1980 GS1000S tyres

[Guest]

Hi Guys. It's a long time since I visited these pages!! Last year I acquired a 1980 GS1000S fitted with Avon Supervenoms. After a fair bit of work, she is looking sweet, but I had a "moment" the other day giving it a squirt out of a corner, and I think the tyres are gone.. I have no idea how old the tyres are, but could be anything from 2 to 10 years old..

On my Race bike I run 17" wheels and Metzler racetechs which are brilliant, but I have no experience with original skinny wheels. I have a 130/80 V18 on the rear and 100/90 V19 on the front. I am looking at the stickiest tyres I can get as I don't do huge km on the bike, but when I do, I want it to stick to the road!!

From what I have read, the old Avon AM26s seem to have a bit of competition from Bridgestone, Pirelli and Metzler. The Pirelli Sport Demons seem to be extremely sticky but fast wearing. What do others think? Thanks for your help.
Cheers, Smithy.

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[gsrick]

Very nice bike.

[Nessism]

Sport demons would be a good choice. A 120 in back is the widest I'd go considering the narrow wheel.

[smithy09]

Thanks Guys. Nessism, it already has a 130 on the back. Looks OK.

[roeme]

My '14 Guzzi came with sport demons that had 1000km on them, hardly broken in by PO in my opinion, as they were still slippery like brand new. Worn them out at around 5000 km - I did use the Guzzi's torque and modern brakes liberally of course. So depending on your riding style and bike they may last longer for you.

On my running 550 I have Bridgestone's BT45, I need to check my notes, but from what I remember, they lasted a fair bit longer.

[Nessism]

Thanks Guys. Nessism, it already has a 130 on the back. Looks OK.

It's not about looks. The rear wheel is only 2.15" wide. A 130 will be pinched in badly at the sides which changes the tire profile. For a 130 you should have at least a 2.5" wheel.

[smithy09]

I meant that the tyre profile "looks" OK. I know what over-wrapped tyres look like and this one doesn't appear to look too bad.

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[smithy09]

Looking at tyre charts the max size recommended for 2.15" rims certainly is 120, so you might be 100% on the money Nessism! Crazy skinny. I'm used to 120 on the front of my race bike!!!

[jlyon40]

IRC Durotour's have a lot of tread and from my experience they stick very well. Got caught in the pouring rain on a road with a lot of bends and no slip at all. Not sure on the tread life however they have been on for over a year and they still look brand new and they look pretty cool on an older bike. Here's the link if you're interested. I found them the cheapest at Motorcycle Superstore.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/19083/i/irc-rs310-durotour-blackwall-rear-tire