Ok, the guy i bought my gs from enjoyed his burnouts. The back tire is in absolutely terrible shape and needs to be replaced before the spring season. It had a battleax on it but i want to go wider then the stock 130 tire. What are my distinct advantages to going to a wider tire on the street and how wide can i go comfortably and not have to make a huge set of changes. I have heard that going to a 140 or 150 series tire is as wide as i should go. What brand, model and size do you reccomend for street use?
I have spent hours over the last couple days researching this exact same topic.... Here is what I have picked up from various posts from some of our favorite riders.
Larger tires are typically needed to handle more horsepower... that's partly why we have tiny tires to begin with (No HP). The stock sizes are fine. However if you want to upgrade to a nicer (radial) tire you will need to go up in size.
Bias Ply- Good tires but are heavier and don't turn or handle speed as well as radials. Many say that they don't last as long radials either. For most GS applications, a good bias ply will work fine. General rule is - don't mix radials and bias-plies- you just don't.
If you choose to go with a radial tire you'll have to move up to a larger size tire. I've checked out several sites and have found 140/80/zr17 in Dunlop's D205 sport touring, Avon's 45/46, and occassionally with Metzler. Web prices are 99.99 to 115.00 plus shipping. The front tires are easy to find in all brands.
Our rim size is 3.5 inches wide. Most tire companies don't recommend a 150 radial tire on the rim. Now, If I had to I would go with a 150/60/17... the 150/70's make the bike taller and I would assume cause the tire to wear improperly.
I believe pantablo had 150s and complained about the tires wearing funny- since the the rim is too narrow, the tire will begin to have a distinct difference between side wall and tread. when you cross that line in a sharp turn you will wash out. The racer corner mentions several racers using the 150's but keep in mind that they typically change their tires after one or two races where as we are looking to wear our tires to the bone.
I've heard that generally you want to keep the same brand on both tires. But I've also heard that once you get into nicer radials - like a Z+ rating, it doesn't matter too much- especially if you're only planning on street use.
This happened to me- I bought a sweet Pirelli Dragon for the front - then realized that the back was a Biasply- So now I have a new avon 46 coming. I'll get them switched out next week and if anyone wants to know, I'll post on them.
Remember- those two black things are what seperate you and your bike from the pavement. I figure it's worth the homework.
Sorry for the long post hope this helps. Do a search on GSJack- He's our resident expert. He also lists some good online places to look for tires.
I think what happens with the 150 rear tire is the normal wear pattern is magnifyed. During normal street riding, the center gets worn down more than the sides. This happens on all tires. This tends to square up the profile. So you end up with a sharper edge, which effects cornering feel and traction.
This is not an issue on the track since the edges get worn more than the center.
As bob said, the 150/60/17 I ran did this. This size tire gets pinched a bit because it belongs on a slightly wider rim. This means it flattens a bit in center, making it really stable at speeds, and it arcs more than it should at its shoulders. When the tire is new(er) this jsut means it feels like it 'falls into corners' a bit once you've leaned over to a certain point. If you do any spirited riding in twisties you will feel this.
The problem arises when the center starts to wear naturally. The sharp transition between the flatter center and the sides turns into a sharp edge...when you get to this edge it scared the shaZam! out of me in a corner and I immediately went out and bought a 140/80 Avon A46.
I would recommend the Avons if you want to go radials...that size makes the rear a bit taller but they seem to handle well. The tread blocks are deeper than on other tires which means you'll feel them squirm a bit when starting to move from a dead stop, but you dont feel it otherwise.
If you stay Bias ply (and they're fine to use, dont feel compelled to go radials-I had to because I had a front radial still on) I would recommend the BT-45 battleax from Bridgstone. There are others as well, I'm sure but these are the most common ones found on upgraded gs500's.
Go 140/70 or 140/80 if you want wider...and WHY do you want wider? If it's to look better-well, its wiser to ride better than look better, especially considering that even a 150 tire will look dinky parked up next to a 180 on a sportbike...
So a new battleaxe will suit me fine? And yeah, i was trying to take a bit of the dinky rear end look out of the gs. So i geuss ill just go with the 130 battleaxe again. Thanks for the info. Great post Hi-T.
I had a BT45 bias rear with a BT010 radial front with no complaints.
I've been really impressed with the 110/140 70 D205s. Sticky and very neutral handling, even in the cold(ish) weather we've had down here.
you will have to replace both tires for it.
Quote from: JamesGcold(ish)
Good save, JamesG... good save. Every GSer north of the Mason Dixon line would have given you flak for that one :roll:
Hehehee
Have I mentioned that I am riding my bike tomorrow to Sahvanna for Nat. Guard Drill this weekend?
:nana:
I know this may be one of those biker wives tales, but regarding tire size... I had always heard that if you do a lot of freeway travel and not much sport riding, then a wider tire is always better.
