can anyone tell me if this size combination is suitable for gs500f 2005
A PAIR OF CONTI ROAD ATTACK
110/80/VR19 & 150/70/ZR17
Will in need to bend the brake bar
Cheers :D
The front tire size you listed is for the wrong wheel diameter--at least as far as a stock (17") rim is concerned. The 150 might fit on the rear but most feel a 150 on a stock rim is a bit too much of a pinch unless it's been specifically designed to fit a 3.5" wide rim--someone else would have to tell you about the brake bar.
Of the Road Attack sizes I see listed at AMT, your best options would be the
110/70/17 , or perhaps the 120/70/17 front tire, and
the 150/70/17 rear tire--providing it's a safe fit.
the pre 98 katanas have the same wheels as ours, and have a 150 70 17 as a stock size tire. metzeler me55 to be specific, so if suzuki says to do it, I would have to say it would be safe with that specific tire at least
You can get the RoadAttack in a 110/70ZR17 or 120/70ZR17 to fit the GS's standard 3" front rim. I ran my 150/70 RoadAttack radial with a 110/80 Lasertec bias front and really liked that combo.
I've run RoadAttack radial and Lasertec bias as well as my current Roadrider bias in the 150/70 rear size. Bias 150/70 tires are generally approved for fitment on 3.5-4.5" rims but the radial 150/70 are only generally approved for 4-4.5" rims with some makers approving the fitment on 3.5" rims and others not.
Since Conti didn't indicate approval of this fitment in their web pages I questioned them on it:
<<<<< Dear John,
Our head technician in Germany confirmed that you will be OK to run a 150/70ZR17 in either ContiForce or Road Attack on your 3.5" rim. I have attached some detailed information on the Road Attack for your review.
Safe Riding & Best Regards,
Greg Reich
Continental Tire North America, Inc.
Sales Manager/Motorcycle Tires
-------------------------
Address / Adresse:
First name / Vorname: John
Last name / Name: Paul
Street address / Strasse:
Town, postal code / PLZ, Ort:
Country / Land: USA
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Fax / Telefax:
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Your inquiry / Anfrage:
Your previous guides listed a 3.5" rim as suitable for your 150/70/17 ContiForce tire. Since the RoadAttack came out you show a 4.0" minimum rim width for both the ContiForce and RoadAttack tires in the 150/70/17 size.
I'm interested in trying the RoadAttack and wonder if it is a less suitable fitment than the Contiforce was on the 3.5" rim. A number of tire makers approve this fitment like the Z6, Diablo Strada, and BT020 for example. I'm running a 150/70/17 Lasertec now and am quite satisfied with the performance but would like to get the longer tire life I previously got from Metzler and Avon sport touring radials.
My local tire supplier has the RoadAttacks at a favorable price and I have been seeing very good reviews on them. Would much appreciate your views on this fitment.
Thank you,
John Paul >>>>>
I bent my brake bar so any known 150/70 would fit, very easy to do. The RoadAttack came very close to the brake bar so i bent it a bit after running the 150/70 Lasertec without bending it..
And THAT above, is the best answer you'll get. ;) :thumb:
Thanks guys for all your commnets. Will be purchasing some new rubber as soon as i get it back from repairers.
Cheers
I don't want to sound like a tard, but here goes....
I thought it was a bad idea to mix radials and bias tires, or is this really not an issue?
Front radials with bias rear are still considered a no-no by motorcycle tire makers. Back in the 70's when cars were changing over from bias to radials they told us to put the radials on the rear when mixing. Same thing is true today. A bias rear with radial fronts can cause serious oversteer when running at the limit for either cars or bikes.
A bias front with a radial rear can be OK and is no longer frowned upon by the mc tire makers. Metzelers reccommended fitment for the new Bonnies is a bias Lasertec front and radial Z2 rear and they also used this combo for one BMW F650 model. A number of the newer Harler Models come with bias front and radial rear.
I have mixed them this way and like it but would never try the radial front/bias rear combo. Here are the many mix and match tires I've run on the GSs:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelog.jpg