Stock 82 GS1100e with radial tires on stock rims

[batterup]

I have the stock snowflake rims on my 1982 gs1100e and i want radial tires on it. I thought i was going to have to do the cornversion to get radial tires but i think i found something that might work.

110/80/19 radials in the front instead of the stock 100/90/19 bias ply.

http://www.bobscycle.com/browse.cfm/4,120024.html

And 140/80/17 radials in the rear instead of the 130/90/17 bias play.

http://www.oldbikebarn.com/Dunlop-D205-Sport-Touring-Radial-140-80-x-17-Rear-Tire

My dad is using the 140-80-17 bias ply on the rear right now and it works great so these should work.

The tires arent the same manufacturer or tread pattern but there radials and there the closest i could find. Do you guys think this would work well?

Thanks for the help

[Nessism]

The GS wheels are too narrow for radials. And a 140 bias ply is too wide too.

The tires need to be spread out to perform properly, this is doubly true with radials due to the way the cord ply's lay inside the tire. Don't monkey around with stuff like this since safety is at stake.

Oh, and all this info and much more is captured in the dozens of different tire threads in the archives...

[batterup]

The GS wheels are too narrow for radials. And a 140 bias ply is too wide too.

The tires need to be spread out to perform properly, this is doubly true with radials due to the way the cord ply's lay inside the tire. Don't monkey around with stuff like this since safety is at stake.

Oh, and all this info and much more is captured in the dozens of different tire threads in the archives...

So are you saying if i had a wheel that was made for a 130-90-17 bias ply and i could buy a 130-90-17 radial the radial wouldnt fit correctly on the same rim? My dads been riding a dunlop rear 140-80-17 instead of the 130-90-17 stock size and he likes it much better then the stock size so yes the 140 bias works great..

[Nessism]

So are you saying if i had a wheel that was made for a 130-90-17 bias ply and i could buy a 130-90-17 radial the radial wouldnt fit correctly on the same rim? My dads been riding a dunlop rear 140-80-17 instead of the 130-90-17 stock size and he likes it much better then the stock size so yes the 140 bias works great..

Please go to some of the various tire manufacturers websites and read about proper tire fitment. Most manufacturers list the recommended rim width to go with their tires. If you do this you will realize that a 140 is too wide for a 2.5" wheel. This is doubly true for a radial tire, which needs the sidewalls pulled tight in order to work as designed. So to answer your question, a 130 radial, if you could find such a beast, would work best on a wider wheel than those on our bikes.

[TheCafeKid]

So are you saying if i had a wheel that was made for a 130-90-17 bias ply and i could buy a 130-90-17 radial the radial wouldnt fit correctly on the same rim? My dads been riding a dunlop rear 140-80-17 instead of the 130-90-17 stock size and he likes it much better then the stock size so yes the 140 bias works great..

Do some reading friend. By running a tire that's too wide forty given rim, you create "pinch". The sidewall is pulled in too narrow, and it causes a crowning effect on the contact patch portion of the tire, in other words making it slightly pointy. This not only reduces useable contact patch withthe road, but can also cause funny feeling handling, like quick tip-in, or falling over feeling..

Wider does not mean better.

And GS rims were not designed to hold radial tires.
Using a radial tire on a stock rim could result in catastrophic failure.

Why do you want radial tires anyway?

[850 Combat]

The stock 450-17 tire on your bike converts to a 120-90, not a 130-90.

Your question "if i had a wheel that was made for a 130-90-17 bias ply and i could buy a 130-90-17 radial the radial wouldnt fit correctly on the same rim?" may not have any validity if you have stock rims. Avon recommends 2.75" to 3.5" rim width for their 140-80-17 radial. http://www.avonmotorcycle.com/ Is your rim width in that range?

