Tube to tubeless conversion

[salty_monk]

On my 80 the rear is marked as suitable the front isn't... weird huh!

Dan

[mark]

On my 80 the rear is marked as suitable the front isn't... weird huh!

Dan

Same on my '79.

[t3rmin]

Wanted to relate my experience trying to go tubeless.

My rear rim is marked tubeless, but not my front. I tried to go tubeless in front, thinking worst-case scenario would be slow seepage. However, I was instead treated to rather rapid deflation at speed. Fortunately I didn't wreck, but if it'd happened on a corner I'm sure I would have.

Funny thing is it wouldn't loose hardly any air sitting in the garage (after several days), but it only took a few miles of highway-speed riding to completely deflate.

Back to a tube for me! Scary stuff.

[GS750GUY]

For what it's worth. An old Suzuki mechanic summed it up pretty much for me when he said that if you have a tire failure......tubed or not.......on a machine that weighs almost 500 pounds by itself coupled with the weight of the rider, or riders additional weight, and you are flying at highway speeds..........nothing is going to keep that tire from going to the center of that wheel regardless of wheel design. He said an inner tube under those brutal conditions has nor more structural integrity than a childs water balloon. All it's there for is to hold air. Either the tire does it or the tube does it. And if one does the job....you don't need the other.
GS750GUY.

[Grandpa]

The more modern GS front wheel will interchange perfectly with the "pentagram" older wheel. In other words, if one can locate a front wheel, for example, off a 1982 GS850G or GL, it will fit an older GS850G or GS1000G just fine. The 82 (or more recent) front wheel is clearly marked for tubeless tire application.

On my 1984 GS1100GK, this tubeless-tire front wheel is stock. I also use an old-style "pentagram" wheel off one of my old GS850's. It fits the GK just fine.

I have two front wheels and two rear wheels, alternating one with the other. That way I can have a new tire installed on an unused wheel at all times. When it's time to replace a tire, off comes the old one and on goes the new one. No downtime necessary. I alternate the stock 16-inch GK wheel with the 17-in wheel off an old 850. They both interchange perfectly.

I see front wheels meant for tubeless tires on eBay all the time.

[tomcat24551]

The more modern GS front wheel will interchange perfectly with the "pentagram" older wheel. In other words, if one can locate a front wheel, for example, off a 1982 GS850G or GL, it will fit an older GS850G or GS1000G just fine. The 82 (or more recent) front wheel is clearly marked for tubeless tire application.

On my 1984 GS1100GK, this tubeless-tire front wheel is stock. I also use an old-style "pentagram" wheel off one of my old GS850's. It fits the GK just fine.

I have two front wheels and two rear wheels, alternating one with the other. That way I can have a new tire installed on an unused wheel at all times. When it's time to replace a tire, off comes the old one and on goes the new one. No downtime necessary. I alternate the stock 16-inch GK wheel with the 17-in wheel off an old 850. They both interchange perfectly.

So it sounds like your wheel styles don't always match--you might have the old pentagram style on the front and the newer pattern on the rear. That might bother some more meticulous folks, but it sounds like a good idea nonetheless.

I was wondering how much difference you notice with the 17" rear wheel. Is this a problem to you, power-wise or do you like the calming effect it has on the engine? Or is the difference too small to notice?

Thanks

Tomcat

[Grandpa]

You're right -- mixing wheel types does not matter to me one bit. I go for function rather than form in this case. For one thing, I have a GK, which has stock saddlebags, and it's hard to see what type of rear wheel is on the bike at a given moment. I ride with a bunch of old friends, and none of them notice a thing. It takes a real GS Suzuki nut to notice any kind of mismatch.

As far as the 17-in v. the 16-in: The 84 GK is already a high-geared bike, thanks to an internally different rear end. The gear ratio in the rear end makes the engine run at slightly lower rpm's at a given speed than, say, a typical 850. (All rear ends on the big shafties are exchangeable, though).

The stock wheel on the GK is a 16-incher, exactly what goes on a GS1100GL. A 17-incher off an 850 will fit with no problems, and make the gearing only slightly higher. I notice the slightly taller gearing, but the difference is too slight for me to dwell on it for very long. I just installed the 16-incher on the GK this weekend. I noticed gearing was a bit lower. It took me about 20 miles to get used to it again. No big deal. Remember -- it's an 1100-cc engine, with lots of power. Taller gearing or low gearing are inconsequential when that much power is at hand. At 90 mph plus, the taller gearing from the 17 is an advantage, but it's a marginal one.

I do notice the difference when I park the bike on the sidestand. It leans more when the 17-incher is installed. When on the centerstand with the 17 on, the rear wheel is barely off the ground. No big deal either way.

Another advantage of having a new tire installed on a wheel at any given time is that I can take my time to shop for the best deal on a tire, from eBay or any of the mail-order places mentioned elsewhere on this forum.

[Grandpa]

Here's my '84 GK with the stock tubeless-tire wheel on the front. The 17-inch pentagram is on the rear. Can you tell the difference? Hardly! Photo was taken in November, 2006.

As I write this, the pentagram old front wheel is installed on the bike, while I have the stock 16-incher on there. Another mismatch. I'm not concerned with whether or not they're matched. The replacement cycle for front and rear is different, so I treat them individually. Who knows when the two wheels will be matched again, and I really don't care.

By the way, the stock GK fairing and trunk were destroyed in a deer collision over 5 years ago. That's why the Windjammer fairing/lowers and the generic trunk. Saddlebags are the originals.

[tomcat24551]

Thanks for the reply, Grandpa. I agree with everything you said regarding appearance. But I forgot to ask you if you use a tube with the older pentagram front wheel? Its probably an MT 1.85 x 19 wheel, right?

Also, if I'm not mistaken the Final Drive gear ratio on the 850 is 3.09:1. Do you know what it is on the 1100GK? I was under the impression the difference was the 5th gear ratio, not the Final Drive. That's the way it is on the 850 L models.

By the way, where is Fort Frederick? Looks like Ireland.

Thanks

Tomcat

[Grandpa]

Fort Frederick State Park is in Western Maryland, just west of Hagerstown and by the old Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

Don't know what the final ratio is on the GK. One who most probably knows is dpep (Don Pepe), who owns both a GS850G and a GK. My understanding is that the higher gearing is found only on the 83 and 84 GK, but not on the 82 GK. If I'm wrong on any of this, you or someone else please correct me.

I do use a tube in the older pentagram wheel. You got the correct size on the wheel. The more modern wheel is a bit wider than the 1.85. I have no problem using a tube in that wheel. I have my mechanic install a new tube every tire change. Both rear wheels are for tubeless tires, so I run them both tubeless.

One more advantage of rotating two front and two rear wheels is that it saves on wear on the brake rotors. Also, each rear wheel has its own driven gear (splines) set; by alternating, I'm also saving wear on the splines. I use the old-style black splines on both wheels, since the more modern splines wear out much sooner; both came off old 850's.

[Lake Cle Elum]

I've ran tubless in one of my GS1000's for over 100,000 miles without a problem. I think the main concern is: If you lose pressure, the tires will come away from the rim easier than on a "tubleless" rim.....Never been a problem for me...

[blackwolf]

\\/Well guy's and gails thank for all the information on tires ,i just got a pair of shinko tires fairly cheap and they are tubeless i'm putting them on my gs850 monster they have sticker rubber then my dunlops k491's i ride a littel crazy.