Front Wheel dilemma (may contain whole or partial dead horse)

[Guest]

So, before I start tearing my hair out in frustration, which would be bad since I have a lot of hair, I am looking for a little help.

I have an '82 gs850l and I would like to be able to run the same sized tires front and back. It's not a performance thing, if I'm correct it should handle a little more like a whale after I'm done, I simply love the look of matched rubber front and rear.

Is there a 16" front wheel that I could bolt up into my bike with relative ease? If that's too easy a question to answer I would also like to run a 130/90-16 up front (same as the back) but it won't fit between the sliders, is there a compatible triple tree that would move my forks apart the extra 3/4-1" that I would need for clearance?

Thanks so much.

[Zook]

If you move your fork tubes farther apart you will need a longer axle, and if it has one a spacer to match. Plus you would have to fabricate brackets to mount the brake calipers as with wider forks they would no longer align with the rotor.
Actually changing to a 16" front wheel will quicken the steering as the tire diameter will be smaller and have less gyroscopic effect. It may even make the steering too twitchy for you.

I have a 87 Moto Guzzi with a 16" front wheel and 18" rear. The bike was offered with either a 16 or 18 inch front wheel. Some do not like the 16" wheel because the bike loses some of its stability. Others like it because it will change directions easier.
Some say it is a death trap.

IMO this is a spendy modification that may cost more than the bike is worth.

[Nessism]

It might be easiest to get a second generation GS750 or 1150 front end since those bikes had 16” front wheels. The wheel is not wide enough to install a 130 tire though. There are companies that will widen a wheel but it’s not cheap. Sounds like a very expensive fashion exercise that will have a detrimental effect on performance.

[groundshock]

I'm of the same opinion. I don't really care for the 19 inch on the front, wish there was a simple way to get a matched size set of wheels on this thing.

[wincefish]

Hmm,
Lots of fabrication is what I'm trying to avoid.
While I would really enjoy being able to run exactly the same size tire what I would like most is to have the same size rim and sidewall height so that the tires look the same from the side.
I think I might be able to get away with a 120/90 on a factory setup although I'm pretty sure I would need a wider rim to accomodate an extra centimetre of tire but the problem then is that I would lose 9 mm on the sidewall height (from 130/90 to 120/90)
Unless someone knows of a 120/100... I certainly haven't been able to find anything of the sort although I have not turned over every available stone.

Suggestions?

[ta2ed]

Hey ,I dont know exactly what the specs are,but I own a marauder that has the width you desire,if you could get the whole front end off of 1 of those you'd be in there. If I remember right I believe it has a 16" on it right now

[BentRod]

this might jsut seem silly, but why not get a taller, narrower rear wheel? the 86 I had was 18 inch front and back, 110/90 rear, 100/90 front.

[bwringer]

I don't really understand why on earth you want to do this, but here's an angle that might prove interesting...

You could try a 17" rear wheel from a G model shaftie. Should slide right in, in fact. And then maybe a 17" front would be easier to scare up. Maybe not.

But any way you slice it, you'd never find a 16" or 17" front wheel that would look the same as the rear, so it would end up looking goofy.

Since the 850GL is a shaftie with cast wheels, your options are severely limited without some serious machine work.

[wincefish]

I don't really understand why on earth you want to do this, but here's an angle that might prove interesting...

You could try a 17" rear wheel from a G model shaftie. Should slide right in, in fact. And then maybe a 17" front would be easier to scare up. Maybe not.

But any way you slice it, you'd never find a 16" or 17" front wheel that would look the same as the rear, so it would end up looking goofy.

Since the 850GL is a shaftie with cast wheels, your options are severely limited without some serious machine work.

The changes I want to make are purely for the sake of my own sense of aesthetics.

I've managed to find a 16x2.15" rim, does anyone know if you can actually run a 120/90 on it? (It's from a '85 gs550es) The fitment guides I've looked at are giving me conflicting messages.

[Nessism]

120 tire on a 2.15 rim is a little iffy, although it's been done before on the back of 550's and such. Personally, I wouldn't do it but I doubt you are going to crash if you choose to go that way.