Hey all! (re: Suzuki GS500 2001)
Changing my tires soon and was going to do the suggested Battlax BT45's (130/70/17 & 110/70/17)....
HOWEVER...I just read a thread on another forum where the rider installed AVON ROAD RIDER AV26's
-110/80-17 57V
-150/70-17 69V
Anybody have experience with these tires?? How hard is it to fit the rear if so?
I'm really liking the look of the wider rear tire. It also looks like it would be really stable at higher speeds.
My question is would you stick with the Battlax as a safe choice or is a wider tire going to work and work well??
(Also any other suggestions are appreciated)
Cheers,
Paul
http://wiki.gstwins.com/index.php?n=Upgrades.Tires
You can put a 140 on a stock rim...anything wider, you'd need another rim such as a Katana.
Battlax is a safe bet if you are not sure what tire you need.
Thanks!!
Would anyone know if the brake bar would need to be bent to accommodate the 140/70-17 tire?? Again I just read that in another post re: the 150/70-17
Paul
I've run 110/70, 110/80, 120/70 front and 130/70, 130/80, 130/90, 140/70, 140/80, 150/60, 150/70 rear tires on my stock 3.0 and 3.5" rims. All were tire/rim fitments approved by the tires maker except the 150/60 which is not an approved fitment in this country although many GS500 and EX500 rides are using that size.
I have run the 110/80 front and 150/70 rear Roadrider combo your considering with no problems, most memorable thing about them was their long life. Still think my all time favorites were the bias 110/80 Lasertec front with a radial 150/70 RoadAttack rear. Just felt good all around to me.
Tires I've run: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/GS500tirelogs.jpg
I have had a couple sets of Roadriders. Plenty grippy for my kind of riding. Tread life was about 6-7k miles on the rear. The roads in my area are quite straight, so there was still a lot of tread left on the edges. My first one had a nasty cut, which I assumed was vandalism. But subsequent tires also developed small splits. I don't know if they were manufacturing defects... I have seen a couple forum threads elsewhere mentioning a problem with Avon bias ply tires splitting.
So now I'm using a Michelin Pilot Activ. Feels just like the Avon. Still have about 3k miles left on the Roadrider front, but will go with the Michelin when it is done.
As for size, see above for rim requirements. And search threads by GSJack. I can say that the Roadrider is the largest 150 tire I have used.
A 150/70 on the stock rim will just touch or just clear the brake bar depending on which brand/model it is, they all vary a bit. Should be no problem with a 140/70 or 140/80 size. I ran my first 150/70 tire, a Lasertec, without bending the bar but then bent it for the 150/70 RoadAttack run next. I ran it about 1k miles rubbing the bar slightly so there was a nice mark on it to tell me where to hit it with the BFH, off the bike off course. :icon_lol: My brake bar was already bent before I ran the 150/70 Roadrider.
Sounds great.
I think the 140/70 sounds like the right size for me right now.
(Crazy notes for your tires gsJack !!!) This is my first bike and I see how much a good log helps.
Cheers,
Paul
PS...
With the wider rear tires (140/70-17) do you find the bike harder to lean into curves???
I recently installed the Avon Roadriders and I have no complaints whatsoever so far. I am running 110 up front and 140 in the rear. I haven't noticed any change with turning.
Sounds good!
What tire pressure are you running in your 140 rear tire??? What tire pressure should you run in a 140/70-17 on the GS500??
The larger dia rear tires raise the rear and reduce the rake and quicken the steering a bit in general. Also, putting a larger rear tire on can alter the profile producing a rounder tire so you feel the bike falling into the corners quicker, a feeling I like but not all do.
In the case of the 140/70 Roadrider I doubt you'll notice the difference. Traditionally a 140/70 was made for a 4.0" preferred rim width but the Roadrider following suit with the Demon and Activ tires are all made for a 3.75" preferred rim width now so they are an equally good fit on both the 3.5 and 4.0" rims. Additionally, mounting a tire on a 1/2" wider or narrower rim will make the tire about 5 mm or .2" wider or narrower. When I had both 130/70 and 140/70 Roadriders mounted on hand I took a pic:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/AM26reartirecomparo130vs140.jpg)
See the difference? I don't either. By the way the 140/70 Roadrider is 25.2" in dia which is the normal calculated dia of a 150/70 tire.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/jcp8832/CalcTireDims_zps4c2e4da6.jpg)
I just use the Suzuki spec 33 and 36 psi when I occasionally remember to check them.
Great chart..
Does that mean that a 140/80-17 tire (leaning towards the Battlax) would fit the stock rim for the 2001 GS500 better than the 140/70-17??
The preferred rim width for a 140/80 is our 3.5" rear rim width so it would be a proper fit but the current 140/70 tires are only a tad off with their 3.75" preferred widths. The 140/80 does have a larger load rating than the 140/70, always a plus I think..