Anyone else every hear this?
Rolly
Quote from: JamesGI had a BT45 bias rear with a BT010 radial front with no complaints.
I've been really impressed with the 110/140 70 D205s. Sticky and very neutral handling, even in the cold(ish) weather we've had down here.
you will have to replace both tires for it.
Think you must of meant 110/140 80 D205s. Unfortunately, none of the tire manufacturers sell a 140/70-17 radial tire in this country. The choice here is the 150/70 or the 140/80 sizes if radials are desired. The preferred size rim for a 140/80 is 3.5" so they work out well for our GS's and are available from most sources.
The 150/70 is a bit wide for the 3.5" rim but that fitment had been approved by only Metz and Conti for sometime now. I just looked at the BT020 data sheet recently and discovered that the 150/70 is now approved for fitment on a 3.5" rim. Previously was only approved for 4.0-4.5" rims. The BT010 frt / BT020 rear combo has been quite popular on some of the sport and sport-touring forums. Can't find any detail specs on Metz's new Z6 radial yet, but they look very interesting.
I was forced to replace my Z2 rear early last year when it was destroyed by a large cut with a Avon AV36 rear on my 97 and have been real happy with it. I now have a BT010 front and AV36 rear on that bike. I like it. :) :thumb:
I'll be putting the newer AV45/46 Avons on my 02 this year. So many tires, so little time to test them all. :mrgreen:
By the way JamesG, it's bright and sunny here today with temps around 40F and I was really enjoying the pics on TV showing the snow in Atlanta. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Yea, we have hd 6 inches of soppy wet snow in chrlotte since this morning. It also is going to be freezing over most likely. We are also going to get some freezing rain to help laminate the snow...
Cool.
Srinath.
Jack - Yes, my bad, they are 80s. But other than making the bike slightly taller and lean a bit more on its sidestand (which is a GOOD thing on the GS) they don't effect the bike adversely.
I'm in Columbus, a hundred miles south where its about 50 and rainy.
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. 8)
Continental says you can use 150 series tires on a 3.5" rim????
Is this written somewhere?
I fell in LOVE with Contiforce tires when I mounted a set to my Laverda Ghost... the tires were PERFECT for my riding style (lots of commuting, with the occassional trip into twisty territory... with a VERY quick warm-up and great wet-weather grip!!! Plus they lasted a LOT longer than I had expected... I know I had at least 10,000 miles before I got rid of the bike... and they still had life in 'em...).
Other than Pantablo, has anyone else had issues with the 150 series tires????
I'D LOVE TO MOUNT CONTIFORCE TIRES!!!!!
Rolly
Quote from: Rollin668Continental says you can use 150 series tires on a 3.5" rim????
Is this written somewhere?
I fell in LOVE with Contiforce tires when I mounted a set to my Laverda Ghost... the tires were PERFECT for my riding style (lots of commuting, with the occassional trip into twisty territory... with a VERY quick warm-up and great wet-weather grip!!! Plus they lasted a LOT longer than I had expected... I know I had at least 10,000 miles before I got rid of the bike... and they still had life in 'em...).
Other than Pantablo, has anyone else had issues with the 150 series tires????
I'D LOVE TO MOUNT CONTIFORCE TIRES!!!!!
Rolly
They approve the 150/70-17 on the 3.5" rim, but not the 150/60 size. None of the tire mfgs approve the 150/60 on the 3.5" rim and we should remember that the tire Pablo was referring to was a Mich Pilot Sport in the 150/60 size.
Here is link to the the complete Conti Tech Manual from the Conti UK site. It's in PDF form and quite large. You will find the data on the 150/70-17 Contiforce tires on page 101 of 110. I keep a print of this page with my tire info. The Contiforce tires are priced quite favorably compared to other major brands.
http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/contibike/tinfo.htm
I'm needing a new set of tyres for my GS very soon. I'm hoping to come up with something over the next couple of weeks.
My present tyres are Front - 110/70/17 Rear - 130/70/17 both bridgestone ?GS550?.
I am still very new to riding, had my GS (first bike) for only 3 weeks now but I bought the bike knowing I will need to get some new tyres on it.
Would a jump to 150 size tyres (the conti 150/70/17 - as I can get them for a good deal fitted) be beneficial or a hindrance to my rookie riding experience?
What is recommended by you all for my front tyre size? Or does that depend on the rear size?
Thanks.
i have been riding for around 33 years,and dont know half of what y'all know. thank's for being here i have learned more from this fourm than any where. thanks all. i'll try and work on my spelling too.
Quote from: hehehemannMy present tyres are Front - 110/70/17 Rear - 130/70/17 both bridgestone ?GS550?.
