Tube Question

[Guest]

I have an 81' 850G and I am replacing the front tire which I thought was tubeless but when I got the tire off there's a tube in there. My question is should I just leave the tube in or go tubeless?

[Brendan W]

Your wheel may be stamped for tubeless but the valve hole is not suitable.
Mine is like that.

[jlyon40]

Interesting....

[Baatfam]

Just updated my front wheel last week. With a tubeless stem from NAPA, I was set.

Before and after:





Valve stem and tool from Amazon - Link to tool which needs a 1/2 drill: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[1980GS1000E]

Tubeless for me. Try it, you won't regret it.

[rphillips]

Tubes are an unnecessary problem, I've never altered the stem hole, just install a tubeless stem & you should be good to go. Flattened seal surface, like he did, to better fit a stem with a flat seal, or beveling the hole to better fit a stem with a beveled seal will also work well. The main thing is get rid of the tube. Just my opinion

[mrbill5491]

Lots of threads about tubes and no tubes, wheels specifies tubeless etc. Check some of em out.

Many of us run without tubes on wheels without the tire retainer 'bump' on inboard edge of the bead area on the rim. I have an 83 1100E. Originally had tubes. Have owned since new. Has not had a tube at either end since about 1985. Never ever a problem. Lots of metal valve stem assemblies available. Hole size is, I think, .435 inches.

It had tubes in it? Suzuki changed it process for its rims mid-production of 82, anything after that was tubeless and it's stamped on the rim as tubeless.

[rphillips]

"82" doesn't seem right. I bought a new 1980 GS1000 "G". It had tubeless on one end & tube type on the other, odd but that was the way it rolled out of the showroom. Also from what I've found, no GS1100"E" ever came with tubeless. The GS1150 was the first of their big model chain drive to have tubeless from the factory.