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GS650 Cafe Racer Project - Tyred

  • Thread starter Thread starter yaddy
  • Start date Start date
Y

yaddy

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Hi all, new member here. I've been a "silent" user of this forum for an age really, up until now i've found everything i've needed through the search options. Helped me immensely with my gs1000e build in the past but now i have another on the boil and need a bit of tyre info.

What size V rated tyre would squeeze in the back of a 650 Kat? I'm hoping to get a 150 in if poss? I was thinking along the lines of 110/70/19 up front and 150/55/17 at the rear (obv sizes might need tweaking between brands etc). I currently have a 130 at the back but wanted something a little wider, if for the looks alone. My vmax had a 130 in and i was told this was the biggest you could fit, but i managed to get a 150 in there by turning the spacers round, does anyone know if a similar trick can be done with the 650? Everythings at the coaters for this and next week so i cant measure or offer anything together (should have done it before i sent the bits off, i know.....), just wanted to get some new boots while the bits were away so if anyone can help, much appreciated.

A few words to all the members and admins:
Keep up the good (and hard!) work guys, the info on here is priceless to many a man.
Keep the posts coming in no matter how trivial they may seem, someone else out there has the same problem as you, guaranteed!
 
Once again ... concerning tyres ... BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER :eek:

Two things are at odds in your statement:
1. you want a V-rated tyre, so you are concerned about safety
2. you want a fat tire for looks

Not sure about the wheel width on your Kat, but it's likely that a 130 is the widest tyre you should install without compromising performance. By installing a wider tyre on a relatively narrow rim, you will pinch the beads together closer than they should be, which affects the profile of the tire. This squeezes the tyre into a smaller-than-normal radius, which will actually give you a smaller contact patch.

.
 
I have a 150 tire mounted up on the back of my gS550 on a 17" rim.
There are no clearance issues at all but the rim is to narrow, way to narrow.

You would best consider a rim upgrade to a 4.5" or so from a later bike.
 
130 is probably it. With the shaft drive you're limited in wheel choices although you may be able to use a rim from an 850 or 1000G. I would stick with a 130 and call it a day.
 
The 650M rear wheel is 2.5" wide so the max tire size is 130. For the front, the wheel is 1.85" wide so you should limit that to a 100. Installing tires larger than these is a bad idea since the tread will be pinched in at the sidewall - not good.
 
duaneage said:
130 is probably it. With the shaft drive you're limited in wheel choices although you may be able to use a rim from an 850 or 1000G. I would stick with a 130 and call it a day.
Click to expand...

If I am correct he mentioned it is a 650 Kat, that would be a chain drive.
 
Cheers for the info guys. Just to clarify on previous post:

Mine is indeed a 650 kat but it's still a shafty.


Reply:
Once again ... concerning tyres ... BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER :eek:

Two things are at odds in your statement:
1. you want a V-rated tyre, so you are concerned about safety
2. you want a fat tire for looks

I do indeed agree with this statement, my R1 is currently using a 180 rear instead of the standard 190 section. I find it turns in quicker and is easier to flick from one side to the other. Tradeoff as always when messing with tyres is that it lacks a bit of stability on the German autobahns ;)
Changing tyres from standard sizes is always a gamble and you should TREAD lightly, i just wanted v rated tyres cos in MY opinion, you can generate heat quicker and have a much better performing tyre (enter comments here:). My ONLY reason for wanting a fatter rear was because of the cafe racer style, it opens the back of the bike up a lot more and makes the skinny 130 look a bit odd. I didn't know if any manufacturers were doing tyres with a wider contact patch that could fit the slimmer rims, i've been out of the classics for a while and onto the rice burning stuff. My GS1000 has a 130 bt45 in the rear and handles "ok" for what i want from it, i'll settle for a set of them on the standard sizes then. Cheers for the speedy replies guys, much appreciated.
 
I had the same thoughts in mind when I got the 150 for my bike, to look wider.
But looking at the 150 mounted on the old 17" rim it is pinched in and actually is not much wider that the 130 would be, it is just taller.
GS-LR.JPG
 
Old Colt said:
Yup he corrected that a couple of posts up. I are wrong. I guess not many 650s were chain drive as I thought the kat was derived from the 650E rather than the G.
Click to expand...


Doh.. couple of posts happened between when I loaded the page and got around to reading/replying to it.


Amos
 
This is my first question asked on these forums although i've been a sleeping visitor for a while now! I'm really impressed with the quality of the replies and also the speed at which the info comes in, many thanks Dudes. I've ordered a set of standard sized boots now after reading all the comments.

Don't want to spam on here but the following link shows the kat under its development along with a piccie of my GS1000. If it contravenes forum policy for spamming, i apologise upfront, feel free to remove it, cheers again.

http://katanacaferacer.blogspot.com
 
Last edited:
Your build up looks very nice.
You might consider reworking the original upper to clean it up when using clip-ons.
GS-Bars.JPG
 
I forgot to mention on my previous post, very nice reshaping on your GS1000 seat.
 
Yeah, looks good but breaks your f******* balls at the lights, hahahahahahahh. Thanks for that yoke idea, as i said in my blog, i was thinking of a billet top yoke but i see where your coming from, that would look great on my bike if i go that route. What are the clip-ons from? Sorry for going off topic here.......
 
This is your thread, you can direct as you choose.

My setup uses GS1000 forks in the original GS550 triples. The triples are bored from 35mm to fit the 37mm forks.
The clip-ons were speced for a 600 Honda, I bought this set used but originally had made my own way back when I first built the bike for racing.
 
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