sufficient rear tire

[Anonymous]

Been a while since I last posted but here it goes....alright I know that I don't have the best tire on my bike (kenda) but I am tired of my bike spinning the tire whenever I launch it hard(hard not being anything extreme-3k or less) I have an 85 700E and the stock swingarm can't handle anything larger than a 130. For aesthetic reasons i would like a larger tire too. Looking to fit a 160-180 in there. Has anyone modified/swapped swingarms on one of these bikes? Are there any fairly easy conversions from, say, a gs1150e(s)? Any help would be much appreciated.

Trevor

[Billy Ricks]

I still have my stock swingarm on my 700 with a 4.5" GSX-R wheel and a 160 mounted. If you want to keep the same style wheel try an 1150 wheel. You should be able to run a 140 on it. Also try running race compound tires. You'll give up some mileage, but gains tons of grip.

[focus frenzy]

I would sudjest trying a better tire, I have a 130 size dunlop on my bike and any attemp to "smoke" the tire on clean pavement is rewarded by a big sky whellie!!

[oldschoolGS]

The 1985 GS 1150E rear rim is 3.5 in wide which will mount a 140 rear. The spoke pattern is the same as your stock rear. Two excellent rear tires for this bike/rim combo are the Metzeler ME-1 Comp K size 140/80VB-17 or the Dunlop GT501 140/80B-17. Both will give excellent grip but will sacrifice mileage. Ride On, Ed.

[Anonymous]

GSXR wheel

Billy, could you give me some information on the GSXR wheel swap? (year, model, etc) My brother has a spare D207 in a 160 that could really cut the costs of the swap for me. After this I would like to upgrade the front forks. Did you have to shim your front sprocket out? What did you do about relocation the rear caliper stay?

--On the other hand, if anyone has an 1150 wheel for sale pretty cheap may be interested.

[Billy Ricks]

Billy, could you give me some information on the GSXR wheel swap? (year, model, etc) My brother has a spare D207 in a 160 that could really cut the costs of the swap for me. After this I would like to upgrade the front forks. Did you have to shim your front sprocket out? What did you do about relocation the rear caliper stay?

The '88 and '89 750s and I believe 1100s used the 4.5" wheel. To move the countershaft sprocket out a little I ground down an old sprocket for a spacer. I ground it down to about 2" in diameter and about 3/16" thick. You have to still be able to have the lock washer grab the splines on the output shaft when everything is reassembled. The caliper stay has to be moved to the bottom of the swingarm. Just cut off the front mount for the stay and have it welded to the bottom in the right place.

To use a GSX-R wheel you have to use a hodge-podge of parts. Katana 600 caliper hanger and spacers, GSX-R rotor, caliper, and sprocket. Use your GS bearings and bearing supports. The stock support inside the wheel hub will be a bit too short so you have to find pipe the right diameter and cut enough to add to the stock support so it ends up the same length as the GSX-R piece. You will have to use a hydraulic jack to spread the swingarm about 1/4" wider so everything fits easily. The nut on the axle won't thread on as far as it used to, so you may have or drill a new hole for the cotter pin or use a thinner one. I think that's about it. It sounds like alot of work but it's not bad.

[Anonymous]

Thanks a lot. Project doesn't sound too complicated. Just have to start watching for these parts on ebay and the local yards. Was the 160 a worth while upgrade? Seems like it could greatly improve traction and handling.

Trevor

[Billy Ricks]

tlr,
In a word, yes. But be careful about running a radial out back with a bias ply tire up front. You can do it the other way around, but it is not recommended to run radial rear/bias front. The 160 radial I'm running with the GSX-R front end and 120 radial front make a huge diference in handling and traction.

[Anonymous]

no prob

the issue with the radial tire won't be a problem. I had my brother check on the tire and it happens to be k591. I knew it wasn't a radial because when he switched one tire to radial, he switched both, leaving this perfectly good tire. the real issue is money. I just accepted an internship that is a drastic pay cut. It better pay off when i graduate!

Trevor

[Billy Ricks]

Nothing wrong with a 591. What profile is it? 160/60 would be great.

[Anonymous]

I think it is a 160/70 but not sure....its 100 miles away. when I ride up there next weekend to give my bike a good once-over in the garage I will check it out. I am pretty sure it is the stock size for his '91 gsx1100g - whatever that would be.