I've done quite a bit to the bike thus far, but the rear tire is really nagging me. Way too narrow, looks like it was pulled off a huffy. Before the lectures begin, I know the bike runs fine with a 130. This would be an aesthetic upgrade.
So, that said, I just got a brand new GT501 Dunlop put on the front something like 400 miles ago. Stock size, 110/70/17. I'm ideally looking for a wider rear tire to complement it. Maybe a GT501 in 150/70/17?
I really don't know squat about tire match-ups and the like; the basic goal is to keep the front tire that's on there now, and replace the rear with something wider to alleviate that narrow training wheel look, without compromising safety or any of that.
I've got a Michelin Pilot Road 2 in 150/70/17 on my 89 GS500, it fits well but you may have to modify the rear brake brace (bang it with a hammer a bit so it clears the tire). From what I've read on here a lot of people think a 150 is a bit too large for the GS, but I haven't had any trouble so far. There's a lot of posts on tires on here, just make sure that you don't mix radial and bias-ply, apparently that can really mess with the handling characteristics on warm tires.
What do you have on the front? Want to get a fatter rear tire on there with the least amount of headaches. Not interested in swapping the wheel or any of that. Just can't stand the way the stock 130 looks.
A Michelin Pilot Power, PO put it on so I'm not sure on the measurements, i can check this evening when I get home. I got the Pilot Road for the rear because said PO somehow put a 180/55/17 Pilot Power on the rear, but the handling was very odd and the tire was pinched in badly. I do not recommend something that big at all, it barely cleared the chain and if it was a less stretched chain it'd probably rub on the swingarm.
I've put a total of about 37k miles on three 150/70-17 rear tires on my current 02 GS500. First was 150/70 bias Lasertec with a 110/80 bias Lasertec front , second was a 150/70 radial RoadAttack with a 110/80 bias Lasertec front, and the third a 150/70 bias Roadrider with first a 110/80 bias Roadrider front later changed to my current 120/70 bias Roadrider front.
A radial front with a bias rear is a no-no but a bias front with a radial rear can be OK.
Mmmmm, if I had a new 110/70 bias GT501 front and wanted a 150/70 rear I think I'd be considering either a 150/70 bias GT501 rear or a 150/70 radial Dunlop Roadsmart rear. Not suggesting what you should do, just what I'd be considering trying.
Think I'm gonna go with the GT501 to keep it simple. No safety issues with that?
EDIT: This is a 150/70 GT501 on a bike that looks like it might have a 3.5" rim. From the best I can understand (site in Malaysian) the rider experienced no issues. Never heard of the make/model, but it's a Motorstar Z250. I'd imagine this would have a 3.5"?
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/mickee720/Arrowmax2.jpg)
(http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/mickee720/Arrowmax4.jpg)
Side by side, 130 vs 150:
(http://www.2fiddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/250r_larger_tire_compare.jpg)
Personally from previoous experience with diff` bike tyre mod`s i`d go with a 120 front if your gonna go big on the back or it`ll feel wierd,gsJack went to a 120 why? I have a 120 on front but only as i pull a chair,but fits fine.
Ugh, to hell with it. I guess I'm gonna have to get over my vanity and deal with that peddle bike tire until they wear out. Not trying to drop a few hundred into this bike after what I've spent on mods recently. Somebody tell me the 130 doesn't look as bad as I think it does...
Update: It's a 120/70/17 Pilot Power on the front of mine. I paid $135 for the rear Pilot Road 2 shipped to my door, I think I got it from motorcycle-superstore. If you're concerned about looks you might want to consider a different bike, the GS is beautifully ugly no matter what you do to it.
Quote from: ryott52 on April 29, 2011, 05:08:22 PM
Update: It's a 120/70/17 Pilot Power on the front of mine. I paid $135 for the rear Pilot Road 2 shipped to my door, I think I got it from motorcycle-superstore. If you're concerned about looks you might want to consider a different bike, the GS is beautifully ugly no matter what you do to it.
:o Blasphemy ! ! !
I said beautifully ugly. It's a good thing. Form follows function.
i think the 130 look horrible but oh well.. i'll stick with stock. I just ordered a new front/rear roadrider. I found out i'm still on stock tires that were made in 03 on my 04GS. Just insane...
Heh, yeah, a few weeks ago before I got work done it was raining and my front tire was all over the place. A closer look revealed dry rot and a six year old vintage.
Wish I would have put a bit more thought into it then, before buying the new front, but I'm kind of stuck with it for now. Was staring at the rear tire a little bit ago; I can live with it. Most regular people (i.e., girls) probably won't know/won't care.
And no, I'm not some squid wanna-be or anything like that. By the same token, I'm not the type of guy that goes out in sweat pants.
The 89-97 Katana 750 have the same wheels as our GS500 have. Dunlops current fitment recommendation for it is the 110/80 front and 150/70 rear GT501 tires, from their fitment guide:
Make: Suzuki | Model: GSX 750 F (89-97) - Katana
Front Rim Size: 3.00x17 | Rear Rim Size: 3.50x17
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recommended Front Tire:
Tire : GT501 | Size : 110/80B17 | Loaded PSI : 33
Recommended Rear Tire:
Tire : GT501 | Size : 150/70B17 | Loaded PSI : 36
I'm told they use the 110/80 front rather than a 110/70 because it has a higher load rating and the 110/70 is somewhat marginal for the weight of the Katana, some sportbike guys call it the Fatana. While most 150/70 tires have a 4.0" preferred rim width the 150/70 GT501 is sized for a 3.5" rim making it just right for the early Kat 750.
