How old are my tires?

[BassCliff]

I will wait to have all parts and will give that a shot... I will let you guys know.

That's the spirit!


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bwringer]

Cliff, at some point you're also going to have to tell us how you get those perfect, crystal-clear extreme close-ups.

I've fiddled with the macro settings on three or four different digital cameras, but I've never been able to get anything that nice.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. bwringer,

I use an old Fujifilm Finepix A210 camera with the "close-up" setting enabled. In its day it was the best point-and-shoot under $200. It's still great for web stuff. I hope I never drop it while taking pictures or videos while riding. It would be no great monetary loss, but it's still a quite servicable camera.



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[julien]

tires....

I asked the guy at the place where I got "Suzie" inspected this morning how much for some new shoes.... First he didn't want to get the Bridgestone Spitfire... he said he has better one... I asked him how much to put on the tires if I buy them elsewhere... $140 for both (acting as though he was giving me a good price)
I said... how about if I buy them here? He was ready to sale me the two tires (rear for $150 and the front for $137) - I then said "WOW!!! ok... that includes installation and balancing right???" of course not... "but it is only $100 since you get them from us" - I ran out quickly after paying my $6 for the inspection.
I will be seeking some other place (needless to say)

[BassCliff]

Mr. julien,

Oh my! That's highway robbery. Or does that price include removing and reinstalling the wheels on your bike too? Somehow I doubt it. Even so, I like to do (at least) that myself to be sure it's done right.

What kind of tires was he trying to sell you? Did they have raised gold letters? Platinum sidewalls?

If I had to pay those prices I would mount and balance myself. There are other GS riders in the New York area. Where do you guys go? Or is "every man a tire shop"?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[julien]

Mr. Cliff,
Yes, robbery!!! and no, I would have to bring the wheels and they would install the tires... and then I have to put them back on myself. Crazzzzzy.
No gold raised letter... no platinum sidewalls... I forgot to ask him but maybe they came with a flatbed tow truck... where I just stay there on the bike while they drive me around.
I could try to do install them myself... but I already have a list of things to do (carbs, tune-up, valve) I guess that is part of the fun. The only thing is that time isn't on my side (I have 4 children, one 7 years old... and three 9 months old) so I want to spend some time with them during the weekend as I am out early in the morning and by the time I come back home the triplets are in bed during the week. The little free time I have for myself (on the bike) I just want to ride and ride and ride....

[nisom512]

this is awsome cause the guy I bought my new bike from told me new tires 3 years ago. but thats funny cause they are from 2000.

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. julien,

Wow! Four kids including triplets! Do you and Mrs. julien ever get any sleep?

With all that responsibility, I strongly encourage you to get new rubber on your bike. Riding on 12 year old tires can lead to serious death or injury.

(Yeah, yeah, I know. This is coming from someone who recently rode over 1000 miles on a plugged rear tire.)

Check on the list of favs. There are a few who will ship for free on orders over $100. A set of S11 tires are about a buck and a quarter.

The "lash strap" method of mounting might be easier and even cheaper than tire irons. You don't necessarily have to worry about balancing if you don't drive at freeway speeds all the time. Modern tires are fairly well balanced from the manufacturer. Just put the balance mark next to the valve stem. The balance mark indicates the lightest spot on the tire.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[julien]

Mr. Cliff,

Thanks... yes we do get some sleep. My wife trained them well
I am planning on getting new tires. I most likely will order them online and see if I can find a cheap install or do it myself.
I have a couple of questions - I don't want to highjack this tire thread and can always post in another thread.
Since we are expecting snow in NYC tomorrow I took Suzie for another ride. I took the freeway... she handled okay... didn't seem to want to go faster than 50/55mph though . When I got home I "touched" the exhaust pipe... 3 out of the 4 were very very hot, the 4th one (3rd from left when seating on the bike) was lukewarm. Does this mean I am running on 3 cylinders? Any ideas? Will cleaning the carbs correct this? I am stepping away from this forum (got to spend some time with wifey - she will get jealous ) but will try to browse the forum for some info.

Thanks again.

