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Tires for spoked GS 1000 wheels...

sharpy said:
Try and get stainless spokes, (mmmm shiny) a tad more brittle but well worth the shine if thats ure thing. Also i had my rims/spokes polished for that extra wank. I break about 2 rear spokes a year but had the wheel laced for about 8 yrs now. Front fender off a GSX550 ESD will fit with just some hack saw cuts for the brake hose brackets. My rims are 2.50 and 4.25 x18s. Running 110/80 Avon AM22 and a 140/80 Bridgestone BT45 with the back side of the brake stay arm flattened for extra clearance.

Picture_0020.jpg
Click to expand...

I really don't like shiny things, except when I'm selling.
Looks sweet though, as long as someone else is doing the shining.
Is that 2.5 inch front wheel wide enough to use radial tires?
 
I've seen the speed Sandy rides at.... Those tyres must work ok!

These are about the only choice of rims I think:

http://www.buchananspokes.net/products/excel_non_dimpled_aluminum_rims.asp

Labor
http://www.buchananspokes.net/categories/labor.asp

Prob have nipples & spokes to add I think at about $100 a wheel.

How about a 110 front with a 150 or so rear... Sport touring radial http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres&method=showspecs&id=25

You need 17" both ends for any of the supersport type tyres I think....

I was going to try these on a set of 1150 wheels (120f & 140r on the 750ES maybe... http://www.avon-tyres.co.uk/motorcycle/?page=tyres&method=showspecs&id=18

Dan :)
 
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nisom512 said:
may be true but I dont think that there is a 100/90 - 19!!! for a rear wheel? has there ever been a rear wheel that small. I bet that size is a dedicated front.
Click to expand...

A lot of the Brit stuff including some of the last Nortons and Triumphs ran 19" rears and the stock sizes were quite small. A popular combination would be to run 4.10x19 TT100s front and rear and I think those would be about the same as a 110 and the 4.10s looked big in those days.
 
tkent02 said:
I really don't like shiny things, except when I'm selling.
Looks sweet though, as long as someone else is doing the shining.
Is that 2.5 inch front wheel wide enough to use radial tires?
Click to expand...

Whats a radial tyre?.. Dont know if a radial would suit and any wider would steer like a frgn truck. Could have put 17's on it but that just plain wrong and looks wrong. Still get good rubber as far as im concerned as the bike with lift the front wheel on the throttle in the wet so must be "sticky' enough.
 
I'm thinking of staying with more standard sizes for now, but maybe put an 18 inch rim on the front... So some of the GS 1000 rims were 2.5 x 18?
That might be good on the back with the 2.15 x 18 on the front.
 
i was just checking that buchan site, they have alum dimpeled ones to and are a bit cheaper. Depending on size tire you want to run there are a lot of options for the 17" rims these are what the super moto guys run you can go up to 5.0 maybe even 5.5 wide if you wanted and run modern radials like pilot powers. Just look for 36 hole rims.
 
Just did a rough check the 180 would be to wide for the 1100 swing arm maybe a 150 or 140 would work. The 120 front on my sv looks like it would just fit the stock forks of the kat/gs1100 forks.

I guess i am going to have to modify the zrx swing arm to fit before I buy rims now....

on a side note there was a guy a few years back the runs a Kat over in europe i think that fitted 17"ers to some spokes he had and ran radials. can't remember the sizes he used.
 
The 83750ES I have has a 120F & 140R. The fork legs are a bit wider spaced than the 1000 though from memory.... The 140 is pretty tight in the swinger!

Dan :)
 
This was my brothers bike but as you can see the 17's just dont look right. same size rims/tyres as a RGV 250.


KatEFE.jpg



And the 18's on mine/bosses race Kat. And yes its missing the lower engine mount. Apparentally they say the handle better at Bathurst when they where left out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wasnt on there when the pic was taken , sorry


Kat1.jpg
 
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Man, I really need to find a book on spoked wheels or something. I wanted them a little bit before, but now I want them a LOT.

