What kind of radials do you like?

[80GS1000]

For the guys who have done the front and rear end conversion required to run radial tires - what kind do you like for your GS? The first set of radials on my bike after the conversion's done will be a set of Michelin Pilot Powers - is anyone running those now?

 

[oldschoolGS]

You cannot go wrong with the Powers, I have them on the 900SS and can only say that they are the best street tires I have ever ridden. I have Dunlop ZR's on the Bandit and they do not even come close to the Michelins.

Right now I believe the Michelins are the best sport tire on the market.

Good Luck, Ed.
1983 GS750ED
2005 GSF1200SZ
1992 Duc 900SS

 

[kevan]

Radials

Radials

I have used Metzeler MEZ4's and have been very satified. In the spring I am planning on a pair of Metzeler Z6's since the Z4 no longer comes in the size I use.

Kevan
1984
GS750
187,000kms

 

[80GS1000]

What do you like about the Powers? How's the grip and longevity?

You cannot go wrong with the Powers, I have them on the 900SS and can only say that they are the best street tires I have ever ridden. I have Dunlop ZR's on the Bandit and they do not even come close to the Michelins.

Right now I believe the Michelins are the best sport tire on the market.

Good Luck, Ed.
1983 GS750ED
2005 GSF1200SZ
1992 Duc 900SS

 

[DanTheMan]

Aw, Man, I misread the heading, thought it said What kind of radicals do you like? oh, well, guess it wasn't in the Off Topic, gues that's what I get for just looking in New Posts..........:-D

 

[jimcor]

I had Dunlop D-205's on my Concours. A good handling very long wearing sport-touring tire. Ran those tires over 15,000 miles. Expensive up front to buy them, but in the long run quite a bargain.

 

[bwringer]

I'm pondering the same question for my "other" bike, a VX800 -- it happens to use tire sizes readily available in both radial and bias ply flavors.

It had new radial tires when I bought it in late July, but 5,000 miles later, the Bridgestone BT-020 tires are just about toasted. I can't say I'd recommend these. They stick well enough (as any modern tire damn well better), but I think they're pretty numb feeling and the profile makes them a bit slower to respond than they should be. Of course, that could just be a characteristic of the VX, but there's only one way to find out...

I've pretty well decided to order up a set of Pirelli Diablo Stradas -- they're billed as a radial sporting tire that lasts, and the few reviews I've found are positively glowing. They're new to the market this year. The Pirelli Sport Demons on my GS850 are absolutely amazing, so I'm hoping Pirelli's radials are also amazing.

And, as Jim says, you can't go wrong with the Dunlop 205, either. It's very well-regarded in the VX world, too. In VX sizes, the Dunlop 205 is actually the cheapest radial of all the major brands by $15 - $20 a set. Dunno about Concours or your sizes.

I do know there are people on various bikes who are dissatisfied with the Michelins, but many are also very happy, so who knows? They seem to be a love/hate thing for many riders. Everyone does report that they are a little noisy, which doesn't bother most people.

Here are a couple of excellent sources for all the above tires. I've used both and been very happy:

Best total price with free shipping on a set, great service and communication. Located in AZ, so shipping may take a few extra days for midwest/east coast:
http://swmototires.com

Good prices, great service, huge inventory. Located in Dayton, OH, so ground shipping is overnight or 2 days for much of the midwest/eastern US:
http://tiresunlimited.com

 

[oldschoolGS]

What do you like about the Powers? How's the grip and longevity?

Usually grip and longevity cannot be used together to describe cycle tires. You either settle for one or the other or find a happy medium that excels in niether. I have 1500 miles so far on the Powers and they still look and feel new. But this is on a very light, well balanced bike (400lb Ducati 900SS). I would expect somewhere in the area of 2500-4500 miles out of a rear on either the GS or my Bandit 1200, depending on riding style.

In the grip department they require minimal warm up and stick better than any other radial I have ridden. I often find myself riding harder than I should be on the Ducati as they inspire total confidence. In comparison, the Dunlop ZR's on my Bandit feel greasy when they are fully heated and will slide when really pushed hard. They are predictable and manageable when they slide but do not inspire confidence as the Michelin's do. I will be mounting a set of Power's on the Bandit in the Spring and will then get an accurate picture of how they hold up on a 500lb tire shredding hulk of a bike.

Its all a matter of preferences, for me, grip is the most important factor. I consider having to buy fresh, quality rubber every couple of thousand miles part of the price of admission for being able to effectively ride a performance machine.

Good Luck, Ed.
1983 GS750ED
2005 GSF1200SZ
1992 Duc 900SS

 

[johnnay]

When I was looking for tires for my bike, I was going to go with the powers based on a bunch of reviews etc. However, when talking with one of the more knowledgeable bike shop guys, he cautioned against using them for a bike as heavy as ours (GS1100e weighs in at 565lbs or something ridiculous!). His comment was that those tires were designed for the sport bikes, which weigh considerably less than a GS. He recommended the Bridgestone BT020, which is designed for the heavier sport touring bikes - made sense to me, so that's what I went with.

