Bigger Tires?

[toyopete]

So another benefit of using Radial tyres is less sprung weight. 

less rotational mass should also equate to improved acceleration and braking.

that difference might be minimal sinds the GS is a fat pig,..174 kilo fro the  GS my SV 1000 was 174 Kilo with 124 hp,...

[toyopete]

...my former bike was a SV 1000 N so when I bought the 500 I got the shivers when I saw the size of that rear tyre .
so beeing used to lots of rubber Ime affraid I will make some "big" mistakes taking the curves as I used to ( knee on the gound ).

remember the SV1k NEEDS more rubber because it has 2x-3x the horsepower of the GS. The 130 is more than capable at most speeds.

Ime still scared,...

[nazgulnarsil]

no way, the sv1000 weighs about 23kg more than a gs fully fueled.  it's the sv650 that weighs about the same.

[galahs]

So another benefit of using Radial tyres is less sprung weight. 

less rotational mass should also equate to improved acceleration and braking.

that difference might be minimal sinds the GS is a fat pig,..174 kilo fro the  GS my SV 1000 was 174 Kilo with 124 hp,...

But with such small horse power available every bit counts. 

[toyopete]

no way, the sv1000 weighs about 23kg more than a gs fully fueled.  it's the sv650 that weighs about the same.

that's correct for the SV Sport, but Ime refering to the naked version...

[Jay_wolf]

The small wheel on the rear is just wrong , looks stupid , a 150/ or 160 on a 4.5 helps it

[toyopete]

The small wheel on the rear is just wrong , looks stupid , a 150/ or 160 on a 4.5 helps it

that too,. and a 150 it will be in the near future

[bombadillo]

So a guy here in town found an 89 gs and works at a bike shop.  He promptly threw a michelin pilot on it that was a 160/70/17 and I about crapped.  He didn't bend the brake arm, didn't change anything.  He just threw it on there and said it was fine.  I wanted to know a little more of the problems that can occur with such a large tire on a 3.5" rim.  I know the basic it bulges the center out and makes it unstable but a little more info on why and how it does this would be great.  Thanks

[Jay_wolf]

There is one big Debate about wether a 150 should be put on a 3.5 inch rim , a 160 is way to far

Gs jack rides his gs with a 150 tire on , and i think 8-10k miles , not a single problem and even had a email from the company saying its completely safe to use , I personally have a BT45 150/70/17 on a 3.5 inch katana (1990) rim and it works fine

Until the spacer is sourced it will have to do before i can have  160 on a 4.5 inch rim

Jay

[bombadillo]

but why is it dangerous?

[pantablo]

So a guy here in town found an 89 gs and works at a bike shop.  He promptly threw a michelin pilot on it that was a 160/70/17 and I about crapped.  He didn't bend the brake arm, didn't change anything.  He just threw it on there and said it was fine.  I wanted to know a little more of the problems that can occur with such a large tire on a 3.5" rim.  I know the basic it bulges the center out and makes it unstable but a little more info on why and how it does this would be great.  Thanks

but why is it dangerous?

Its dangerous because what happens to the tire when on a too-narrow rim. The tire profile changes because you are pinching the beads closer together than they are designed for. This causes the center of the tire to bulge out a bit which reduces your contact patch when bike is vertical (regular street riding). I noticed the biggest difference in braking, where using my rear brake on the 150 would cause it to almost always, easily, lock up.
Also, the pinching of the tire causes the transition from center to edge, like when you are turning, to be abrupt. In fact, on my pilot sport 150's, once they wore a bit that transition became even more abrupt and the bike would feel like it was falling into the turn once I passed a certain lean angle. It was enough to scare the bejeezus out of me.

Not all tires are the same. In fact, you could measure every 150 and they'd all be different. There is one brand/model that is approved for the 3.5 wheel as stated above.

Also, My 150, when on my 3.5 wheel, measured only 142mm, because of the pinching.

[gsJack]

Keep in mind that Pablo is talking about a 150/60 Pilot Sport tire which is a supersport type and has since been replaced by the Pilot Power tire.  NONE of the tire manufactures recommends the fitment of a 150/60 tire on a 3.5" wide rim in this country and never have as far as I know.  Many are running the 150/60 tires on the GS500 and Ninja 500 bikes on 3.5" rims and highly recommend them to others, I have not personally tried a 150/60 size.

Both the 150 tires I have run are the 150/70 sport touring type tires and I've had no problems with them.  The 150/70 tires are an approved fitment on the 3.5" rim for the Z6, Strada, BT020, Contiforce, and Road Attack tires to mention ones that come to mind and in cases like the Avon AV45/46 and Storms where they are not generally recommended by Avon for this fitment I have found it recommended by Avon for particular individual fitments in the Avon fitment guide.

I don't ride at the pace Pablo does AND NEVER WILL so it's not a direct comparison, I'm trying to slow down a bit as father time catches up to me.  I ran my 150/70 Road Attack for 10k miles and was very happy with it except for the slipping on tar snakes in it's later life that I talked about in another thread about tires with teeth for hot weather.  I just replaced it with a 140/70 Avon Roadrider that is performing nicely and think I'll be satisfied with this tire, time will tell as I haven't even got it wet yet.  It only cost $80 compared to the $120 for another Road Attack at my local tire place.

[galahs]

Are RoadRiders radials?

[gsJack]

Avon Roadriders are bias ply, not radial.

[pantablo]

I don't ride at the pace Pablo does AND NEVER WILL so it's not a direct comparison,

Life is ironic that way...

on another ironic note, I dont even run street tires any more. I run DOT race rubber, specifically the new Diablo Supercorsa. So nice. So sticky. Also, I dont ride on the street anymore, just track riding now once or twice a month.

this is what one trackday looks like on a Supercorsa. mmm boogers.