1982 Suzuki GS650G - Rear Wheel

[Striker]

Hello folks

I’ve been working on an 82 GS650G which is a shaft drive
I was wondering can any wheel off the market can be used to replace the current oem wheels or is there only specific ones I can use?


would appreciate the forums expertise.

[Nessism]

No, you can't use just "any wheel off the market." You need a wheel that match the bikes shaft drive system. It shouldn't be too hard to find a proper 650 wheel. It may be possible to use an 850 wheel, but I'm not certain.

[Burque73]

Yep, 850 G wheels will work. My 850 is on 650G wheels now.

[Striker]

Yep, 850 G wheels will work. My 850 is on 650G wheels now.

850g wheels can hold thicker tires?

[Nessism]

850g wheels can hold thicker tires?

Nope. They are same width.

[Striker]

Nope. They are same width.

Then I guess there’s no point … the only reason why I want different wheels was
1. better look
2. thicker tires

[bwringer]

Then I guess there’s no point … the only reason why I want different wheels was
1. better look
2. thicker tires

Ah. We originally thought the question came up because there are a lot more GS850 bits out there than GS650.

The "I want phat meetz on my shaftie" question comes up with some regularity around here. So far, I recall one moderate success on a GS1000G that required a lot of advanced fabrication and alteration.

It is true that pretty much any wheel from a Suzuki shaftie that uses the same part for the driven flange ( 64680-45113 ) and a disc brake will mate up to the final drive. This part is still in use to the present day on the VL800 Boulevard cruisers, but these use a drum brake and usually a wire wheel:

https://www.onlinecycleparts.com/oemparts/a/suz/6596df14b5218bdacd22b9a0/rear-wheel-vl800t

The cruisers use a 170/80-15 tire, and the VX800 from the early '90s used a 150/70-17 rear.

However, the first limitation on a vintage GS is where the left side of the rear tire passes by the left side of the swingarm, where the shaft passes through. On a vintage GS, this clearance is pretty tight. This has been tried, and some 140 tires will contact the swingarm.

And of course the second limitation is that installing wider tires on the same narrow-ish wheel warps the cross-section of the tire into a sort of a hamburger bun, and really goofs up the otherwise excellent handling.

There has been some discussion of adapting some other swingarm/final drive assembly from a different Suzuki shaftie, or alterations to a stock swingarm and final drive to create the clearances needed while staying within the angular limitations of the driveshaft. At a certain point, you'd need to move the engine to the left... If I recall correctly, there was a GS1000G a long while back that managed a wider wheel and a bigger rear tire, but a lot of precision machine shop work and fabrication were needed.

Put on decent rubber in the correct sizes, upgrade the suspension a little, upgrade your software with a few good riding classes, and enjoy the surprisingly superb handling available from Suzuki's old shafties.

[Striker]

Ah. We originally thought the question came up because there are a lot more GS850 bits out there than GS650.

The "I want phat meetz on my shaftie" question comes up with some regularity around here. So far, I recall one moderate success on a GS1000G that required a lot of advanced fabrication and alteration.

It is true that pretty much any wheel from a Suzuki shaftie that uses the same part for the driven flange ( 64680-45113 ) and a disc brake will mate up to the final drive. This part is still in use to the present day on the VL800 Boulevard cruisers, but these use a drum brake and usually a wire wheel:

https://www.onlinecycleparts.com/oemparts/a/suz/6596df14b5218bdacd22b9a0/rear-wheel-vl800t

The cruisers use a 170/80-15 tire, and the VX800 from the early '90s used a 150/70-17 rear.

However, the first limitation on a vintage GS is where the left side of the rear tire passes by the left side of the swingarm, where the shaft passes through. On a vintage GS, this clearance is pretty tight. This has been tried, and some 140 tires will contact the swingarm.

And of course the second limitation is that installing wider tires on the same narrow-ish wheel warps the cross-section of the tire into a sort of a hamburger bun, and really goofs up the otherwise excellent handling.

There has been some discussion of adapting some other swingarm/final drive assembly from a different Suzuki shaftie, or alterations to a stock swingarm and final drive to create the clearances needed while staying within the angular limitations of the driveshaft. At a certain point, you'd need to move the engine to the left... If I recall correctly, there was a GS1000G a long while back that managed a wider wheel and a bigger rear tire, but a lot of precision machine shop work and fabrication were needed.

Put on decent rubber in the correct sizes, upgrade the suspension a little, upgrade your software with a few good riding classes, and enjoy the surprisingly superb handling available from Suzuki's old shafties.

oof! Thanks for information… this really helped me decide that the best would be to leave the rear wheel as is!
That’s the realistic less hassle free choice