hey guys, I am planning on getting a new back tire... Whats the biggest back tire i can use on my 1991 Gs 500?? I like the big wide ones they make the bike look good. Can anyone tell me how much one of these tires would cost in Canadian money?? Thanks Alot Guys
well you can put a 300 on there if you really want to....
I had a Metzler ME55A Metronic and it was a 140-80-17. The reason I know this is the biggest tire allowable on a stock GS is because it rubs on the brake bar for a few miles till all the rubber rubs off. :cheers:
Here is the exact tire. (http://www.onlineparts.com/METZELER+ME55A+METRONIC+REAR+140-80-17+(1106644).html) $111.95 USD, $137.90 CAD
(http://www.onlineparts.com/images/catalog/1106644.jpg)
price really depends on brand. could vary extremely. do a search for tires and u'll find what the largest size u can fit on that wheel is.
I seem to recall an earlier thread where someone ground away part of the brake-bar to accomodate a wider tyre. That is not something I would do but it depends on how much you want a wide rear tyre. There is no doubt that they look good but I am not convinced that they actually achieve anything much.
no matter how wide a tire you get it will still look tiny compared to the 180/55 on most sportbikes. Do yourself a favor and stay at or near stock size tires because that will keep the gs500 as nimble as it was intended. Wider tires slow the steering and anything wider than a 140 will pinch on the rim affecting turn-in. also, different brands are slightly different widths for the same size tire. My 140/80 Avon didnt rub at all. I ran a 150/60 but as it wore down it squared off in a wierd way, wanting to fall into corners in a bad way, really freaking me out.
Buy a Pirelli Demon in 140/70 if you can. sticky tire.
Bridgestone BT45 also good.
Always remember folks that all tires are not created equal. Tires from different mfgs and also different model tires from the same mfg can vary quite a bit in actual dimensions.
Dom said his 140/80/17 ME55 initially rubbed the brake rod a bit. A ME55 is 146 mm wide on a 3.5" wide wheel. I currently have a Avon AV36 which is 144 mm wide on my 97 and a AV46 which is 142 mm wide on my 02 GS. Neither has rubbed the brake rod, but that AV36 is very close. Here's an old poor quality pic I had of it, if you can make it out.
http://members.aol.com:/jcprrp/140.80av36.jpg
A 150/60/17 Sportec is only 143 mm wide on a 4.0 wheel, so it would be only about 138 mm wide on our 3.5 wheels. Likewise, the 150/60 Avon AV50, the 150/60 and 150/70 Contiforce, and the Michelin 150/60 Pilot Sport and 150/70 Pilot Road are all 149 mm wide on the 4.0 wheels which would make them about 144 mm wide on our 3.5" wheels. These 150/70/60s are about the same as the 140/80s above mounted on the same size wheels.
None of the 150/60s are approved by their mfgs for mounting on our 3.5" wheels, but many are being run. Seem popular with a lot of the racers too. Here's some pics of the 150/60 on a EX500 with the 3.5" wheel:
http://www.classicbikes.com/ex500racing.html
Metzeler does approve their 150/70 Z6 and Bridgestone their 150/70 BT020 for mounting on 3.5-4.5" wheels.
OK, all the above are radial tires so now a bit about bias ply tires. The BT45s and the Demons that Pablo mentions above are both good tires and they are available in OEM sizes to fit the GS500. But there is still the question of tire life that is important to those of us that ride 15-20k miles a year and don't want to put on several sets of expensive tires per season.
My OEM Excedra rear lasted 8100 miles on the 97. It was replaced with a BT45 that lasted 9500 miles. After a couple 130/90 touring type tires, I put on a second BT45 rear that was half worn out by actual tread depth measure in less than 2k miles. Replaced it with a radial Metz Z2 that lasted 13,900 miles and now have a AV46 rear on the 02 GS with almost 12k miles on it that looks like it will also go about 14k miles.
So while I agree some of these bias ply tires are quite good handling, I find the somewhat more expensive sport touring type radials to be a bargain. And both the Z2 and AV46 are better handling than the BT45s were, especially in the wet.
