From: Ian Singer on
I have a 1983 GS650GLD with 19" front wheel and 16" rear wheel.
Picked up some spare parts from a 1982 GS650G and for some reason it
uses same front wheel but its rear is 17"

Is there any advantage/disadvantage of putting the bigger rear on mine?
Presumably the weight difference is minimal, the distance travelled per
rev is slightly higher (3" not counting tire), seating height should be
minimally affected.

Now the manual does not say that the older bike had larger wheel but it
also does not say that the gas tank is 1/2" longer so will not mount.

Ian Singer
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From: B-12 on

Ian Singer wrote:
> I have a 1983 GS650GLD with 19" front wheel and 16" rear wheel.
> Picked up some spare parts from a 1982 GS650G and for some reason it
> uses same front wheel but its rear is 17"
>
> Is there any advantage/disadvantage of putting the bigger rear on mine?
> Presumably the weight difference is minimal, the distance travelled per
> rev is slightly higher (3" not counting tire), seating height should be
> minimally affected.

Have you ever actually ridden that machine? Changes in wheel size and
tire profile can make a machine that is stable at high speed into a
nuisance that wiggles and weaves at highway cruising speed..

Don't ask how I know that. I used to think that wide tires were the way
to go, knowing nothing about profile. I though that putting a 1-inch
larger diameter wheel on a mchine so I could fit a wider tire was no
problem.

I recommend that you go to www.mawonline.com and find the tire section.
I don't recommend that you *buy* anything from MAW, it's just that they
have all the URL's for the most popular brands of tires.

You can go to the manufacturer's websites and look up the wheel size
and find out what tire fits each rim width optimally. You can look up
recommended replacement fitments for the 1982 and 1983, and find out
what the fitted diameter of each tire/wheel combo is.

Ideally, you'd like to come out with wheels and tires that have the
same diameters as the original equipment wheels and tires so the rear
end doesn't sit too high (or too low) and the same for the front end.

You want the axles to be at the same height above the ground that they
were when the machine rolled off the showroom floor, if at all
possible.

Then, if the tires have the correct profile, the machine should have
the parking lot nimble handling it had when new, as well as the same
high speed stability. You won't have changed the fork rake and trail if
you get the right size tires.

High speed stability doesn't go on forever though. Every motorcycle has
a critical speed where it begins to weave. You just don't want to fit
tires that make the machine weave at speeds where it's scary to cruise
down the highway.

From: durtdog on
If you go a higher diameter in wheel and install a lower profile tire it
might end up feeling the same way on the road. I really dunno never tried
it.


"B-12" <flying_booger(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1159819738.616877.55940(a)c28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> Ian Singer wrote:
>> I have a 1983 GS650GLD with 19" front wheel and 16" rear wheel.
>> Picked up some spare parts from a 1982 GS650G and for some reason it
>> uses same front wheel but its rear is 17"
>>
>> Is there any advantage/disadvantage of putting the bigger rear on mine?
>> Presumably the weight difference is minimal, the distance travelled per
>> rev is slightly higher (3" not counting tire), seating height should be
>> minimally affected.
>
> Have you ever actually ridden that machine? Changes in wheel size and
> tire profile can make a machine that is stable at high speed into a
> nuisance that wiggles and weaves at highway cruising speed..
>
> Don't ask how I know that. I used to think that wide tires were the way
> to go, knowing nothing about profile. I though that putting a 1-inch
> larger diameter wheel on a mchine so I could fit a wider tire was no
> problem.
>
> I recommend that you go to www.mawonline.com and find the tire section.
> I don't recommend that you *buy* anything from MAW, it's just that they
> have all the URL's for the most popular brands of tires.
>
> You can go to the manufacturer's websites and look up the wheel size
> and find out what tire fits each rim width optimally. You can look up
> recommended replacement fitments for the 1982 and 1983, and find out
> what the fitted diameter of each tire/wheel combo is.
>
> Ideally, you'd like to come out with wheels and tires that have the
> same diameters as the original equipment wheels and tires so the rear
> end doesn't sit too high (or too low) and the same for the front end.
>
> You want the axles to be at the same height above the ground that they
> were when the machine rolled off the showroom floor, if at all
> possible.
>
> Then, if the tires have the correct profile, the machine should have
> the parking lot nimble handling it had when new, as well as the same
> high speed stability. You won't have changed the fork rake and trail if
> you get the right size tires.
>
> High speed stability doesn't go on forever though. Every motorcycle has
> a critical speed where it begins to weave. You just don't want to fit
> tires that make the machine weave at speeds where it's scary to cruise
> down the highway.
>


From: B-12 on

durtdog wrote:
> If you go a higher diameter in wheel and install a lower profile tire it
> might end up feeling the same way on the road. I really dunno never tried
> it.

