are OEM or not. Can anyone advice? Should I go with what's on the bike currently (because the rims may not be OEM?)

Thanks!
Click to expand...



If you want to know what size tires came on your bike originally you are missing the two best sources of Suzuki motorcycle information: the factory Suzuki service manual (free download on Basscliff's website) and the factory Suzuki parts fishe (available at a multitude of online websites that sell factory Suzuki parts).

Doing as suggested will show you that your bike left the factory with 3.25-19 front and 4.50-17 rear.

There are a multitude of online charts showing the cross reference of these sizes with more modern metric sized tires.

Common GSR forum wisdom suggests that most GSR's are running a 100/90-19 front tire.
For the rear, I'm not sure what the wheel width is, but if it's 2.15, then a 120/90 is the widest you should use. If it's a 2.5, then you can go 130.
 
Thanks for the help guys!

So, through your responses and my research, I'm gonna go with:
Front: 100/90-19
Rear: 130/90-17

Are there any tips on choosing tires? I've never bought tires for a bike before. I definitely want to keep both tires the same brand/model. I'm gonna be using this for just regular commuting and riding around (no sporty stuff, no cross-country trips for now). I was thinking Sport Touring or Touring, but I'm not really sure.
 
srg said:
Yes, all of that was determined in this thread. I already determined the tire sizes I want to use. I'm asking for other advice/recommendations. Such as certain brands, models, and if I should go with touring or cruiser or what. Since I never picked out bike tires before, I'm unsure. The thread you linked to didn't even mention any of that.
Click to expand...

You are welcome.
 
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