radial tires?

[Thumpower]

Anyone had any experience with radial tires on their GS? My 850 is about done with th present Shinkos - not the greatest mileage...

I have found some radials that would fit, if anybody has tried them on a bike that wasn't designed with radials in mind.

[Steve]

The ONLY way to get radials to work PROPERLY on a GS is to install wheels that are MUCH wider.

The wheels on the GS are FAR too narrow to properly suppert radials in the stock sizes.

Not sure what you are trying to accomplish with a switch to radials, but if it's handling, you should know that there are plenty of bias-ply tires that will let you drag hardware in any corner you choose. Radials might be better than those tires, but they won't let you corner your GS any faster until you get more cornering clearance.

.

[Big Rich]

Steve, wasn't there a tire manufacturer that began making radial tires for "Standard" GS sizes?

I could swear I read about it here on the GSResources..... but didn't bookmark it of course.

[boingk]

Hi mate, I can't recommend anything about radials per se... but can offer a bit of advice on Bridgestone BT-45 'Battleaxe' tyres.

They're not terribly expensive, wear well and offer good grip in both wet and dry conditions. I tend to fit them to all my bikes that are ridden fairly frequently or demand odd sizes - Bridgestone have been nice enough to offer a full complement of sizes in the BT-45 range.

Cheers - boingk

[luvmy40]

Can't help with the radials on bias bike question but, take a look at Bridgestone's Spit Fire series.

I run BS Battlax on my Katana and Spit Fires on my XJ's. The Spit Fires have performed well for me. I like the Battlax better, at least on the Katana, but they are not available in the sizes to fit the XJ750. I haven't looked to see if they can be had for the GS850 yet. I may go with the Spitfires regardless as the GS is a touring bagger and I'll not likely be wanting to drag knee on it any time soon.

[greg78gs750]

i can attest that avon roadriders will let you scrape pegs on an 1100 es!

greg

[bwringer]

The Continental Classic Attack is a new radial tire available in classic bike sizes.

Trouble is, it's only available in three sizes at the moment, only one of which fits your 850.

http://www.conti-online.com/www/motorcycle_de_en/themes/motorcycletires/conti_classic_en/classic_attack_en.html

Avon Roadriders in the CORRECT sizes will provide outstanding handling on your bike, and they will last far longer than the Shinkos. Believe me, I've personally tested the limits of tire life and handling, and the RoadRiders are outstanding. Plus, they don't turn evil as they wear -- handling remains consistent down to the cords.

You have omitted detailed information about your bike, but the CORRECT sizes for an 850 are 100/90-19 in front, and 130/90-17 in the rear for a G model or 130/90-16 rear for a GL. (In tires that use letter sizing, the widths are MM90 front and MT90 rear.)

Just to answer the most common question, wider is NOT better -- motorcycles lean to turn and must wear tires that suit the rim width so that the tire cross-section is not distorted.

Crude low-tech appliances like cars that lean the wrong way can sometimes benefit from wider tires than original, but not bikes.