Sounds like you still have the Bridgestone Exedra "stock rocks" on the bike. (The OEM front tire is a G547, the rear is a G550.) Just about
anything will be better than those. If you don't agree after installing new tires, I'll send you ... a candy bar?
Quote from: hehehemannI am still very new to riding [...] Would a jump to 150 size tyres [...]be beneficial or a hindrance to my rookie riding experience?
Hmmm. I can't speak from experience on this one, because I haven't strayed far from the stock sizes yet - so far a 130/90, a 130/70 and a 130/80.
What kind of riding will you be doing? Mostly "superslab" (freeway, straight highways)? Twisties? City traffic? If you'll be doing mostly "upright" riding, then tires with a more-rounded cross section (/80, /90) will tend to wear out faster down the centerline than on the edges. The same probably applies to a wider-than-stock tire (140/, 150/) that must be "pinched" to be mounted on the stock rim, since that artificially rounds out the cross-section.
My next question is: How much are you planning to ride? (Say, per year?) And for how many years? If you'll never ride enough to wear out your new set of tires, then you'll probably want to do a lot of research and get THE PERFECT set. But if you think you'll eventually burn through several sets, you can relax and "experiment".
Finally, what is "a good deal" on the Conti's? I would recommend a set of
Bridgestone Battlax BT45s in the stock sizes for your first "experiment", but if the Conti's come significantly cheaper....
Quote from: hehehemannWhat is recommended by you all for my front tyre size? Or does that depend on the rear size?
I remember very little discussion on the board about other-than-stock sizes for the front. Part of the reason is that you don't have a lot of room to play around with underneath that fender and between those forks. You'll occasionally hear about a 110/80 or a 120/70, but that's about it. And even then you may need to remount some of the fender bolts
backwards so the tire won't scrape. Again, I would stick with the stock 110/70 for your first "aftermarket experience".
Lots o infoin this thread
I just bought a GS500 and was going change the ruber soon, semms the last owner had taste for off brand tires that I don't really trust.
I was wondering about size and looks like its a 140 for the rear.
thanks for all the info
Jim
Quote from: hehehemannI'm needing a new set of tyres for my GS very soon. I'm hoping to come up with something over the next couple of weeks.
My present tyres are Front - 110/70/17 Rear - 130/70/17 both bridgestone ?GS550?.
I am still very new to riding, had my GS (first bike) for only 3 weeks now but I bought the bike knowing I will need to get some new tyres on it.
Would a jump to 150 size tyres (the conti 150/70/17 - as I can get them for a good deal fitted) be beneficial or a hindrance to my rookie riding experience?
What is recommended by you all for my front tyre size? Or does that depend on the rear size?
Thanks.
If you want a good quality bias ply tire rear tire, there are a number of choices available. I really see no advantage to putting a non standard size on your bike unless you want a different type of tire that is not available in the standard GS500 sizes.
If one wants a really long life tire at the sacrafice of some handling grip, it's necessary to go to a taller size tire because that is all that is available. If you put a taller 130/90 rear on you might want a 110/80 front so the steering angle change does not quicken the steering response too much. If one wants to go to radial tires, they don't come in the 110/70 and 130/70 sizes and you must go to a 140/80 or 150/70 rear tire with a 110/70 or 110/80 front. One exception is the 130/80 rear Z2 Metz that is one of my favorites.
You're getting some good advice from Kerry on this. Since this is your first bike and you are a new rider, stick with the standard size 110/70 and 130/70 bias ply tires. Work on developing your riding skills first and then you can consider different type and size tires later. The suggested BT45's are a good choice and are considerably better than the OEM tires you have now. Other good choices would include the Metzeler ME330/550 and the Avon AM51/52 tires. The excellent bias/bias belted Dunlop GT501 tires would require a change to 110/80 front and 140/80 rear tires.
Anytime you consider a change to larger tires, you must make sure they are a proper fit to your rim width sizes, 3.0" frt and 3.5" rear, and also make sure there is adequate clearance for the larger tires. Some of the 150/70 rears will fit OK, but some are a bit wider and will rub on the brake torque rod on the GS500. Some of the tire mfg approve the 150/70 on a 3.5" rim and some don't.
I had about a quarter million miles under my belt before I started playing with radial ply tires on a bike that came with bias ply tires. You don't need to wait that long :lol: but try some good bias ply tires first. Here are the tires I have tried on my 97 GS500:
http://members.aol.com:/jcprrp/97GStirelog.txt
Another stock size bias ply tire that probably performs similarly to the battleaxe, yet looks quite a bit better is the new Pirelli Sport Demon.
http://www.dtmaonline.com/AMAZING/items.asp?CartId={097F230E-7302-46C5-8849-B65E63F5EA95}&Cc=PIRELLISPORTDEM&Tp=
Expect to pay about $8 more per tire for these.
i bought some BT45's the last few days (waiting for it to arrive).. Paid 177 shipped from discountmotorcycletire.com
I got them int eh 110/70 17 and 140/70 17. I went up by 10 on the rear figure it might make handling lazy but then i do lean a bit into turns so might make it safer.
