A little help with tires please.....

[Anonymous]

I have a 1983 GS1100ED.I am now riding on Dunlop K591 Elite tires.They are becoming worn.I also noticed that when I corner very hard, the rear tire tends to give way.Havn't dumped it yet but my confidence in it's cornering ability tends to hold me back. Not to mention that skiddish rush of a feeling like your going over.I'm on 100/90-19 up front and 130/90-17 in the rear.I did a little research and found the new GT501 tires also made by Dunlop.They claim these tires are a upgrade to the K591s with a wider footprint and a radial like pattern.They offer the front tire in the same size I'm running now @ $ 70.00.However,The rear tires only come as close as a 140/80vb17 @ $99.00.Will this fit my bike?Does anyone use these now? Is there another brand tire that will give me better cornering performance with out dropping the V rating?I value your opinions. Thanks :roll:

[Anonymous]

Casey:

The 591 is very close to a racing compound tire, you must really ride hard! The only time I had my 591 rear slide on my 400 was when it was below freezing and I went into a 90 degree turn really fast. Maybe your tires are really old...but then again, mine is 3 1/2 years old although I've only had it on the bike for 6 months.

Steve

[Joe Nardy]

Casey,

I just got some Pirelli Sport Demons from Discount Motorcycle Tire & Accessories. These are modern tech tires manufactured to fit older bikes. They have a 100/90-19 and a 130/90-17 that will be the correct fit for your GS1100. Check out Pirelli's website for more info.

http://www.us.pirellimoto.com/tires/catalogo/scheda.asp?ID=469

The 140/80-17 will probably be a tight fit for the swingarm width, plus it will be too wide for your wheel which will result in a smaller contact patch due to being squeezed by the narrow wheel. The wider tire will also slow down the steering.

Joe

[SqDancerLynn1]

From what I can see the 140 is alot bigger
130/90H17----- 500/510 X17
140/80V17 550/600 X17

[mtngoat]

Check your rim specs..

Casey:

I had problems wearing out my rear tire in what I thought to be really low mileage. I didcovered that the tire I had mounted was oversized for the rim.

Check your bikes frame plate for the front and rear rim specs. You will notice the recommended tire size is listed there too. If you can't locate the tire size on the plate, consult a tire size guide for the correct tire to rim match.

Just think about it, if you had an oversized tire on your rim the sidewalls would be angled in and the tire would have a tendancy to roll and lose traction.

Let me know what you uncover..

Herb
(mtngoat)

[Anonymous]

I'm sure most GS'ers will disagree, but I had my fill of Dunlaps back in the early & mid 80's. My dealer always pushed Dunlaps, but I never had one that I was satisfied with. There were no 501's nor 591's around back then, but the ones I tried would wear out very quickly, like a soft, sport compound, but they had little grip, like a hard high mil. compound. My favorites, back then, were the Metzlers. The ME 77's lasted longer than the Dunlaps, and gripped better. The ME 99's, an even softer compound, would last as long as my Dunlaps, and I never remember having one slip, unless dust, gravel, or moisture were present. I Don't know any more, I don't push the bikes enough to have even the hardest compound slip. I just get something that I like the looks of. Not nearly as exciting, but a lot safer.

[earlfor]

I used to love my Dunlop K81's. :-) They would grip like you wouldnt believe, but they only lasted about 3000 miles. :-) When they quit making them, I quit using dunlops. eh eh

Earl


[quote="rphillips"]I'm sure most GS'ers will disagree, but I had my fill of Dunlaps back in the early & mid 80's. My dealer always pushed Dunlaps, but I never had one that I was satisfied with. There were no 501's nor 591's around back then, but the ones I tried would wear out very quickly, like a soft, sport compound, but they had little grip,

[mcycle-nut]

One must remember the clearance issues too. On my bike I pretty much have to stick with the stock sizes because of the close proximity of the chain guard on the rear, and the fender on the front. 8)