fat tire

[kingofvenus]

Agreed. IF i change over my ES to the 86 Gixxer stuff, my main goal is only to get the better brakes and more and modern rubber on the ground. However, I think the large misconception for people looking to do these mods is that it will somehow make the old GS handle like a modern sportbike. What doesnt seem to be understood to the full by the guys just poking around about it (like myself at first) is that the single most limiting factor at that point becomes the frame, followed closely by the weight of the bike to begin with. It will NEVER handle like a GSXR or R1 or the like, even if you go thru with bracing the frame, but it will help to do so. However, the cost factor in this endeavor becomes the NEXT limiting factor for alot of us. When you consider that to do all the necessary modification to make the bike actually HANDLE better other than just having better stopping power and stickier rubber, it simply doesnt make sense. The price tag, all said and done, can end up well over 3 grand, and for that, you can land a NICE Bandit, or a few years old FZ1 or ZRX...

If you rode a stock '83 750 es and then were to ride mine, trust me. You would think differently. My frame is stock also, it's just fine as is. And counting in the $450 that the Hagon shock cost I only have @ $1200 into the swap. Some of the best money I've ever spent.

[Beaver]

i find this thread to be quite incredible...you look through various threads and theres folks chopping up perfectly good GS's all the time . some turn out good , others worse than they started, loads of which get applauded and volumes spoken about how great they are.
then joe soap here wants to do the same sort of thing , ie chop up a perfectly good GS, and all he gets is negativity and reasons not to .
and as for just buying a modern bike for the same money .......wheres the fun in that ...

I agree with Saffa. For some of us half the fun in buying old bikes is changing them into something unique and putting our mark on them. I am from the pods, fat tires, 1100 swingarm school of thinking, and have ideas in the pipeline that I don't feel like mentioning here cause I know I will get hopped on. I remember that when I first came here how impressed I was with how unbelievably helpful and kind everyone is and the thousands of posts people make guiding others in their projects. Now that I have been here a bit longer I can feel the undercurrent that lies there sometimes. It is impossible to hide your own prejudices about how you feel these bikes should, but if the guy wants a fat tire cause it looks cool, then where is the harm in telling him what he needs to know?

Do any of your remember what his original question was? In the 4 pages of this thread, GSBobber has made 2 posts gotten useful answers from 2-3 of you and the rest seem to have been made for your own amusement, or just ripped into him

I bought a GS cause it fitted with my budget and being a classic is cheaper to insure. I absolutely love it, and the more I chop and change it the more attached to it I become, I am not a fan of stock GS's, but if that is what tickles your fancy...

[posplayr]

OK I tracked down gsbobbers two posts in the thread.

i have a 80 gs750 want a fatter tire in the bike what would need to be dont/modified in order to achieve that. looking for a 170 even better 180

well rj im not an oc chopper wanna be but i am a newb to this im accually trying to build a cafe reson why i want the fat tire is one the look and two the handling i want to be able to take it up to the canyons and be able to handle i just have a hard time trusting the skinny tires the real is currently a 110 and the front a 100 but like i said im a newb. my apologies

He asked how to install a 170 or 180 tire without specifying the reason and the desire to do minimal modifications.

I think the 2.15" wheel, 180 tire hair spray and a lighter answered that question as concisely as possible.

He then later qualified his request to say it was partially for looks, which would have been satisfied by the above solution but went further to say he was looking for performance.

Well that point (as far as I'm concerned ) any discussion of performance involves the whole bike, performance level to be achieved and the degree of modification or budget you have. As it turns out the issue of suspension mods seems to draw a bipolar response from the forum like the pods v.s. air box debate So other than a few less than tactful posts in reference to gsbobber, most every thing in this thread is relevant to consider. Hopefully he got something out of it and hopefully does not have a negative impression from the whole thread.

I don't think we have a lot of Pulitzer prize winners in literature here at GSR and so some may not be able to articulate their positions as well as they would like. I would suggest that the membership take that into consideration when reading other peoples posts and consider what they are trying to say rather than assume it is something negative.

Pos

[Sunburn]

I can still scare the chit out of myself with a my "130" rear tire.

again, it's all relative. I hit the "oh chit" speed on a GS much sooner then I would hit an "oh chit" speed on a modern bike. Its still a rush at any speed. I don't care about lap times or the finish line. I only ride for the thrill. When you have fast cornering speed and the bike starts to get a little diabolical on your *ss then your in the zone and best to back off a hair and enjoy it.

Modern bike you need to have another attitude. Some of these bikes are too good for the street. They are coasting at speeds a GS is working hard. If your approaching the limit then your going way too fast and need to back off an appropriate reserve for the street. Too many pin heads crossing the double line or passing in corners as it is. You don't see many GS riders doing that.

A mistake is always bad news up there!

[TheCafeKid]

If you rode a stock '83 750 es and then were to ride mine, trust me. You would think differently. My frame is stock also, it's just fine as is. And counting in the $450 that the Hagon shock cost I only have @ $1200 into the swap. Some of the best money I've ever spent.

