Largest Tire Size? 1981 GS450L

[Guest]

Does anyone know what the largest tires are that will fit on a 1981 GS450L without removing fenders or serious modification?
A local shop clerk told me-

100/90/19
130/90/16

But not sure if he just wanted to sell me what he had in stock.
Recommendations and insights appreciated!

Thanks.

[cowboyup3371]

Have you downloaded the service manual for your bike from Basscliff's site - http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/

It will have the recommended size in it as well as other critical information you need to know about your bike.

[Nessism]

A 130 is too big for the rear wheel, which is only 2.15" wide. I'd limit the width to 120 with that wheel size. The 100 front is maxed out too.

[Steve]

What the sales clerk told you was probably technically correct, based on your question. Those are the largest that will fit without modification, but that does not mean they are the proper tire.

I don't know exactly what size rims are on your bike, but I would be inclined to agree with Nessism on this one. The 450's rims were a size down from the larger bikes, so the proper tires would probably be a 90/90-19 on the front and a 120/90-16 on the back.

Please don't fall into the trap that thinks "a larger tire will give more traction". When you fit a larger tire on a skinny rim, it gets pinched into a tighter radius, which will actually put LESS rubber on the road, so stick with the proper sizes. The tire technology has been improving a bit in the last 30+ years, so today's tires a quite a bit better than the ones that came on the bike. They were certainly "adequate", meaning that new tires will actually work quite well.

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