Will 120/70/17 and 150/70/17 tires fit stock wheels?

[JEREMY JOCK]

Hey guys, I've been riding my new[ly used] GS500 for about a month now, and it's time for some new tires. The guy I bought the bike from has a 120/70/17 Avon tire on the front, and a 13/70/17 Michelin tire on the rear.

Both are in need of replacement, and I want to get a matching set of tires. I was looking into the Michelin Pilot Road 2 tires (120/70/17 for the front, 150/70/17 for the rear). Also, I read somewhere that a 150/70 tire will fit the rear wheel without any customization being needed.

Is this true?

Thanks for any info.

[Bluehaze]

Yes they will fit.. but you may need to modify your brake arm thing for the rear wheel. .. plus its not recommended that you go up as high as 150 for your rear stock wheel.  something about how it pinches on turns of some sort.  It has been done.. GS jack has tons of post about this. 

[Alphamazing]

Some tires will work. Most will not. I do not believe the Pilot Roads will work on the GS's stock 3.5" rear rim.

[JEREMY JOCK]

Ok, I don't really think I have the abilities to modify the brake arm...

What tires would you guys recommend? I ride on a daily basis. Sometimes highways, mostly back/country roads. And I'm a semi-aggressive rider, I would say, haha.

[Alphamazing]

Ok, I don't really think I have the abilities to modify the brake arm...

What tires would you guys recommend? I ride on a daily basis. Sometimes highways, mostly back/country roads. And I'm a semi-aggressive rider, I would say, haha.

Pirelli Sport Demons. Stock sizes.

[Bluehaze]

yep perille sports demon. i have that now and it rips it up on the corners no problem.

[JEREMY JOCK]

Thanks, I'll check them out. 

[gsJack]

Some tires will work. Most will not. I do not believe the Pilot Roads will work on the GS's stock 3.5" rear rim.

Some of the tire makers who list their approved tire/rim fitments on their sites do approve the 150/70-17 radials on 3.5" rims and some don't.  Avon has never shown general approval of their 150/70 rear radials on less than a 4.0" rim so I searched around their tire fitment guide and found they suggest a 150/70-17 rear radial for the 81-97 VX800 which has a 3.5x17" rear rim and also suggest a 150/70 rear radial for the 96 and earlier Katana 750 which has the same rims as our GS.

So when JEREMY questioned the possible fitment of a 150/70-17 Pilot Road 2 I knew Michelin didn't give any tire/rim fitment info beyond the prefered rim width only for each tire.  So I gave their fitment guide a quick check for the VX800 which has 3x18" and 3.5x17" rims and sure enough they recommended their Pilot Road tires in the 110/80ZR18 and 150/70ZR17 sizes.  Enough said.   

I can't think of any 150/70-17 sport touring radial I wouldn't run on my 02 GS500 oem 3.5" rim if I wanted to try it.  As pointed out above it might be necessary to put a little bend in the brake torque link for clearance.  Almost all 150/70-17 bias ply tires are approved by their makers for the 3.5" rims.

[Archangel1183]

Are the swing arms wider for the Katana and VX800? I wish our bikes had wider wheels. They look weak compared to other bikes when i park next to them.

[NF11624]

About bending the rear brake arm - all the skill you need is the skill of swinging a sledgehammer or operating a press if you have one.  I thought it would be too much for me as well, 20 minutes of semi-careful banging and I was all set.  I put Avon RoadRiders on 110/70, 150/70 front and rear respectively after doing a bunch of research (mainly looking at gsJack's posts ) and have had no issues whatsoever.

[JEREMY JOCK]

Unfortunately, I don't have a press, so that option is out. And the idea of a sledgehammer is, well, appealing and also not. Is there a thread that has a how-to? I tried using the search function, but it's not working out.

What about a 140 tire for the rear? I see the Pirelli SD's come in that size...

[Alphamazing]

Are the swing arms wider for the Katana and VX800? I wish our bikes had wider wheels. They look weak compared to other bikes when i park next to them.

And even with a 150 it will still look weak. Get over it.

Unfortunately, I don't have a press, so that option is out. And the idea of a sledgehammer is, well, appealing and also not. Is there a thread that has a how-to? I tried using the search function, but it's not working out.

What about a 140 tire for the rear? I see the Pirelli SD's come in that size...

The Sport Demons are excellent tires, and no modification is required to fit the 140 if you so desperately want a wider tire. Bending the brake torque arm is as easy as heating up the metal with a torch and hitting it with a hammer.

[gsJack]

When I first went from a BT45 to a Z2 radial rear 7 years ago I found a big difference in the performance of the radial, for one thing it was no longer necessary to slow down much if any in the wet.  Since then all of the major tire makers have come out with new and improved bias tires with the newest in compounds (silica) and profiles (multi-arc) except B'stone which upgraded the BT45 to the same.  When I put on a pair of bias Lasertecs 4 years ago I though they were nearly as good as the Metzeler and Avon radials I had previously tried.  I just can't justify the increased price of the radials anymore for my current style of riding.

A good bias tire in the oem 130/70 size or a slightly wider 140/70 size should work well for most.  Both the 140/70  Demons and the Roadriders have been sized for a preferred rim width of 3.75" making them an equally good fit on both 3.5 and 4" rims, their previous preferred rim width was 4".  And the 140/70 Activs have been sized for a 3.5" preferred rim width.

Probably the Demons are the sportiest of the lot and the Roadriders could be the longest lasting.  I haven't used all of them but am currently using Roadriders and find their life to be amazing with more than adequate handling at one of the lowest prices of the lot.  I use to justify using the radials based partly on their longer life but a 140/70 Roadrider just went 15k miles for me which was longer than any of the pricey radials I've used and it looks like a 110/80 front Roadrider will last about 20k miles if it ever wears out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg

[JEREMY JOCK]

Thanks for the info! 

I think I'm going to go with a 110/70 in the front, and a 140/70 in the rear. Now I just need to choose between the RoadRiders and the Demons. 

[Bluehaze]

if you want to rip it up on corners its sports demon. no contest.   

[gsfighter100]

I have a 150/70 on my  bike and dont like it its too tall. It looks like a balloon on the back of the bike. I would do a 140 if i had to do it again. I didn't have to bend the brake arm. Its close but it clears. I am using an Avon road rider or something like that.

[Alphamazing]

I have a 150/70 on my  bike and dont like it its too tall.

That's not the problem.

It looks like a balloon on the back of the bike.

That is.