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tirecatalog_tire.asp?id=8
The first Roadriders I had on my 02 GS were 110/80 and 140/70 and when I replaced the used up 140/70 with a 150/70 Roadrider I used the old 110/80 front with it. Then when I needed a new front my local guy only had the 120/70 in stock so I thought I'd try it. I did and I liked it and I've now tried all the sizes of tires that are practical for use on the GS500 stock 3.0 and 3.5" rims.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelogs.jpg
Larger tires will last longer and don't cost much more. My 140/70 Roadrider went about 15k miles until it hit the markers and my current 150/70 has 17k miles on it now with a couple mm of tread left. Now isn't that a better reason for using them than just appearance? But they sure do look better too. :thumb:
Quote from: gsJack on April 29, 2011, 06:24:26 PM
I'm told they use the 110/80 front rather than a 110/70 because it has a higher load rating and the 110/70 is somewhat marginal for the weight of the Katana, some sportbike guys call it the Fatana. While most 150/70 tires have a 4.0" preferred rim width the 150/70 GT501 is sized for a 3.5" rim making it just right for the early Kat 750.
So can I/should I extrapolate that given the lighter weight of the GS, the 110/70 front would be adequate with the 150/70 rear? And, by extension, given the 3.5" Katana wheel, the 150 would also fit the GS stock rim without issue?
Thanks for all your help. If I can get a 150 on the back without any other notable modifications I'm in.
Quote from: gsJack on April 29, 2011, 06:24:26 PM
Larger tires will last longer and don't cost much more. My 140/70 Roadrider went about 15k miles until it hit the markers and my current 150/70 has 17k miles on it now with a couple mm of tread left. Now isn't that a better reason for using them than just appearance? But they sure do look better too. :thumb:
yea i know it doesn't cost more but isn't some type of geometry and speed being messed with here. I know motorcycle and car logic is different. When you put a different overall size tire your speedo and the actual speed of the tire is not the same. like if your car is suppose to have 235/45 and you put 245/45 your speedo could say 60mph but your tires are going 57mph. But more importantly i think the engineers who figured out what size tires should be put on had a good reason for it. I thought about running a wider rear like a 140/70 but then again i fear that the handling will be off. Either more grip or less grip and me being a noob right now i went with stock size
Obviously you played with different tire combos and nothing happen but i dont think you can say that would be the case for everyone.
The speedo is attached to the front wheel, and is only impacted (to the best of my knowledge) if you change tire height/overall diameter of the turning wheel/tire combo. Rear tire should have no impact.
Right, only the front tire diameter will affect the speedo reading on the GS and actually a larger 110/80 tire will make it more accurate reducing the approx 10% GS speedo error. A larger rear tire will reduce engine rpm a bit though. The approx 4800 rpm GS engine speed at 60 mph would be 24.2/25.2x4800=4610 rpm. A wee bit more economical and less powerful maybe.
Pelican, I don't see any problem running a 110/70 front tire with a 150/70 rear tire as far as handling goes. I'm not trying to urge others to do it, I'm just saying it works for me. I know Burning1 for example prefers a narrower 140 rear for the track but I'm not going to the track. Here's a Ninja 500 racer that runs a 150 rear with either a 110 or 120 front on same size wheels as ours.
http://www.classicbikes.com/ex500racing.html
A Hyosung GT250R comes with a 110/70 front and a 150/70 rear, just noticed that in a recent MCN comparo of 250cc sportbikes. A bike lighter and less powerful than our GSs they must know how we like wider rear tires here. :icon_lol:
Just received a PM on this subject saying "The wiki suggests running a 150 on the stock rim can create dangerous handling. Do you find this to be true?"
Mmmmm, yes, no, and maybe. So often folks just say a 150 without saying if they mean a 150/70 or a 150/60 or radial or bias. Different animals I think. A 150/70 is an approved fitment on a 3.5" rim for bias tires and is approved by some of the tire makers for radial tires also but others do not approve of it for radials on their general tire spec charts. Avon for example has never expressed a general approval of this fitment for radials but does recommend it for specific applications including the early Kat 750 bikes that have the same rims as our GSs have.
None of the tire makers approves the fitment of 150/60 radial tires on a 3.5" rim and I wouldn't do it either. I've used only 150/70 sport touring bias and radial tires on my stock GS rims. Have you read the Racer's Corner linked on the old gstwin.com front page? He suggests 110/70 front with 150/60 rear tires for the track but that was written 10-15 years ago and there are many more choices in tires available today.
I recall Pablo reporting his GS500 felt like it was falling out from under him on the track with a well worn 150/60 rear Pilot Power so he changed to a 140/80 Avon AV46 and was happy with that.
Excellent, thanks. In the next few weeks I'll probably grab the GT501 rear and throw it on; will report back.
Thanks for clearing up the confusion gsJack. I know I've had some words about 150 profile rears, and I totally forgot that Bias tires usually spec fitment of wider wheels than a comparable radial.
Speaking of the racer's corner... Perhaps a few of us should update it. :)
Bias ply tires have a manageable progressive loss of side-ways traction; and radials have more of a "break loose" feel (false confidence). I don't know about racing though.