I only have the front on at the moment, as I haven't done the rear wheel swap yet, but I am quite happy with the Bridgstone so far. But maybe that's just because any radial is an improvement, I dunno...

 

[Dink]

?How can a thread like this get this far along without someone replying "I like the black round ones":shock: :-D :shock: :-D

Dink

 

[oldschoolGS]

When I was looking for tires for my bike, I was going to go with the powers based on a bunch of reviews etc. However, when talking with one of the more knowledgeable bike shop guys, he cautioned against using them for a bike as heavy as ours (GS1100e weighs in at 565lbs or something ridiculous!). His comment was that those tires were designed for the sport bikes, which weigh considerably less than a GS. He recommended the Bridgestone BT020, which is designed for the heavier sport touring bikes - made sense to me, so that's what I went with.

I only have the front on at the moment, as I haven't done the rear wheel swap yet, but I am quite happy with the Bridgstone so far. But maybe that's just because any radial is an improvement, I dunno...

Sounds like he had some BT020 stock to clear out. Quite a few guys are running the Michelins and new Dunlop Qualifier on their 500lb+ Bandit 1200's without any issues - other than wearing them out every couple thousand miles.

 

[jimcor]

?How can a thread like this get this far along without someone replying "I like the black round ones":shock: :-D :shock: :-D

Dink

Or my favorite...I like AM/FM radial tires the best.

 

[80GS1000]

Any opinions on tire width? You can fit a 160 in the GS1100 swingarm upgrade (with 530 chain conversion etc), but would a 150 cause the bike to be noticeably more flickable? What's the advantage of a wider tire? Modern sportbikes have 180/190 section rear tires - is this to help get all that horsepower on the ground without spinning out the tire?

 

[Steve]

Quote from bwringer:
Good prices, great service, huge inventory. Located in Dayton, OH, so ground shipping is overnight or 2 days for much of the midwest/eastern US:
http://tiresunlimited.com

Ground shipping??? We don' need no steenking GROUND SHIPPING. :shock:

They are just a 25-minute ride up the road for me. \\/

I take my wheels off the bike, toss them in the van and take them up there. About an hour later, I take them home and put them on. In-store prices are just a bit different than on-line prices, but by the time you figure in shipping vs. taxes, it evens out.


.

 

[devildog0]

What kind of mods do you have to perform to run Radials on the older GSes?

 

[Guest]

swapping over to gsxr or katana rims, I do believe, are required. Maybe some of the other, more wisened fellows here know otherwise

EDIT: Meant to include that gsxr/katana forks are neccessary, too. duh....

 

[80GS1000]

What kind of mods do you have to perform to run Radials on the older GSes?

I'm part way through the radial conversion on my GS1000.

In order to run radials on a GS1000, you need to do some front and rear end mods.

On the rear:

Swap out the rim, swingarm, rear brake assembly, and do a 530 chain conversion.

I'm using a 2003 Katana 600 4.5x17" rim on which I can mount a 150 or 160 radial tire.

The GS1000 swingarm appears to be too narrow to accomodate the wider tire and rim, so a GS1100E swingarm will be used.

The rear brake is being changed to a Katana 600 brake to accommodate the smaller rear brake rotor so a bracket needs to be welded onto the underside of the swingarm to hold the brake torque arm.

You also need to convert to a 530 chain so that the chain doesn't rub against the tire and frame, and because the Katana rear sprocket is set up for a 530 chain. An offset 530 front sprocket is required for the front as the Katana rear hub and sprocket sticks out further than the stock GS rear hub and sprocket, and to prevent the chain from rubbing. The Katana rear sprocket is 47 tooth, so the new 530 offset front sprocket will be 17 tooth to keep the gearing ratio close to stock at 2.8.

On the front:

Because you shouldn't mix radials and bias ply tires on the same bike for safety reasons, you also need to swap out your front end to one that is designed for radials. By doing this, you also get far better front brakes and adjustable suspension.

A common swap is for the '90-95(please correct these years if incorrect) GSXR 1100 front end. The steering head bearings on this bike are identical to the GS1000 bearings, so it's a straight swap, no fuss or muss.

Another option is to use a more modern GSXR front end. I'm in the process of installing a 2004 GSXR 1000 front end on my bike right now. The tricky part about this swap is that the bearings are different - the GS and Gixxer have the same size steering stem bearings on the bottom (30x55x17), but the top bearings are different, so you have to figure out a way to get the Gixxer steering stem to mate with the GS steering head. The easiest way is to find a bearing that has the same inner diameter of the new steering stem, and the outer race diameter of the steering head on the bike, with the same height as the stock bearing. Problem is that nobody, and I mean NOOOOBODY makes a 30x47x15 tapered bearing. After several weeks of research, I found a guy that custom makes bearings for fork swaps so we're set.

You'll also need to figure out the speedometer situation as your stock speedo set up for a 19" wheel won't work on the new 17" wheel. Bicycle speedometers or the rather nice aftermarket gauges from Electrosport are a couple of options.

Here's a pic of a trick looking GS1000 with the front end from a 2003 Gixxer 1000. The guy reports that his bike handles much better than stock with excellent braking and no ground clearance issues.

 

[devildog0]

Thanks for all the info.