Dark side conversion gone wrong?

I bought a 99 GL1500 rim on eBay, installed a Goodyear Assurance tire, but as soon as I removed my ST rim, I realized I had a problem as the goldwing rim doesn't rise as high as the ST rim. Thus instead of the 7/32 spacer I thought I needed, I now have about a one inch axle gap which scares me. Thoughts and advice appreciated....

Interesting project, going dark side on the ST. I should think any competent machine shop should be able to fabricate a spacer to the correct dimensions.

I wonder if front and rear tire are still aligned there...

There is a bit more to it than just swapping the wheels. For in depth info check out the link below. You may have to join "the liST" to view, but there is lots of ST1100 stuff there and well worth checking out.
http://www.st-riders.net/index.php?topic=7848.0

Btw, I've been darkside about a year.

That thread is in the ST1100 Archive Of Wisdom which is public; however, if you wish to discuss the issue with the ST-Riders members you'll have to become one.

Bigmak96 is subscribed here though.

John

sirepair said:

Btw, I've been darkside about a year.

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I have a GL1500 wheel and may go Dark in the future. Please give us some feedback on your experience over the last year. And what make / size tire are you using ??

I did find a spacer at a local hardware store. My wheel is slightly aligned to the right (shaft drive side). My brake rotor/calipers are making a mild rubbing sound now and if I go above 75 mph I get a front end wobble. I'm still playing with tire pressure and will post some pics before long. I will also check out that link...

trevtop said:

I did find a spacer at a local hardware store. My wheel is slightly aligned to the right (shaft drive side). My brake rotor/calipers are making a mild rubbing sound now and if I go above 75 mph I get a front end wobble. I'm still playing with tilonggivity to save coste and will post some pics before long. I will also check out that link...

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That front to rear factory off-set was precisely set, and for good reason as you've found out. IMHO, the only reason to even consider going to DarkSide would be if regularly pulled a trailer. Pulling a trailer DOES eat up a rear tire considerably fast. If the reason is for longer tire longgivity due to tire cost, then likely the reality is you can't REALLY afford to own and operate the bike anyways.....IMO. Why one would wanna compromise the handling or corner handling while up on two wheels is beyond me.

Much more needed to make the GL wheel work on an 1100. Also, the tire sizes are very limited. I ran 2 car tars after Big Mac fixed me up with the right parts. But, the difference in circumferance between stock and car tar was/is too much for the ABS 'puter to keep up with. I'm back to STock now and the Gold Wing wheel is setting unused.

If you can't find someone to make the needed parts, don't try to wing it with some stuff from the hardware store.
The link will spell out what you need. Sorry, I no longer make the parts.

I don't wish to offend anyone but feel I have to comment on this thread.....

I'm sorry I can't believe you would do this.... buy a spacer from the local hardware store that is, or may be, of indeterminate quality and hardness, fit it and ride the bike at those speeds knowing it isn't right.... riding it at all seems foolhardy...

You need to read the instructions closely to make sure you have everything in the rite spot. There should never be a 1 inch gap anywhere if you put all the parts in seeing how everything moves left 7\32.

ST1100Y said:

I wonder if front and rear tire are still aligned there...

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My thought exactly - is the centerline of the rear wheel still laterally aligned with frame centerline. I'm not a darksider, but I thought I have read of other ST1100 darksiders that had used the factory wheel...

I still have the parts from Mark's Darkside set up here. That should help out.

Update: If interested, PM me for details.