Upgrade to radial tires

[Guest]

Hey, y'all.

So I've got an 85 GS1150E, with a 16 inch front wheel and a 17 inch rear. Stock suspension. I want to upgrade my rims/tires to modern (radial) tires. I also want to raise the height a little so I can lean farther without scraping the engine on the ground.

So what's the easiest/least amount of parts involved way to get said tires/rims? I am ok using stock forks, and I don't want to get a new swingarm, so I'm ok using a narrower tire. Raising the height is desired, but optional if it's too involved. I got some great info from Posplayr regarding this swap, but I wanna hear what the rest of you have to say.

Thanks so much!




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[Steve]

Going with radial tires will require MUCH wider wheels than any GS ever thought of wearing.

Not sure what sizes you had in mind, but you WILL need wider wheels.

.

[x01660]

Going with radial tires will require MUCH wider wheels than any GS ever thought of wearing.

Not sure what sizes you had in mind, but you WILL need wider wheels.

.

What about modern 250cc or 400cc rims? They look pretty narrow... I know I'll have to get rims. That's a given. I just wanna know if I have to switch out my swingarm and forks in order to do so.


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[Steve]

It would be my GUESS that the rims that were designed for 250 and 400cc bikes will certainly be able to handle tires that were designed FOR THOSE BIKES. Something tells me, however, that any 250 or 400cc bike that has radial tires weighs a LOT less than your GS. I think "weight rating" will be an important factor.

Good luck with your search, be sure to let us know what you find.

.

[Ghostgs1]

Continental classic attack tires may be what you are looking for. Looks like 19s on the front and 18s on the rear? They are narrow cross section designed to work on our old bikes.

[earlfor]

Hey, y'all.

So I've got an 85 GS1150E, with a 16 inch front wheel and a 17 inch rear. Stock suspension. I want to upgrade my rims/tires to modern (radial) tires. I also want to raise the height a little so I can lean farther without scraping the engine on the ground.

So what's the easiest/least amount of parts involved way to get said tires/rims? I am ok using stock forks, and I don't want to get a new swingarm, so I'm ok using a narrower tire. Raising the height is desired, but optional if it's too involved. I got some great info from Posplayr regarding this swap, but I wanna hear what the rest of you have to say.

Thanks so much!




-x01660

You don't need more lean angle. The center stand scrapes before the engine does. Definitely do not install wider than a 120 front/130 rear if you keep the stock rims.

[x01660]

Continental classic attack tires may be what you are looking for. Looks like 19s on the front and 18s on the rear? They are narrow cross section designed to work on our old bikes.

You've got my attention; do they have those here in the US?


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[GS1150Pilot]

If you want your bike to handle better, you would be far better off improving your suspension, which you say is stock. Get better springs, fresh oil in the forks and a Ducati M900 shock in the rear. Then properly set the sag for your weight. What you are looking for is not to be found in the tires. Beyond that, adjust your riding style: It is not necessary to drag parts to be fast.

[earlfor]

If you want your bike to handle better, you would be far better off improving your suspension, which you say is stock. Get better springs, fresh oil in the forks and a Ducati M900 shock in the rear. Then properly set the sag for your weight. What you are looking for is not to be found in the tires. Beyond that, adjust your riding style: It is not necessary to drag parts to be fast.

That there is the truth of the matter for better handling.

[chef1366]

Not stock
Ducati monoshock

[hillsy]

If you can find a 1st gen upside down fork GSXR1100 front end it bolts straight on (same steering bearings) and is the longest of the USD forks. I think they 90-93?

There's probably a bunch of threads on here about rear wheel swaps - pretty sure the same GSXR rear wheel can squeeze into you existing swingarm.

[x01660]

If you can find a 1st gen upside down fork GSXR1100 front end it bolts straight on (same steering bearings) and is the longest of the USD forks. I think they 90-93?

There's probably a bunch of threads on here about rear wheel swaps - pretty sure the same GSXR rear wheel can squeeze into you existing swingarm.

This is some GREAT info!!! I'm assuming they are much thicker than the 1150 forks, and you're saying I won't have to mod anything to get them to fit? Or am I missing something? Because if that's the case, I might as well try to track down a complete front end, with the brakes (since I wanna upgrade those as well)... Thanks for the tip!




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