So are you saying if i had a wheel that was made for a 130-90-17 bias ply and i could buy a 130-90-17 radial the radial wouldnt fit correctly on the same rim? My dads been riding a dunlop rear 140-80-17 instead of the 130-90-17 stock size and he likes it much better then the stock size so yes the 140 bias works great..

[batterup]

And GS rims were not designed to hold radial tires.
Using a radial tire on a stock rim could result in catastrophic failure.

Why do you want radial tires anyway?

Radial tires handle better thats why anyone with a choice uses them. I dont think the GS rims care if its a radial or a bias ply if there both 140/80/17 do you? Im asking because i dont know but it wouldnt seem to make a difference. If a 140/80/17 bias ply is working great on my dads 82 gs1100e
wouldnt a 140/80/17 radial work fine as well?

[Nessism]

Radial tires handle better thats why anyone with a choice uses them. I dont think the GS rims care if its a radial or a bias ply if there both 140/80/17 do you? Im asking because i dont know but it wouldnt seem to make a difference. If a 140/80/17 bias ply is working great on my dads 82 gs1100e
wouldnt a 140/80/17 radial work fine as well?

A radial is constructed differently than a bias ply tire. Because of this they need wider rims than bias ply tires.

And NO, your dad's 140 tire is not "working great", it's getting by. Tires, fortunately, are quite forgiving to misinstallment. A 140 is to wide for a 2.5" rim. Period. I'll eat my words if you can find a radial that allows installment onto a 1.85 front and 2.5 rear wheels, or even a 140 bias ply tires that allows install onto a 2.5. I'm almost certain you won't find either unless there are some new hybrid bias/radial tires some company invented just so they can appeal to those people that think "radial" is a magic word.

[Baatfam]

Im asking because i dont know...

Then you should listen to the excellent advice you already have received.

If a 140/80/17 bias ply is working great on my dads 82 gs1100e wouldnt a 140/80/17 radial work fine as well?

You may think it is working "great", but believe or not, a stock 130 would probably work even better.

[TheCafeKid]

Radial tires handle better thats why anyone with a choice uses them. I dont think the GS rims care if its a radial or a bias ply if there both 140/80/17 do you? Im asking because i dont know but it wouldnt seem to make a difference. If a 140/80/17 bias ply is working great on my dads 82 gs1100e
wouldnt a 140/80/17 radial work fine as well?

You don't have a choice. You cannot run radial tires on those rims unless you want to die. Simple enough?
And radial tires are nice, but I would bet dollars to doughnuts "everyone" who says they handle better couldn't tell the difference between a radial and bias ply just by feel alone.
Modern bias ply tires are way more advanced than they were when your bike was made. There are two brands in particular that will handle way better than you can ride.
Avon RoadRiders or Pirelli Sport Demons.
Buy those in the correct size, you're bike will handle very well. You'll not know the difference.

[batterup]

I found a site that talks about bias and radials here..

http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Tires_101:_An_Introduction

Near the bottom of the page i found this quote

But wait! There's a catch -- radial tires require wider rims to support the same tire width. That means that a 120/80 bias ply tire would work on a 2.5 inch rim, but a 120/80 radial would need a 3.0 inch rim to support it properly. Why does a radial need a wider rim? In simplest terms, a radial tends to have a softer sidewall, and a wider rim with a similar aspect radial puts less load on the sidewall, causing it to distort less under load. Most radials are designed for wider wheels, and putting them on a narrower rim will distort the cross-section of the tire and affect the handling of the bike -- almost always negatively.

So i guess im stuck with bias ply tires, What do you think are the grippiest bias ply tires they make? Im not concerned with longevity. Thanks for all the help guys!

[Baatfam]

So i guess im stuck with bias ply tires, What do you think are the grippiest bias ply tires they make? Im not concerned with longevity. Thanks for all the help guys!

From the above post...

There are two brands in particular that will handle way better than you can ride.
Avon RoadRiders or Pirelli Sport Demons.
Buy those in the correct size, you're bike will handle very well. You'll not know the difference.