GL1500 Front Tire

Hi Wayne,

Hope you enjoy your NEW 1993 GoldWing Aspencade w/ SideCar.
What kind of SideCar ?
What color is you Rig ?
Where are you in Wisconsin ?

I have a 1996 GoldWing w/ SideCar and can supply the following info to you.
For my front tire, I presently use a standard GL1500 - Dunlap III. Very nice tire.
But for the rear tire, I purchased a NEW GoldWing rim altered / manufactured for a Car Tire. The Car Tire size is a 165R15. With the car tire it gives me about four (4+) plus inches of surface contact for the rear tire. Very positive contact with the drive wheel. This was the BEST improvement I made for my GoldWing rig.

Hope this HELPS

Best Buddy,
I would be interested in the details of the rear wheel. Is that a reamed out wheel or a transplanted car rim riveted to the M/C wheel?
Thanks,
Ralph

I also have a Astro 2+2. The rig is blue in color. Camp Douglas near Tomah. So where did you get the new GW altered rim for a car tire?

FYI:
Richard's wheel came from HT Wheels. Contact Harry Tarzian (814) 349 2414.
Harry is not online. The wheels are made by Harry by welding a Centerline aluminum wheel onto a motorcycle hub.

How much did it cost? Why a 15" tire? The 165R15 seems to be 1" smaller in diameter than the 160/80-16 that's on the GW. What's that doing to your rpms? How about gas mpg?

Hi Wayne

How much did it cost?
I believe the complete NEW manufactured rim was around $750.00 - $795.00. Can’t remember, can’t locate sales receipt. But, the Quality of Manufacturing by H.T. Wheels is “OUTSTANDING”, that’s all that I can say.

Why a 15" tire?
First the 15” tire was recommended by H.T. Wheels, but below is the Tire Comparison I researched between the two (2) tires
Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
165/87-15 5.7 in 13.2 in 26.3 in 82.6 in 767 0.0%
160/80-16 5.0 in 13.0 in 26.1 in 81.9 in 773 -0.9%

When I did the comparison two year ago, the “NEW” 165/87-15 was slightly larger than the standard 160/80-16, which is on the GoldWing.

Thirteen (13) thousand miles later, the tire still looks in great shape. I probably still have another fifteen (15) to twenty (20) thousand miles to go before replacement. But it’s NOT the tire wear that I was looking for. It was the footprint of tread on the ground. That was the main reason for the change. It’s the best thing that I did.

The DOT Specifications on the tire are
Treadwear: 320
Traction: A (Highest)
Temperature: B (A is the Highest)

What's that doing to your rpms?
I did not see any changes in the RPM

How about gas mpg? What is your gas mileage??????????
With the Wing and Astro 2+2 the mileage is as follows
Under 63 MPH around 32.0 to 35.0
Over 65 MPH around 28.0 to 30.0 depending on gas manufacturer

By the way I’m now replacing the Astro 2+2 sidecar tire that has been on the 2+2 since NEW. The manufacturing date on the tire is stamped September 1994 (364). Not bad after fourteen (14) years of tire life. No idea what the mileage on the tire is (15K for my usage), but the tire cracks in the thread seams is why I want to replace it.

If you need anything else, let me know.

Thank you for the information on the wheel. That tire mileage sounds great compared to my 5,000 miles. I just put a new s/c tire on last week from Les Schwab. It is a 155x13. Original was a 145x13 so A little higher sitting but I leaned the bike in a little to compensate. That tire was on the rig when I got it 2 and a half years ago. It had about 50% tread then.
Ralph

Thanks for the info on the rear tire. Will save for later use. But we surely got of the subject of the GL1500 front tire.

I'm planning to use a Metzler Lasertec 130/70H-18 (rear) as my front tire. I fell the rear tires have more of a contact patch than the fronts. Based on the Avon Triple Duty tire I put on the front of my Virago rig, I got less low speed wobble and better handling in corners with a flat tread tire on the front.

Well, no additional comments, so I'm going to go with my idea for a front tire.