Anybody have any success putting a car tire on the rear of a 1979 GL1000 Goldwing? Is it worth looking into it? I don't plan on removing the side car.
There's 2 things that can make it difficult to fit a car tire, 1 is the rim, if it's a 15" it can take a a lot of air pressure to seat it, like 120 to 140#, 2 is swing arm width, getting a car tire that is the same or close to the same dia and still get it to fit inside of the swing arm might be a challenge but someone on the forum probably has the size, if not Google tire conversion and find one that works for you, there's 4 or 5 to choose from, if you can fit one they will last a really long time, probely 3 to 4 times as long as a bike tire plus you have a lot more rubber on the road to stop with.
Since the 15" auto rims and cycle rims are differently sized there are risks involved in using the auto tires that have been widely discussed in the forums here. Search the archives here for more info. 16" auto tires are acceptable since the difference is small. 15" ones carry a somewhat large risk factor, especially on earlier model narrow bike rims.
Lonnie
Actually it sounds like it could be a bit dangerous. Mounting a car tire on the Goldwing rear rim.
Would there be a way to replace the rear wheel with a car wheel? Of course as I type this I'm thinking that would be a lot of work!
I suppose if one started with a 'correct' auto rim and replace the center with an aluminum disk and then started building out from there. Ouch - in the end it would be easier (cheaper) to replace the rear tire more often.
A purpose built rear wheel ocaisionally come up on flee-bay. There was a pair of car wheel's for a Goldwing (1100) came up on flee-bay here in Blighty a month ago, so keep looking. Even a pair of leading link fork's went cheaply.
Safe riding Karl
Wouldn't hurt to contact Harry Tarzian of HT Wheels. He has done numerous wheel conversions for the comstar wheels and does a nice job.
(814) 349-2414
Harry uses the original center hub and attaches a 15" car wheel via sideplates to it. Nice conversion. I had them on my '78 wing. Still have the front wheel... if interested feel free to call or email. Contact info is in my signature below.
hi, happy new year, i run a harry tarzian rear wheel(165R15)on my 1500 and i love it,a bit pricey but in my opion,well worth the bucks, i was putting on a new rear tire 4-5thousand mi, went to alaska on one this past summer,15,567 mi on same tire,only changed it then because i had a puncture at 9700 mi, plugged it and continued on and just felt better replacing it when i got home, tire looked liked it could easily have went another 5-7 thousand, i also know he makes one to fit your scoot,you send him a center section or the whole wheel and he does the rest,wheels are cheap on ebay. harry is a class act. hope this helps,good luck mike
Is there a web address for Harry???
hi, harry does not have a website,matter of fact he doesn't have a computer, but you can easily reach him in the evening(est)at 814-349-2414,he is located in central pa near state college and you won't regret talking sidecars with him for a few moments. hope this helps and best wishes mike
ive heard that changing to a later model gl wheel works better.is there any difficulty in doing so?there always seem to be GL parts on ebay.thanks,greg
You can't put a GL1100 wheel on a GL1000 - the cush drive, for one, is different. That said, I have a TH Wheels on my GL1100, using a 165-15 tire. On my 1100, it did require some added fabrication; namely shims for the cush drive, plus modifying the brake torsion arm. Harry consulted with me throughout the whole fabrication process, even though I had to have the shim and torsion arm fabrication done in my local area. I'm not sure if you have to do that added fabrication for the 1000 - Harry knows that answer.
With the better mileage of a car tire and $60 car tire cost, you'll have the wheel paid for after about four rear motorcycle tire replacements.
Thank you all for this info. I'm think I am going to wait a bit before making drastic changes. I kind of go overboard on things I do. You all have helped me think about it. Since I've only really driven the rig a month at the most I will just wait to see how it goes this summer.
What do these wheels run cost wise, wanna get a idea about how bad I really want one.
Originally written by Shadow1100T on 1/14/2008 10:21 PM
What do these wheels run cost wise, wanna get a idea about how bad I really want one.
Best to give Harry a call. Material costs change rapidly which can make a difference in pricing. For instance the aluminum centerline wheel itself that is used to do some car tire conversions was less than 100 bucks less than two years ago and is now over two hundred...a hard thing to swallow.
Harry uses these wheels on non comstar conversions.
