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Re: 1979 GS1000L
As usual, a long post from me, but please bear with me as I really could use your collective experience and advice.
About two years ago (about 6000 miles ago) just after I acquired my bike, my local motorcycle shop soaked me for about $750 in parts and labor, which included a new drive chain and new sprockets, and included new inner and outer rear wheel bearings.
I looked at the shop receipt this morning. The parts costs were roughly $70 for the chain (EK630), $30 for front sprocket, $50 for rear sprocket, and $50 combined total for three separate bearing part numbers. I recognize that $70 is not much for a chain, and that the best chains cost twice as much.
Most important to this post, the receipt has a note on it: ?rear wheel damaged from bearing previously spinning?. But apparently, it was good enough for the shop to reassemble the bike, issue a State of Massachusetts inspection sticker, and bill me and send me on my way. I?ve been riding on that wheel for 6000 miles since.
Last week, I went into the same shop to get an inspection sticker, and got flunked for bad rear wheel bearings! With the bike parked on the center stand and the rear wheel clear off the pavement, the rear wheel can be moved by hand back and forth with about 1/4-inch total play.
Also, the chain has stretched/worn to the point that it is just one notch from the end of it?s adjustment range, and I can pull the chain by hand from the back of the rear sprocket enough to expose more than half a tooth depth of the sprocket teeth.
Certainly, I should expect more than 6000 miles out of new rear wheel bearings. Maybe the ?damaged? rear wheel accelerated the rate of wear on the chain and bearings? Also, is it unreasonable to expect more than 6000 miles out of new chain and sprockets, particularly as I ride smoothly and moderately, and I properly clean, lube (PJ 1 blue) and adjust the chain often?
In addition, I will soon need a new rear tire (which is unrelated to any work done by the bike shop.) The tread is worn down almost to the wear bars.
So, I certainly have to get new rear wheel bearings, and I might as well at least get a new chain and a new rear tire, while the wheel is off the bike. I intend to skimp a little and keep the current sprockets on the bike, even though I know it?s best to replace the chain and sprockets all together. (The rear sprocket looks and ?feels? fine to me. I haven't pulled the front sprocket cover.)
I pulled my rear wheel last night, and left the chain on the bike. I intend to thread the new chain through the countershaft sprocket using the old chain. It is perhaps important to note that the front and rear wheels on my bike do not ?match?. They are both ?mag? wheels with spoke patterns that look to be the same as the photos in my Suzuki manual, but the rear wheel has ?gold? color accents, and the front wheel has ?silver? color accents. I presume a previous owner must have changed one or both wheels sometime, and at least one of the wheels on my bike is not original.
My Suzuki factory manual lists rear tire size on a 1979 GS1000L as 4.50V 17 4PR. The rear tire currently on my bike is 120/90-17. I don?t know the conversion between these two numbering systems.
There seems to be comfortable clearance between the tire/wheel assembly, and the fender and swingarm, both for tire diameter and width.
So here is my question:
Can I ?upgrade? my bike with a larger diameter and larger width rear wheel (with the right mag pattern and silver color) from another Suzuki?
I?m thinking maybe an 18-inch rear wheel with a 130 or 140 mm wide tire (possibly with a lower tire profile to reduce the increased diameter of a tire sized for an 18-inch rim).
Any of your thoughts on this? I?m not a ?Racer-Joe? type, so I?m not too concerned about any changes in high-speed handling or even the slightly increased ride height that would be associated with a larger diameter wheel/tire combo. I just want to know if there are any larger wheel/tire combos (with a wheel mag pattern to match my front wheel) that will physically fit in the rear wheel well, and give me ?a little more rubber on the road? without causing the tire to rub against the swing arm, fender, chain, etc.
Finally, any recommendations for tire brand/model and internet tire discount sources?
Thanks in advance for your responses.
As usual, a long post from me, but please bear with me as I really could use your collective experience and advice.
About two years ago (about 6000 miles ago) just after I acquired my bike, my local motorcycle shop soaked me for about $750 in parts and labor, which included a new drive chain and new sprockets, and included new inner and outer rear wheel bearings.
I looked at the shop receipt this morning. The parts costs were roughly $70 for the chain (EK630), $30 for front sprocket, $50 for rear sprocket, and $50 combined total for three separate bearing part numbers. I recognize that $70 is not much for a chain, and that the best chains cost twice as much.
Most important to this post, the receipt has a note on it: ?rear wheel damaged from bearing previously spinning?. But apparently, it was good enough for the shop to reassemble the bike, issue a State of Massachusetts inspection sticker, and bill me and send me on my way. I?ve been riding on that wheel for 6000 miles since.
Last week, I went into the same shop to get an inspection sticker, and got flunked for bad rear wheel bearings! With the bike parked on the center stand and the rear wheel clear off the pavement, the rear wheel can be moved by hand back and forth with about 1/4-inch total play.
Also, the chain has stretched/worn to the point that it is just one notch from the end of it?s adjustment range, and I can pull the chain by hand from the back of the rear sprocket enough to expose more than half a tooth depth of the sprocket teeth.
Certainly, I should expect more than 6000 miles out of new rear wheel bearings. Maybe the ?damaged? rear wheel accelerated the rate of wear on the chain and bearings? Also, is it unreasonable to expect more than 6000 miles out of new chain and sprockets, particularly as I ride smoothly and moderately, and I properly clean, lube (PJ 1 blue) and adjust the chain often?
In addition, I will soon need a new rear tire (which is unrelated to any work done by the bike shop.) The tread is worn down almost to the wear bars.
So, I certainly have to get new rear wheel bearings, and I might as well at least get a new chain and a new rear tire, while the wheel is off the bike. I intend to skimp a little and keep the current sprockets on the bike, even though I know it?s best to replace the chain and sprockets all together. (The rear sprocket looks and ?feels? fine to me. I haven't pulled the front sprocket cover.)
I pulled my rear wheel last night, and left the chain on the bike. I intend to thread the new chain through the countershaft sprocket using the old chain. It is perhaps important to note that the front and rear wheels on my bike do not ?match?. They are both ?mag? wheels with spoke patterns that look to be the same as the photos in my Suzuki manual, but the rear wheel has ?gold? color accents, and the front wheel has ?silver? color accents. I presume a previous owner must have changed one or both wheels sometime, and at least one of the wheels on my bike is not original.
My Suzuki factory manual lists rear tire size on a 1979 GS1000L as 4.50V 17 4PR. The rear tire currently on my bike is 120/90-17. I don?t know the conversion between these two numbering systems.
There seems to be comfortable clearance between the tire/wheel assembly, and the fender and swingarm, both for tire diameter and width.
So here is my question:
Can I ?upgrade? my bike with a larger diameter and larger width rear wheel (with the right mag pattern and silver color) from another Suzuki?
I?m thinking maybe an 18-inch rear wheel with a 130 or 140 mm wide tire (possibly with a lower tire profile to reduce the increased diameter of a tire sized for an 18-inch rim).
Any of your thoughts on this? I?m not a ?Racer-Joe? type, so I?m not too concerned about any changes in high-speed handling or even the slightly increased ride height that would be associated with a larger diameter wheel/tire combo. I just want to know if there are any larger wheel/tire combos (with a wheel mag pattern to match my front wheel) that will physically fit in the rear wheel well, and give me ?a little more rubber on the road? without causing the tire to rub against the swing arm, fender, chain, etc.
Finally, any recommendations for tire brand/model and internet tire discount sources?
Thanks in advance for your responses.
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