tires/tire pressure on GS 850

[Anonymous]

Hi I'm a newbie here. Just picked up an '81 GS850g with Windjammer+ KG rack & trunk.
It has 100/90 Dunlop Qualifier on front & 130/90 C.S. Marquis on rear. Mechanic told me to run 32 lbs front & 34 lbs rear for solo.

Bike seems to wander a bit re: straight line tracking & on the curve at most speeds. It almost feels as if I were slightly wiggling the handlebars. It also seems to make very slight "tipping" motions side to side. All seems tight. Can the TP be too high or even still too low? It didn't seem to do it the first few days when TP was lower front.

Also does anyone have a lead on owner's manual and side cover emblems for this bike.
Thanks you
Douglas :roll: :? :x

[Anonymous]

(This is for an '81 GS1100EX). My owner' manual and Clymer manual specify 25 front/28 rear for solo riding. Of course, those were for the original tires. I bought the bike last year when the seller had newly fitted Pirelli Match tires. I find that at those recommended pressures the bike wanders badly, and follows parallel cut lines. It really exaggerates the effect of the wind blowing me around, too. Despite playing around with the suspension adjustments endlessly, I found the problem finally went away when I started running 29 front/36 rear. I suspect I could afford to go to 32 front without a problem. I don't yet know what effect the higher pressures may have on tire wear, but I plan to canvass the dealers. Check the accuracy of any tire gauge you're using. Some are notoriously inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

You also want to check the air pressure in your forks. In my 850 if there is as little as 4 lbs air pressure difference, then the bike tends to wander and counter steering feels mushy.

[brs127s]

I have the standard Dunlops (F11 and 627?) on my 83 850GL. I run 28 psi in the front and 30 psi in the back with 11 psi in the forks. These pressures work the best for me(6'2", 240).

[Anonymous]

questions....

Douglas,
First thing to me is to get the correct size tire on the front of that Suzi and get a matched set of tires on it......IMHO set of the Bstone S21 will give you the ride you are looking for.....I may be somewhat of a cycle snob but c/s tires are substandard.....not all tires are equal....The Bstones have served me well,they are of a dual tread compound, harder on center and softer when you have her heeled over in a turn,pressures vary form tyre totyre but these run a bit higher than aformentioned ones......34-36 front 38-41 rear.....higher end of pressures for two up riding and highspeed riding....those 850s will go very fast you know.
As far as manuals ,go with OEM shop manual.look through the for sale stuff there was a fellow selling OEM for good price. Emblems can be a problem,most of the stuff for our biks are now nonexistant, Some n.o.s. can be found{new old stock} by the way front size is 110/90/19 and you need new tube there,if you have 850,1000,1100 rear is tubeless.....
Good luck....

Rodm850g@aol.com

[saaz]

The Windjammer would not help the wanders, but apart from that, I typically run 36psi front and 43 rear (warm pressures). These pressures give good allround performance and tyre life.

With that extra weight on the front keeping tht pressure up will help. You might also want to check that the steering head bearings are greased and adjusted properly...getting that right makes a big difference.

Also tyre type can make a diffference. A more robbed tyre (eg Metzler ME33) gives better direction control and steering, a more universal pattern is not as accurate in steering but may be better at direction chnage. I would tend to go for a more ribbed type tyre pattern.

All a bit much I know, but I havent even mentioned suspension setup!

[Anonymous]

My bike had the same feeling as you describe, on a perfectly new blacktopped flat stretch it would feel (especially the rear) was slightly kicking back and forth. I figured it was a flat spot on the tire from sitting on the kickstand so long. Threw on a new set of Bridgestones and now it is straight as an arrow and no more shimmy.