Oh. The voice of inexperience, huh?

I've tried it all. Spent a lot of money on tires and wheels.

The results were usually not at all what I'd expected. I need to change
my last mistaken selection to restore my Yamaha's handling to what it
was before I accepted Usenet concensus and bought a damned Bridgestone
BT-020 front tire. POS out-tracks on countersteering and shimmies and
speed weaves at freeway cruising speeds.

The factory test riders *know* what a motorcycle should feel like. They
try various tire and wheel combinations and make recommendations. OTOH,
testers do a lot of testing on the race track, and most street riders
will never set a wheel on a track.

Sometimes the bean counters at the factory will recommend a really
crappy tire that they can get for a nickel less per tire, and overrule
the experienced riders' recommendations.

But, generally, if you use the original equipment tires recommended for
your machine, you'll have a motorcycle that handles just like it did
from the showroom floor.

When you talk about"lower profile", what do you mean? Low profile car
tires have a different section height than the older E-section tires
which were as wide as the carcass was tall.

But a low profile motorcycle tire may have a very high crown for quick
handling. Or, it may have a lower crown and the rider has to struggle
to make the motorcycle turn.

One experienced rider I know roadraced for 20 years. He found a very
cheap Suzuki GS-450L with a 16-inch rear tire and tried to race it on
Willow Springs without changing to the 17 inch wheel that came stock on
other GS-450's.

The 16-incher had such a large contact patch it gripped the road too
hard and the GS-450L wobled fiercely in the highspeed turns 8 and 9,
unnerving him.

GS-450's were very popular at the time, riders could run them wide
open, flat out, at about 110 mph and humble riders of much larger
machines.

Don't ask how I know that...

From: Ian Singer on
durtdog wrote:
> If you go a higher diameter in wheel and install a lower profile tire it
> might end up feeling the same way on the road. I really dunno never tried
> it.
>

Did more checking in the manual to see what's supposed to be stock
1983 GS650GLD Front J19xMT1.85 with 90/90V19 (mine had 100/90v90)
Rear J16xMT2.75 with 130/90V16

spares I have
1982 GS650G Front J19xMT1.85 with 3.25H19
Rear J17xMT2.5 with 4.50V17
(manual says rear should be 4.25H17)

After putting air in, as all 4 leak, the spares look like they should be
off a chopper as front is really skinny and rear is fat in cross section
looking like it's too wide for rim.

No I haven't ridden bike yet as having trouble getting clear title,
original gas tank leaked and chemical patches did not hold. Replacement
tank from the GS650G will not fit as is about 1/2" too long and the
third one I have on order is from an 83 GS1100 and it has not arrived,
and not even sure it will fit. If it doesn't fit I get the original
welded in a shop. Until I can get a tank can't even get it running. Bet
by the time I do it will be ready for snow.

The spare wheels and tires were from a parts bike I bought with
intention of swapping front forks and dual disks/calipers to my bike.
Whether I swap rear wheel is immaterial, and I need to buy tires, once I
confirm engine runs. If there are engine problems can always put spare
one in! If all is OK sell the spares. PLUS if the bike is too tall for
me to sit on properly then I sell it. My 85 V45 Magna with a really
chopped seat was just the right height for my 30" inseam.

B-12 was talking about changing wheels inducing wobble. Not sure I
understand why. As long as the rake isn't changed and the tires are
proper size for the wheels what causes it? Based on road conditions
here, and an ageing back, I need maximum tread on the road. I used to
hate it when I rode 15 years ago and suddenly the freeway would be
grooved when cruising at 70 mph. Luckily they seem to have stopped that,
but then there also was the problem with the cracks being patched with
that tar that stays super slick. Just what I don't need.


Ian Singer


--


=========================================================================
See my homepage at http://www.iansinger.com
hosted on http://www.1and1.com/?k_id=10623894
All genealogy is stored in TMG from http://www.whollygenes.com
Charts and searching using TNG from http://www.tngsitebuilding.com
I am near Toronto Canada, can I tell where you are from your reply?
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