GS850 front wheel reversable?

[Guest]

Kind of a strange question. My front tire is either mounted backwards, or when the previous owner attached the wheel, he put the wheel on backwards.

Either way, can I just flip the wheel around or will I need to physically take the tire off and flip it around. I see there is a speedo gear on the axle.

Worst case, I can just pull it off and give it the old college try but if someone knows I'd rather have that knowledge beforehand

[Steve]

You see the speedo mounted there? Guess what drives it.
Yep, special slots in the wheel. The wheel is meant to go on in ONE direction.

What makes you think the tire is on backward? If it's the tread pattern, ignore it.
There is an arrow on the sidewall that will tell you for SURE which way the tire is supposed to rotate.

.

[lurch12_2000]

Like Steve said, that front rim will only go on one way unless someone really fudged it up and left off the speedo send unit. The old Cheng Shin front tire V pattern looks backward as an example but check the sidewall for proper arrow rotation direction and you'll see if it was mounted properly. If it has many miles or is old just spend $50 and get a new Shinko 712 100/90-19 and mount it yourself and then you'll be all set. If it's your first tire and it has a tube you might want some local help if there are forum members close by to see you through it. Pinching the tube or not seating the bead properly are common new mistakes.