We get some comments about the better handling of the narrower OEM size tires over the wider tires that some put on their GSs.
But are those wider tires really wider? Not much.
The OEM 130/70 Excedra supplied on the 89-02 GS500s is 5.2" wide and the 130/70 BT45 supplied on the 04-05 bikes is 5.4" wide. The 140/80 Avon AV46 on my 02 GS is only 5.6" wide. The approx 6" wide 150/70 Z6 and BT020 tires are reduced to about 5.8" on our tire mfg approved 3.5" rims.
Not much wider at all visually, but the 140/80 and 130/90 tires do look a lot larger on the GS due to their 1.5-2.0" larger diameters. I use the 140/80 radials because it's the best fit available in radials for our 3.5" wheels.
190 what the heck
don't listen to the masses
now if you want it actually attached to a GS rim......that is another story
ha, beat you to the sarcastic post by 6 hours. :mrgreen:
It all depends on how much modding your going to do. I put a Bandit 400 wheel on mind and got a 150/70 on there, but it did require some fabrication to get it done.
i can run a 160/60 on mine, with bandit rim, shimed sproket ,reworkd spacers, and bent brake stay arm. seems more stable to me, might just be the extra weight.
doing some research on tires and after reading this thread.
did some google searching I came up with this
http://home.wanadoo.nl/jk.geijteman/Suzuki_GS500E_Tyres.htm
needs some updating with the info you guys have field tested, :thumb:
i use AM51/52...very good tires with EXCELLENT pricing...at least 60 bucks less than bt45s (CDN)
Ive used Mich Sportmax 150/60/17 on stock rear rim, it pinches alittle, i generaly drop the press a few pounds too allow more contact patch, but not much.
ive got the bandit 400 wheel on back now , the 150 fit it well, put a 160/60/17 on and had to shim out the rear sproket and bend the brake stay arm out alittle and now works fine.
I put a Bandit wheel on mine and really had to space the sprocket out. I have one washer underneath the all the sprocket bolts then the cush drive sticks out of the wheel about and 1/8 of an inch. Everything seems to line up real good though, Ive got a 150/70 on mine and it does make the bike look alot better, nothing like a 180 would but who cares Ive got a GS 500.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/sprint_9/th_Finish5.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/sprint_9/Finish5.jpg)
yup, I'm going to get the AVON AV46 and maybe AV45 for the front.
here is a link on where to buy it: It's listed for $99.95, if you know where
there's a better deal let me know.
http://store.azmusa.com/avavazsptore.html
spring_9 that setup looks sweet. how about a tutorial someday? :dunno:
Quote from: Blueknyti can run a 160/60 on mine, with bandit rim, shimed sproket ,reworkd spacers, and bent brake stay arm. seems more stable to me, might just be the extra weight.
Hey I'm runnig teh same setup!!
Is your chain really close to the tire like 1/8"? Most people told me it won't rub but it is scary how close it is.
Be sure to include shipping charges when you compare tire prices. Places like Southwest don't charge shipping on a pair of tires.
http://swmototires.com/
I got my AV45/46s last year from a small mail order place that has a local outlet store a half hour from me where I can pick them up and get mounting and balancing for $19 a wheel. They are at a reduced price this year in our sizes so I'll get another set this year. Only $158 for the pair of 110/80 front and 140/80 rear AV45/46 tires:
http://www.shadetreemotorcycle.com/
Never looked into their shipping charges.
Is there a tutorial for doing a bandit swap over? what year rim fits on a '04?
Yea my chain is really close about an 1/8th, same as you. I could write something up someday, dont know when though because in order to do so I need to take my rear wheel off and its a pain to get back on. I used the write up on Pablo's site but it didnt work that way, it says that the inner spacer for the cush drive needs to be lengthend, I think instead of actually lengthening it 3 mm you need to shorten it 3mm, atleast thats what I did, what did you others end up doing? I think I might work on my bike this afternoon, maybe Ill take a couple of pictures to show some of the clearances.
http://pantablo500.tripod.com/id16.html Bandit
http://pantablo500.tripod.com/id50.html GSXR
Yeah, the chain is close, it will swing over and touch alittle bit now and then making a shiney trail on tire edge, but not enough to chew the tire or anything.
