katana rear wheel. Is it worth it?

[hopelessmechanic]

Hello everybody,
I bought an 89 gs last winter and drove it all year with no problems.  The time has come to replace the rear tire.  If your an everyday commute that likes to play hard on the twisties every now and then is it worth upgrading to the katana rim/tire combo?  If so how does it effect mileage?

[Turd Ferguson]

Eh...if you can find the rear wheel at a good price and its time for new tires anyways, yes.  Otherwise...stick some Pirelli Sport Demons on the stock wheel and go crazy.

-Turd.

[Alphamazing]

Eh...if you can find the rear wheel at a good price and its time for new tires anyways, yes.  Otherwise...stick some Pirelli Sport Demons on the stock wheel and go crazy.

-Turd.

+1

[brett]

Tragic will have to confirm which rim it is, but he went to a bigger rim/tire and the tire was rubbing against the swingarm. He had to cut a little piece of the swingarm out so it would fit right. Just a word to the wise.

Sport Demons are great. I would recommend trying a 140 Sport Demon the stock rim and then seeing if you still want to go bigger.

[blue05twin]

He had bend his tourge bar arm, I don't think he cut anything out of his swingarm.  You also have to trim the chain guard a bit. 

  I have a 04 kat wheel sitting in my living room with rotor and no GS to put it on.

Oh +1 to what Turd said

And incase you have not seen it here's the link to a how to on the kat rim

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25426.0

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

I believe he cut a piece out of his CHAIN GUARD... not his swingarm.

And Dave... well... ya know, that was my first thought, as I laid there.. "Dave just bought a new rim for this thing.. SH*T" 

[blue05twin]

I believe he cut a piece out of his CHAIN GUARD... not his swingarm.

And Dave... well... ya know, that was my first thought, as I laid there.. "Dave just bought a new rim for this thing.. SH*T" 

If they total the bike I'm going up there to take my Carbs, spring, kat shock, and break tourque arm bar, and and my 5th throttle and and my K&N Filter.

[NiceGuysFinishLast]

Don't forget the exhaust.. it's scraped, but functional.. and can I keep the bars?

I told the shop to write an estimate, and to see if the frame was straight.. I know that's the most important part..

[blue05twin]

Let me know if they contact you before they do me.  What state farm told me was that they will go by the estimate the shop does.  And just take some pic's if  the estimate is about what the pic's show then they are done.  And the repair process starts or I get a check for  the bike.

[Turd Ferguson]

Tragic will have to confirm which rim it is, but he went to a bigger rim/tire and the tire was rubbing against the swingarm. He had to cut a little piece of the swingarm out so it would fit right. Just a word to the wise.

Yeah, there are a few modifications that are neccessary, but the swing arm itself would fit a 190 no problem.  The chain-line is the only thing holding one back from doing so.  See my FAQ for descriptions and pictures.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25426.0

-Turd.

[blue05twin]

Hey Turd I posted a link to your faq a few post ago, scroll up 

[TragicImage]

He had bend his tourge bar arm, I don't think he cut anything out of his swingarm.  You also have to trim the chain guard a bit. 

no, I really did have a notch cut out.  Brett saw it at SkillzDays


I have some Continental RoadAttacks.  Very Grippy, Very Fun... but I did have to have a notch cut out.  Just cause I'm a poon, and I hate bent shaZam!.  But beating the hell out of it with a hammer is completely exceptable too.

[Turd Ferguson]

Understood, but you are talking about the brake torque rod, not the swing arm.  That was the confusion.

-Turd.

[TragicImage]

Understood, but you are talking about the brake torque rod, not the swing arm.  That was the confusion.

-Turd.

right no... it was the Torque Rod....



swingarm... puuuuh-shaw!

[rangerbrown]

a 190 will fit





just wont turn

[Turd Ferguson]

The swing arm itself is plenty wide and could accomodate a big tire.  The only real problem with fitting a wide wheel/tire combo is the chain line.  The engine would have to be moved way left for the chain to clear anything wider than a 160.

Then again...there is no benefit for the GS to go wider with the rear tire.  The only benefit to upgrading to a Katana wheel is that you open up many options for good sticky tires.

-Turd.

[rangerbrown]

how far can the CS sprocket be shifted

[Turd Ferguson]

It can't.  You have to move the motor over.

-Turd.

[average]

Tragic will have to confirm which rim it is, but he went to a bigger rim/tire and the tire was rubbing against the swingarm. He had to cut a little piece of the swingarm out so it would fit right. Just a word to the wise.

Yeah, there are a few modifications that are neccessary, but the swing arm itself would fit a 190 no problem.  The chain-line is the only thing holding one back from doing so.  See my FAQ for descriptions and pictures.

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=25426.0

-Turd.

hmmm, my kat wheel came with a 190. To me thats just too damn big. Hell, the 160 that Dan is running "looks" big also. One of these days Ill have to get up with Ken and grab a few things from him 

[Turd Ferguson]

Wow, what aspect ratio does that 190 have, average?  190 is WAY too big for a 4.5" rim!

My 160 Sportect M-1 gets pretty steep near the edges.  If I could do it all over again, I'd have put a different tire on my Kat rim.



Check out the profile of that tire!  The Sportec M-1 is a great tire, but the profile is just crazy and the edges are much too steep for me.

-Turd.