Is replacing stock with wider tires better for handling?

[Brando]

I've got an 83 GS1100E that I've bored out to 1166. I live to ride it in the canyons.
I picked up an 83 GS1100E parts bike that was set-up as a drag bike with light weight wide wheels. Here are the specs...
(My Bike) Rear is a 130/80 17" and the front is 100/90 19"
(Drag Bike) Rear is a 170/60 18" and the front is 110/80 18"

Would I get better handling using the drag bike wheels?
My gut feeling is I would gain traction but lose handling nimbleness
Also the front is going to drop a bit which will make steering a little quicker.
The tires that are on it now are shot so I'd have to invest in 2 new tires to test it out.

[TheCafeKid]

man that is a big jump in the rear, but you could try that same rim and drop the tire size just a bit...

[Commodus]

I've got an 83 GS1100E that I've bored out to 1166. I live to ride it in the canyons.
I picked up an 83 GS1100E parts bike that was set-up as a drag bike with light weight wide wheels. Here are the specs...
(My Bike) Rear is a 130/80 17" and the front is 100/90 19"
(Drag Bike) Rear is a 170/60 18" and the front is 110/80 18"

Would I get better handling using the drag bike wheels?
My gut feeling is I would gain traction but lose handling nimbleness
Also the front is going to drop a bit which will make steering a little quicker.
The tires that are on it now are shot so I'd have to invest in 2 new tires to test it out.

You can run radials on the drag bike wheels, so yes the handling would be better. In every way, I would think.

[tone]

personally i wouldnt bother with that swap as i cant see a great deal to be gained

if i was looking to make tha bike handle well i'd go for gsxr 17" wheels both ends for better tyre choice & uprate the suspension & brakes while i was at it :-D

[Commodus]

personally i wouldnt bother with that swap as i cant see a great deal to be gained

if i was looking to make tha bike handle well i'd go for gsxr 17" wheels both ends for better tyre choice & uprate the suspension & brakes while i was at it :-D

?

He already has the 18s. And he can swap to radial tires. Radial > bias-ply. The difference is significant.

[tone]

?

He already has the 18s. And he can swap to radial tires. Radial > bias-ply. The difference is significant.

yes i read that & gave my honest opinion 17" wheels will always give a better tyre choice untill fashion changes virtually every sports bike in recent years has run 180 rears & 110 fronts so the choice is far greater than with 18" wheels

[gsgeezer]

I am jealous, as I have a GS1000 with stock wheels. At least I have metzlers....
(Everybody just loves my spoke wheels, but I can remember when I couldn't wait to get a bike with them new fangled mags!)

[Brando]

Yes, I've done alot of work already on the suspension with the help of Race Tech and Progressive Put braided lines without a "T" which I highly recommend Also, a fork brace really tightens things up alot in the turns.

If I do a swap my stock wheels it would be with these super lightweight 18" drag wheels. The low mass will really help accelleration and cornering gyro resistance. The extra 1inch height can't hurt to keep me from peg scrapping. Has anyone run 18" front and back?

BTW...Anyone interested in 83 GS1100E parts let me know. It's got a beautiful extended swingarm with rear brake brackets to fit and braded brake line system front and rear all of which I don't need. Only thing missing on the bike is the engine head and the master cylinder for the front brake. I'll be posting a list in the next week.

[isleoman]

yes i read that & gave my honest opinion 17" wheels will always give a better tyre choice untill fashion changes virtually every sports bike in recent years has run 180 rears & 110 fronts so the choice is far greater than with 18" wheels

Tone, I have to say that it depends. If your going to run the new radial Bridgestone Battle Axe 021's or Pilot Road 2s then there are 18 inch versions of both of those excellent sport touring tires. I run the 021s and love them. If your going to run something super sticky then get ready to change tires every 3000 miles or less, and personally I don't think that you can improve the suspension of 70-80s era bike enough or achieve the lean angles required to warrant the super sticky stuff. Just my .02 cents.

[Commodus]

yes i read that & gave my honest opinion 17" wheels will always give a better tyre choice untill fashion changes virtually every sports bike in recent years has run 180 rears & 110 fronts so the choice is far greater than with 18" wheels

Well of course the 17s have greater tire choice. It isn't a question of tire choice.

[Cassius086]

I've got an 83 GS1100E that I've bored out to 1166. I live to ride it in the canyons.
I picked up an 83 GS1100E parts bike that was set-up as a drag bike with light weight wide wheels. Here are the specs...
(My Bike) Rear is a 130/80 17" and the front is 100/90 19"
(Drag Bike) Rear is a 170/60 18" and the front is 110/80 18"

Would I get better handling using the drag bike wheels?
My gut feeling is I would gain traction but lose handling nimbleness
Also the front is going to drop a bit which will make steering a little quicker.
The tires that are on it now are shot so I'd have to invest in 2 new tires to test it out.

Going radial will certainly better your handling....I did the same with 1st generation gsxr peices and love it!!

[drhach]

Your first post never made mention of radial or no-radial, but it did ask about tire width and it seems that nobody really addressed that. There's a great book written by Tony Foale called "Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design the art and science". It's not a basic book. He has done tons of research and he delves deep in to the factors that affect how our bikes handle. Increasing your contact patch will yield better cornering. One other concern is that a wider tire, when encountering debris in the road will be more readily offset than a narrower tire. So, in that sense you stand to lose traction easier.
The easy answer is to say that it is more complicated than just tossing a wider tire on there. The bike is a system of parts and a change in one part of the system affects the rest of the system. The other side of it though, is that if you got some free stuff, try it out. Go for a ride and see if it performs better or worse. You may get lucky.

[tone]

Well of course the 17s have greater tire choice. It isn't a question of tire choice.

Err confused me here now :? (not a hard thing to go on occasions)
just exactly what is it a question of ?????????

In brando's original post he asks for opinions on the wheel swap i simply gave an honest answer & another option which i know works because ive done it countless times ](*,)

[Billy Ricks]

How wide is the front rim? A 120 would be much better up front if you have a 3.5" wheel to put it on. The light wheels will significantly reduce unsprung weight, the most desirable place to shed weight. The first Gixxers ran 18" wheels. Up front since you're actually losing an inch of circumference steering may quicken a bit.

[tone]

I agree with billy ricks on one point a 120 up front is preferable in the handling stakes :-D & lower unsprung weight is always an advantage

not sure about the other statement about losing an inch though i'll bet theres almost nothing in it on the rolling diameter due to the tyre sizes (heights) :-D get your abacus out lol