Rear tire

[jeepman847]

hey there,
I have a 1985 GS550L and it has a rear tire size of 130/90-16, I was wondering what is the fatest tire i could run with on that bike.

Thanks
Alex

[Billy Ricks]

Stick with the stock size. All you do trying to run a wider tire is pinch the sidewalls more than they were designed for and you lose contact patch in the process. You'll wear out the center of the tire sooner and lose braking force.

[bwringer]

130 is about all you can cram in there, but it won't actually fit properly.

The bike will handle a LOT better with a 120/90-16, although that size is harder to find.

[chuckycheese]

Tires

I'm a big believer in running stock tires and not doing anything too radical to any part of the bike. Those Japster design engineers were really sharp (in my opinion) and their goal was designing a very reliable, safe, good-handling bike.

(Now I've got to go out and keep working on my electrical problems.):shock:

[Billy Ricks]

GS550L 83-86
100/90x16
130/90x16
530x112
14T
47T
YB10L-B
D8EA

[derwood]

tars

for some reason the austrailian bikes run lower profile ..ie 140/80 17 instead of 130/90 17...derwood

[Hoomgar]

for some reason the austrailian bikes run lower profile ..ie 140/80 17 instead of 130/90 17...derwood

17? They are 16 here as well so yes very different.

[bwringer]

Hmm -- I didn't know the later GS550 models used a wider rear wheel and the 130 tire. Live and learn. That's a very common size, so you have about 3 billion choices in everything from El Cheapo skins to premium sticky near-race rubber. I'd recommend Cheng Shin HiMax if you're cheap, Dunlop 491 for maximum life, and Dunlop 501 or Pirelli Sport Demon if you're fast.

Lots of other great tires out there, too, all of them light-years better than anything available in 1983. It's hard to go far wrong.

But yes, definitely stick with the stock size.

[80GS1000]

I'll second the nod for the Pirelli Sport Demons. I just had a set installed on my GS1000 and I *love* them. Great in the twisties - the bike leans exactly as much as you want it to with great grip. Also, smooth ride and great stability on the freeway. No slipping at all in the rain.

The cheapest place I found to get a pair is at Motorcycle Superstore.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...47&division=6#

[bwringer]

I'll second the nod for the Pirelli Sport Demons. I just had a set installed on my GS1000 and I *love* them. Great in the twisties - the bike leans exactly as much as you want it to with great grip. Also, smooth ride and great stability on the freeway. No slipping at all in the rain.

The cheapest place I found to get a pair is at Motorcycle Superstore.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...47&division=6#

The cheapest price I found on my Sport Demons -- including shipping -- was from Southwest Moto Tire. YMMV, of course. Shipping is free when you buy both tires, and usually adds $15-$20 everywhere else.

http://swmototires.com/

Excellent customer service -- they contacted me in minutes to let me know the oddball rear tire size wasn't in stock (I didn't expect it to be, and I wasn't in a hurry) and exactly when it would ship. The tires arrived on the dot, and came in a box, too, instead of just taped together and tossed in a FedEx truck.

Tires Unlimited is also a great tire place with great service and excellent prices:

http://tiresunlimited.com

Their site is an eyesore, but they carry a wider array of brands and sizes than anyone else, and they can special-order just about anything. I recommend calling to see what's in stock if you're in a hurry.

I much prefer ordering from real stores with real inventory like the two above. (as well as Dennis Kirk, New Enough, Z1 Enterprises, and Cycle Recycle II) Most internet tire and gear shoppes, including Motorcycle Superstore, are simply middlemen with no inventory (or goobers with catalogs, depending on how you look at it) who have everything drop shipped, or who need to order your goodies and then re-ship them to you. More links in the supply chain mean more chances of delays, screwups and finger-pointing instead of action when things go wrong.

With that said, I think many here have had good experiences with Motorcycle Superstore, and they have been around a while. There are many of these operations that are simply one guy in his Mom's basement with a stack of catalogs and an AOL account, so you do have to be careful.