I have checked every junker within 200km, not one gs400/450 at all let alone one with spokers...

Any 400/450 guys on here know if other model bikes have wheels that bolt up? I gotta keep it as cheap as possible so lacing up customs is kinda out.

BEAUTIFUL BIKES people :D
 
A few notes from someone who's done it

My 78 GS 1000 came with wire wheels, eventually the spokes rusted and I had a local guy relace with SS spoke from Buchanon's. $75 parts and $75 labor per wheel. He noted that the SS spoke nipples are a bit larger, so he had to drill the holes in the rim.

I put on Avon Super Venom AM 18s, 100/90-19 and 120/90-18. The rear is the correct size, with a chicken strip of about 3/8".

The front is too big, with a chicken strip of about 1". It is obviously bulged up on the smaller rim and can't get fully on the sides. So, I'd go for a 90/90-19 in hindsight.
 
Big T said:
A few notes from someone who's done it

My 78 GS 1000 came with wire wheels, eventually the spokes rusted and I had a local guy relace with SS spoke from Buchanon's. $75 parts and $75 labor per wheel. He noted that the SS spoke nipples are a bit larger, so he had to drill the holes in the rim.

I put on Avon Super Venom AM 18s, 100/90-19 and 120/90-18. The rear is the correct size, with a chicken strip of about 3/8".

The front is too big, with a chicken strip of about 1". It is obviously bulged up on the smaller rim and can't get fully on the sides. So, I'd go for a 90/90-19 in hindsight.
Click to expand...

Whats a chicken strip? Seriously thats why you put larger/wider rims on your bike to set it up properly. Yes you can put 160,170 or 180's on but why? Notice the signage on that Kat i raced? Tyres for Bikes was/is a good shop but when my GS was getting better wheels i could have wacked any size/width on but stuck with what 18's because the thing handles nice without any "pressure" or chicken strips to have the latest fad. There old bikes and dont need big wheels execpt to keep up with the jone's. It has exactly the same running gear(swingarm,shocks) as the best superbikes where using in the GS/Katana heyday so why go bigger? Yes there 29 yr old shocks/pipes but are on the list to upgrade. Yes some times its hard for choice running 18's but it looks right with the profile and stuff like that. My brothers Kat had the big wheels because he didnt like my "skinny" wheels, more fashion than anything i say. Thats my little rant, SORRY :)

P.S.... When you get your wheels done more than likely the hub/rim will need to be drilled aswell to suit the 8 guage spokes they will use. And gest at least 5 spare spokes for later. Not hard to replace just have to have the tyre removed and if a inner spoke about 3 other spokes need to be undone.
 
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Sharpy,

The chicken strip is the unused portion of the tire along the edge around the circumference

Ideally, the chicken strips should be about equal on the front and rear,

Since mine's too wide on the front (23mm)

tires003.jpg


compared the rear (9 mm)

tires005.jpg


, my front tire's too wide for the rim
 
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Big T said:
Sharpy,

The chicken strip is the unused portion of the tire along the edge around the circumference

Ideally, the chicken strips should be about equal on the front and rear,

Since mine's too wide on the front compared the rear, my front tire's too wide for the rim
Click to expand...

Was being sarcastic, sorry. I know what they are thanks anyway.
 
Big T said:
Must have been your accent, I didn't understand your question*

See my photos

Going to a 2.15 rim up front would cure that.
Click to expand...

Have a 2.50x18/4.25x18 setup now and no chicken stips here. Dont need 160,170 or 180 wide tyres just need a good setup i say. The front is 112mm wide and the rear 145mm wide with those rims

Picture006-1.jpg



Picture007-1.jpg
 
sharpy said:
Have a 2.50x18/4.25x18 setup now and no chicken stips here. Dont need 160,170 or 180 wide tyres just need a good setup i say. The front is 112mm wide and the rear 145mm wide with those rims

Picture006-1.jpg



Picture007-1.jpg
Click to expand...

excellent info!

Any idea what width those old magnesium morris mags came in? What size tires did they race in back in the day?
 
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