Easiest rear wheel swap? is there such a thing?

[wakdady]

I'm interested in replacing my rear wheel with something wider. Is there an easier way to do this without have to bend the trailing arm? Even then, what is the easiest rear wheel available to swap in?
TIA

[burning1]

Why do you want to install a wider rear rim?

The BT003RS grips well enough that you could drag your pegs, knees, and elbows on the ground. The Avon Storm 2 Ultra should last 10,000-20,000 miles on a GS500, and grips well enough to put a knee down.

[007brendan]

Wider tires look cooler

[jeremy_nash]

if you dont want to bend the trailing arm, then you dont want to run a wider rear rim. 

[burning1]

Dig up a Hawk GT or VFR400 single sided swingarm and re-work it to fit the GS. Probably the coolest upgrade.

[tt_four]

I was cool dragging my pegs, knees and elbows for a while, but eventually it gets old, and if you want to drag your helmet on the ground without crashing you'll need better rubber. They do look cooler too. I'd stick a wider one on my bike if I came across a wheel cheap enough to make me want to do it.

[wakdady]

thanks burning1. the '07 i just got still has the original tires on it and it sat in the AZ sun for a while. tires are cracked to hell. I blindly bought michelin activ's and after the fact realized that they are bias ply.
which tire sizes should i run then? when i searched for 130/70's they all sucked.

the bikes main duty will be weekend twisties and the occasional commute to work.

[Toogoofy317]

I'm running the Bridgeston BT45's on my bike with a 150 rear and they work marvelously but I've also only had them about a month! No mods needed for that .
Mary

[wakdady]

I'm running the Bridgeston BT45's on my bike with a 150 rear and they work marvelously but I've also only had them about a month! No mods needed for that .
Mary

150/60 or 140/70?

[gsJack]

thanks burning1. the '07 i just got still has the original tires on it and it sat in the AZ sun for a while. tires are cracked to hell. I blindly bought michelin activ's and after the fact realized that they are bias ply.
which tire sizes should i run then? when i searched for 130/70's they all sucked.

the bikes main duty will be weekend twisties and the occasional commute to work.

I've used 110/70, 110/80, and 120/70 fronts and 130/70, 130/80, 130/90, 140/70, 140/80, and 150/70 rears on the stock 3.0 and 3.5" rims on my GS500s for various reasons.  No mods required except for the 150/70 rear which can touch the brake torque rod, tires vary in actual measured widths, some 150/70 are wider than others.  Quick and easy to take off brake rod and bend it with a BFH, I bent mine for the 2nd 150/70 I ran.

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

[burning1]

The stock 130/70/17 rear tire is ideal for this bike, but hard to find. I'd go with a 140/70/17. The 150 rear tires are all wrong for the GS. I'll consider running one after some major engine modifications.

[wakdady]

where do you get your tires? all the bt003's i'm finding are the wrong sizes

The stock 130/70/17 rear tire is ideal for this bike, but hard to find. I'd go with a 140/70/17. The 150 rear tires are all wrong for the GS. I'll consider running one after some major engine modifications.

[burning1]

The standard BT003 are Race tires, and they aren't available in a size that fits the GS.

The BT003RS are trackday/street tires. They are *very* aggressive tires, and I don't generally recommend them on a street bike. Don't get me wrong... They work fine on the street, but you're paying for performance you're very unlikely to use. They aren't as good in the rain as some other tires, as well. If you dig down through the general thread, you'll find some of my race videos, which will give you an idea of what the BT003RS are capable of.

Keep in mind that it's possible to drag knee on a pair of Avon Road Riders, which are bias ply economy tires.

With that said, you should be able to order them from your local bridgestone dealer. Make sure to specify that you want the BT003 RS.

http://mc.bridgestone.co.jp/en/products/battlax/bt003rs.html

[burning1]

wakdady,

Keep in mind that while Bias Ply tires are old tire technology, modern bias ply tires work very well. The Avon RoadRiders I mentioned in my previous post were bias ply tires. If you want Radials, the Avon Storm 2 Ultra are a good bet in a sport touring tire.

[gsJack]

I agree, the BT003RS are overkill on a GS500, far more grip than you'll need and expensive due to short tire life of such soft rubber.  The Avon Roadrider will last 2-3 times longer.  The BT003RS are readily available at good initial prices though:

http://www.americanmototire.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=33_82_883

http://www.tiresunlimited.com/ALL%20TIRES/Bridgestone/Bridgestone%20MC/bridgestone_battlax_BT003.htm

I have no doubt the latest Avon Storms are very good tires, I like the Avon tires I've tried but haven't tried the Storms yet.  The Storms are one of the widest 150/70 tires and will require bending the brake rod for clearance.  The older Avon Azaro ST radials are still made in a few sizes including the 110/80 and 140/80 sizes I used on my 02 GS and a 140/80 will fit with clearance of the brake rod without bending and our 3.5" rear rim is the preferred rim width for a 140/80.  Avon doesn't generally approve the fitment of their 150/70 Storms on a 3.5" rim.  I likes the Azaros I used on my bike and all of the tires I've used on my GS's have been fitments approved by their makers.

I find the bias Roadriders meet my current needs and they are very economical due to their very long life for a bias tire.  

[tt_four]

When I bought new tires for the GS last fall I picked up a set of IRC road winners just because they were the cheapest tire with decent looking tread I could find. I thought I was just going to sell the bike at that point when spring came, and I figured new cheap tires were better than the old stock tires from 91. Well I ended up keeping it, and definitely wish I had gotten nicer tires. I haven't had any problems with these ones, but I'm definitely a little hesitant to push the bike very far with these ones.

[jeremy_nash]

for the price, I like the kenda cruiser.  I get basicly the same mileage out of any tire I run, and I'v run bt45, kenda cruiser, bt-016,  bt-021, pilot road,and d208. even daily commuting I use the entire width of my 150-70 rear.  when you can get both tires brand new for the price of a new rear, and you can still lean over, it cant be too bad

[burning1]

Good advise. If I were to run a Storm, I'd probably put one of the 130 profile front tires on the rear and call it a day.

With that said, the stock GS really is sprung to run Bias Ply. Keep in mind that although Bias Ply tires have been around for a while, they would have stopped making them a long time ago if they were garbage tires.

[black and silver twin]

Just use the pirelli sport demons, they come in stock size and are very grippy both wet and dry. yes they're bias-ply but they are probably the best bias-plys out there in the stock size as far as performance. they also should last 5000-10000 miles.

[gsJack]

All of the major tire makers provide bias ply sport touring tires in the 110/70 and 130/70 GS500 sizes and they are all very good tires now with the latest in compounds and profiles and they are readily available from online suppliers but not at my local place where they don't currently have any 130/70 rears in stock for example.  Motorcycle tires have generally improved greatly in recent years; when I first tried a 130/80 Z2 rear radial on my 97 GS about ten years ago there was a world of improvement over the BT45 it replaced most noticeably in the wet.  I stopped slowing down in the rain in higher speed turns with the radials on the GS and tire life was much greater with the radials.  Not so now, with the improvements in compounds and profiles made in the current bias ST tires in the past ten years they are almost as good on the GS for everyday street usage.  On the average the radials suitable for a GS available locally run about $40 or so higher per tire than the good bias ST ones, a cost premium I no longer consider worthwhile for my current usage.