Dont get me wrong, there will be some handling gains, but its not going to EVER be a modern bike. I have good suspension on my ES, and that bike rails in the corners, pegs draggin, etc. But i feel the frame move before I feel any sloppiness in the suspension. Also, You get off much easier in the wallet dept because you're already running a monoshock, which makes things open up a little better in the choice of routes to take. Guys with twin shock bikes have to do a bit more converting things over to take advantage of larger wheels with modern rubber...

[Zooks]

Why not get a new bike that isn't completely ridiculous with a wider tire?

DING DING DING !!!!!!! Give that man the prize.




Why do people insist on destroying the factory geometry of the bike all the time? Just to be able to have a bit of a pose with a fat tyre.

[Zooks]

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This will be Brians personal hell. He will be stuck in a room full of guys asking how to put on fat tires and how much shorter they can cut the shocks...

....and - "what oil should I use for my bike?" - "is synthetic better?"

[tatumjr]

I bet you did not expect all this did you bobber-dude.....
These guys do however have a metric crap ton of knowledge that has seen my bike from a $500 non-running electrical mess to a running (I'm still cold on two cylinders but should be good after my new/old R/R from Duaneage) bike.
Use the search feature and most of this could have been avoided....Which is why all you guys in GSR land has heard little from me so far.
Anyway, what I'm saying is: TAKE THE ADVISE.

BTW Thanks for all the help you never knew you gave me!!

[gsbobber]

reason why i went with the gs is cause of coarse the cost for one picked up mine running great fresh out the shop with a tune up and carbs rebuilt for 1000 guy was hurting for money insurence was cheap and cus i love the cafe look which is what im going for. plus i like building things having the joy of saying i put that together. i like modern street bikes dont get me wrong but i live in the l.a./o.c. area and everybody around here owns gsxrs, r1's ect. and i just wanted something u dont see everyday and that i could go have fun in i appreciate the advice and will go with the 120 or 130 tire. reason i joined this site is for the info alot of peeps on here that know their ****. and i know that everyone is a critic i can take it no bad feeling here thanks again for the great info now one more ? if i get the bigger tire 120 /130 do i need to get a bigger front tire its a 100

[Sunburn]

My tires are 130/100.


If you really want a fat tire do it. Money and skill are the only limiting factor. You will get all the help you can handle here.


You can have $3500 tied up in a GS you paid $1200 for real quick. You wont be riding because it's all in parts or waiting for parts


I say, take your $1200 bike and put another $1500 to make it look real sharp with a 130 tire on the back and ride it all day and night

[gsbobber]

cool thanks also my bike came with these forks look like air shock anybody got any ideas what kind they are are they stock are they modified are they any good

[Sunburn]

Good post for another thread. This is about Fat Tire.

[TheCafeKid]

reason why i went with the gs is cause of coarse the cost for one picked up mine running great fresh out the shop with a tune up and carbs rebuilt for 1000 guy was hurting for money insurence was cheap and cus i love the cafe look which is what im going for. plus i like building things having the joy of saying i put that together. i like modern street bikes dont get me wrong but i live in the l.a./o.c. area and everybody around here owns gsxrs, r1's ect. and i just wanted something u dont see everyday and that i could go have fun in i appreciate the advice and will go with the 120 or 130 tire. reason i joined this site is for the info alot of peeps on here that know their ****. and i know that everyone is a critic i can take it no bad feeling here thanks again for the great info now one more ? if i get the bigger tire 120 /130 do i need to get a bigger front tire its a 100

A TRUE cafe wouldnt have a big old fat tire on the back... They didnt have big old fat tires back when the original cafes were created... You COULD get a GS1150 rear wheel, find an 83 GS1100 front to match the spoke pattern...the 1150 rear comes in either 3.0 inches wide or 3.5 inches wide, and with the 3.5 you can stick a 150 on there... PLUS, with some spacers and time, attention to detail, it will bolt RIGHT ON. there ya go But seriously, put a 130 on it, run it till you run it to the edge. When you get comfy doing that, then maybe look at a bigger tire conversion. Otherwise, youre gonna be riding around on a big wide tire that looks like it came off a car cause you wont lean the bike...

[tejasmud]

They call it a "Chicken Stripe."

[cavehamster]

This is an interesting thread.

I have an '82 GS1100E that was rescued from rusting away in a field. To say this bike needs work is an understatement. Considering how little I paid for it, and the condition of the bike, the question is not how to restore it to stock, but how to make it into something interesting.

I already have a swingarm from a Bandit 1200 so I can go with a wider rear tire. I'm still debating what size, I thought I wanted a 180, but I'm not so sure right now. My primary goals with this bike is that I want to take it down the drag strip, a lot, but also be streetable. I'm not looking to leave anyone in the dust in the corners, I realize it is not going to do that, mostly, I want traction for the strip and better rubber/braking than stock.

I plan on going with a USD front forks off something newer, once I find something for sale around here I realize none of this will be a bolt on, but I have a CNC at my disposal, and I am not in a rush, just want to have fun and build something tasteful.

I'm open to suggestions, and I am watching multiple rebuild threads with interest with how they are updating the suspension.