I nearly bought the sport demons.. but then decided I would go with the tried and true one recommend by all.
Quote from: gsJackQuote from: JamesGI had a BT45 bias rear with a BT010 radial front with no complaints.
I've been really impressed with the 110/140 70 D205s. Sticky and very neutral handling, even in the cold(ish) weather we've had down here.
you will have to replace both tires for it.
Think you must of meant 110/140 80 D205s. Unfortunately, none of the tire manufacturers sell a 140/70-17 radial tire in this country. The choice here is the 150/70 or the 140/80 sizes if radials are desired. The preferred size rim for a 140/80 is 3.5" so they work out well for our GS's and are available from most sources.
The 150/70 is a bit wide for the 3.5" rim but that fitment had been approved by only Metz and Conti for sometime now. I just looked at the BT020 data sheet recently and discovered that the 150/70 is now approved for fitment on a 3.5" rim. Previously was only approved for 4.0-4.5" rims. The BT010 frt / BT020 rear combo has been quite popular on some of the sport and sport-touring forums. Can't find any detail specs on Metz's new Z6 radial yet, but they look very interesting.
I was forced to replace my Z2 rear early last year when it was destroyed by a large cut with a Avon AV36 rear on my 97 and have been real happy with it. I now have a BT010 front and AV36 rear on that bike. I like it. :) :thumb:
I'll be putting the newer AV45/46 Avons on my 02 this year. So many tires, so little time to test them all. :mrgreen:
By the way JamesG, it's bright and sunny here today with temps around 40F and I was really enjoying the pics on TV showing the snow in Atlanta. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
GSJack, if you have a choice between a 140/70 and 140/80 radial which one would you take? From your tire log, you have deviated from the stock size rear. What other advantage to gain from a 140 tire apart from better looking? I am in the same predictament on wether to stick to stock size or not. I plan to use my tires for the twisties mainly. TIA.
<<< GSJack, if you have a choice between a 140/70 and 140/80 radial which one would you take? From your tire log, you have deviated from the stock size rear. What other advantage to gain from a 140 tire apart from better looking? I am in the same predictament on wether to stick to stock size or not. I plan to use my tires for the twisties mainly. >>>
There are no 140/70 radials available here so the choice is basically between 150/70 and 140/80 if we want the advantages of radial tires for our GS500's. My choice between the two is the 140/80 since the preferred rim width is our stock 3.5" size and the preferred rim width for the 150/70 is a 4". Also the 150/70 is a tight fit clearance wise on the GS. I'll be using the 110/80 and 140/80 Avon AV45/46 tires this year.
The advantage to gain from the 140 or 150 tires is the ability to use both the better dry grip and wet grip of the radials as well as the greater life of the good sport touring radials that will fit our GS500's. They can be a bargain in the long run if you keep the bike long enough to use them up. The bias ply OEM tires are put on the GS500 because it is built to a bargain price. Nothing wrong with the many OEM size aftermarket tires out there for the GS, it's just that the radials are better all the way around.
Interestingly, the considerably pricier 97 and earlier 600 Katanas with the same 3.0/3.5-17 wheels we have came with 110/80 and 140/80 bias ply tires to accomodate it's greater weight than the GS. The 98 and later Kats got wider 3.5/4.5 wheels and radial tires. Suzuki didn't put the radials on the narrower wheels for OEM fitment but some of the tire mfgs reccommend them for replacements.
will better tires really affect performace?
I don't ride REALLY hard...will i feel a significant difference?
Quote from: Frostwill better tires really affect performace?
I don't ride REALLY hard...will i feel a significant difference?
Better tires will definitely affect your performance even for commuting eapecially in wet conditions. And a performance tire will enhance your confidence when leaning. You will feel more grip on the tarmac hence will enable you to go faster. :cheers:
Quote from: Frostwill better tires really affect performace?
...will i feel a significant difference?
YES!
It'll be like night and day-if for no other reason than mentally you'll trust them much more...that's what happened to me.
Was at my local shop today getting quotes on new tires. So far the BT45's and Pirelli Sport Demons are avaliable but I was hoping to get Radials. Several were recommended but I forget what they are. Which Radials and sizes would you recommend?
Thanks.
I have to ask since I've been fascinated with the Maxxis brand for awhile now. They look good in their photos and they are cheap. So they may my crummy too. :dunno:
Maxxis is the premium brand of Cheng Shin. I ran Cheng Shins alot on my dirt bikes back in the day. and they worked well.
Maxxis makes the Promaxx in sizes for the GS500. Has anyone tried them? :dunno:
Through Dennis Kirk a set would be $114 plus tax and shipping.