I give up, stupid digital camera sucks, I took like 20 pictures and not one of them worth a crap. :bs: :x :x :x
Quote from: sprint_9I give up, stupid digital camera
What's the make and model? (Of the camera, I mean.) The manual might have some clues about minimum distances, etc. If it has a zoom lens, try backing up and zooming in. Does it have a "flower" (close up or macro) mode?
Quote from: Blueknyt.
ive got the bandit 400 wheel on back now , the 150 fit it well, put a 160/60/17 on and had to shim out the rear sproket and bend the brake stay arm out alittle and now works fine.
So what about the front sprocket?????????
Did you space it out so that the front and rear sprocket would stay in alignment?
When the bike was designed it was designed to have the chain run straight from the front sprocket to the rear and not at an angle. If you spaced out the rear sprocket and did not correct the front alignment by the same amount then the chain is not properly aligned and could become a safety issue or just wear the chain and sprockets quicker. Be careful because if the chain tension is not tight enough the chain could jump off the sprcokets and lock up the rear wheel due to an alignment issue.
OK if you need to push the rear sproket out ... you should in reality push the front one out too ... I believe anything over 1/4 inch will start rubbing the cases and the frame. You will also need to drill and tap the countershaft for a bolt ... cos an offset sproket with snap that circlip that's holding the sproket like a twig.
Cool.
Srinath.
You have to offset the sprocket because the width of the wheel is different then the GS, and because you want the chain to clear the tire. You can do this without having any chain tracking issues, its just a matter of getting the spacer within the cush drive and the spacer on the outside of it the right width. I think for the outside I used the stock washer and then added one more additional thin washer, I dont know how the inner spacer turned out because we had to machine it down and I dont remember the measurements we took, but the wheel is centered in the bike and is off by like a 1/16th to one side and the chain tracks just as good as stock did.
Kerry, its some brand new Sony, the main problem is the retard running it. :dunno: ;)
Sometime when I feel more ambitious and the weather is a little nicer Ill take the wheel off and measure up all washers and spacers you need and take pictures, then Ill do a write up and post it in the Faq forum.
Quote from: seshadri_srinathOK if you need to push the rear sproket out ... you should in reality push the front one out too ... I believe anything over 1/4 inch will start rubbing the cases and the frame. You will also need to drill and tap the countershaft for a bolt ... cos an offset sproket with snap that circlip that's holding the sproket like a twig.
Cool.
Srinath.
thanks alot for making it so complicated! :roll:
ok, the shim i made was a thin washer, the spacer between sproket carrior and swingarm didnt change, the longer the distance between 2 points the lest drastic the angle. if it was 1/2 the length the off set would put the chain at a very harsh angle. a flat washer no thicker then a nickle is about what i used, also keep in mind, the Bandit Hub is more narrow then the GS hub, you have to shim the carrior out about 3mm anyway, thick flat washer on the inside is what i used., and had to shim over on the caliper side too. think all together its about 1/2 inch worth of shimming.
Pantablo has a write up on it all, for 150's i didnt have to bend the brake strut or shim as you can run 150's on stock rim without issues other then ground contact patch.
OK if you use a B4 wheel and GS hub You need to shim the carrier out 3 mm ... what if you use the B4's carrier ... I have a thin like real thin spacer for the sproket ... between sproket and carrier and another similar thickness washer ... maybe penny thick or maybe nickel thick ... not thicker ... he included ... MIght as well do it and figure out ... this theory is too complicated ...
Cool.
Srinath.
i used stock GS sproket carrior
Did you have to machine the inner cush spacer down? Thats what I initially did but ended up adding a washer on the inside too so Im not sure where I stand at now as compared to the stock unmachined spacer.
The added benefit I got from doing that though is now I have a dirt shield on my cush drive spacer instead of an open bearing.