[BassCliff]

Thanks... yes we do get some sleep. My wife trained them well

That's good to hear. With our youngest, my wife didn't sleep for a year and I managed only 3 or 4 hours a night. And we didn't have triplets.

I took Suzie for another ride. I took the freeway... she handled okay... didn't seem to want to go faster than 50/55mph though. When I got home I "touched" the exhaust pipe... 3 out of the 4 were very very hot, the 4th one (3rd from left when seating on the bike) was lukewarm. Does this mean I am running on 3 cylinders? Any ideas? Will cleaning the carbs correct this?

Yep, could be running on only three cylinders. The cylinders are numbers 1 though 4, left to right as you sit on the bike. I know we sound like a broken record around here, but there is a definite list of systems and components to bring up to standard. Check out the "Top 10" list in the mega-welcome. Your issue could be a plugged carb jet, wrong float height, a bad plug or plug cap. Clean carbs, good spark, compression, and no leaks in the air intake system is what you are striving for. Keep us informed.

Here's what my friend Mr. bwringer has to say on the subject:
***********Quoted from Mr. bwringer************
Every GS850 [and most other models] has (or had) a set of well-known issues that MUST be addressed before you have a solid baseline for further troubleshooting. It's a vintage bike, and it's quite common (as in, every single GS850 I have had contact with) that there are multiple problems that have crept up and slowly gotten worse over the years. It's not like a newer vehicle, where there's generally one problem at a time.

These common issues are:

1. Intake O-rings (install NEW OEM or Viton only - common nitrile O-rings will quickly deteriorate from heat)
2. Intake Boots (install NEW -- these cannot be repaired)
3. Valve clearances (more important than most people think)
4. Carb/airbox boots
5. Airbox sealing
6. Air filter sealing
7. Petcock (install a NEW one)
8. On '79 models, install new points or Dyna electronic ignition (or at least verify that the old points are working correctly)
9. On all models, it's fairly common to have problems with the spark plug caps. These are $3 or $4 each, and often worth replacing if you're keeping the stock coils/wires.
10. Stock exhaust with NO leaks or holes -- good seals at the head and at the junctions underneath.


Carburetor maintenance:

Replace the intake boot o-rings, and possibly the intake boots. Here's the procedure:

http://bwringer.com/gs/intakeorings.html

Here's an overview of what happens with this particular problem:

http://cycleorings.com/intake.html

You'll also want to examine the boots between the carbs and the airbox. There's a good chance these are OK, but check them over.
And finally, if things still aren't exactly right, you'll want to order a set of o-rings for BS carbs from the GS owner's best friend, Robert Barr:
http://cycleorings.com
Once you receive these rare rings of delight, then you'll want to thoroughly clean and rebuild your carburetors. Here are step-by-step instructions that make this simple:

http://thegsresources.com/gs_carbrebuild.htm

***********End Quote************



Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[gearhead13]

I found this thread by doing a search, so I sent down and checked the date on my spitfires. Both were made late in 2002. I dont really see that much wear on them, but time for new rubber i guess. I am looking at the cheng shin hi-max and I can only find a 110/90/19 front and a 110/90/18 rear. I would seem kinda strange having the same width tires F+R.
It has 100/90/19 front and 130/90/18 now. I think the rear looks kinda narrow even now for the size of the bike. Stock size as stated in the manual is 3.25 frt and 4.00 rear. I dont know what to get but I am sure not gonna pay $175 each plus tax and mounting the local shop wants.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Tires that are over 6 years old would start to get a little scary for me. But this is coming from a guy who rode around with a plugged rear tire for a month and a thousand miles.

The Cheng Shin Hi-Max tires are no longer in production. You may have to shop around to get the sizes you need. Good luck.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[RobC]

Not sure if this is sad or scary, bike I am looking at buying (1982), according to owners wife, still has the factory installed tires on it.

[wilson08]

I was wondering if I should stay with stock size tire on my bike or if I could go a little wider. Does it make a difference on these old bikes.

I have heard somewhere that these old bikes handle better with skinny tires. What are your thoughts.

[Loose Seal]

This thread eluded me until now - thanks for the info. Interested to see how old my tires are when I get home.