GS850g conversion to spoke wheels

[Talkinboutshaft]

Hello Everyone!
I'm back to this forum after several years absence, due to silly irritations like cancer and hip relplacement surgery, but I can tell you it's great to be back! After some years of planning, I have finally got up enough energy and will to complete my spoke wheel conversion project. I always wanted spokes onthe GS, but as you know, they never came with any. Here is my result: (hope the attachment works!)

 

[MechMessiah]

That looks nice. I was thinking about doing spoked wheels with my 650 I'm rebuilding. What was the process like switching them over? And congrats on the cancer battle!

 

[JTGS850GL]

Can you give some details on what it took to do the conversion?

 

[Talkinboutshaft]

Can you give some details on what it took to do the conversion?

The hardest thing to do was to get a compatible rear drive. I did not look to Suzuki, as their later spoked wheels with shaft drive looked too weird for my bike. So I went for the gl1000 goldwing.

The rear drives are very similar in appearance and function, so it was just a matter of "fiddling" to get them to mesh.
The hub center had to be cut down on the drive side to the match the Suzuki, and the drive flanges had to be cut and spliced. It was easy to measure and draw up plans, but my machinist hasn't talked to me since! I will include some pics. I only had to reduce the diameter of the brake disc. Fits perfect!

Now that I settled on a rear drive, I was determined to use the matching front rim from the goldwing. Can't use the whole wheel; it's way too wide for the forks. So after much searching, I found a compatible 40-hole kawi hub (suzukis are all 36 hole). I had the back of the rotor hubs cut down to match the rotor width on the Suzuki, and the axle nuts reduced in diameter to 22mm. Using a couple of ordinary washers on either side, it fits perfectly! I even used the kawi speedo cable!

The spokes and nipples from the goldwing were rechromed, and I laced and trued them. Those old weld-type aluminum rims are a pain in the ass to square up!

 

[steve murdoch]

Jeb, welcome back to the site and good on ya for getting back on your bike.
How about some more pics of the wheels.
Spokes rule!

 

[Talkinboutshaft]

Jeb, welcome back to the site and good on ya for getting back on your bike.
How about some more pics of the wheels.
Spokes rule![/QUOTE

Thanks, Steve! And thanks to all who have made me feel welcome! I guess I can only attach one pic per post. I'm in the process of loading them into photobucket!

 

[Guest]

I guess I can only attach one pic per post. I'm in the process of loading them into photobucket!

When you get your pictures loaded into Photobucket, copy the IMG link for the picture and paste it here in your thread. No need to use the little picture icon or anything like that, just click on the IMG link in PB, which will copy the link, then come back to your thead an paste the link. Be sure to hit the ENTER or RETURN key twice after pasting a link. That will put the next picture below (not beside) the one you just pasted and it will give a one-line border space between them, making it easier to see each picture.

Doing it that way, you can post up to ten pictures per post.

 

[Grimly]

So the Ugly Duckling GV1200 Madura wheels were too ugly too? I'd read of people ditching them for the GS alloy wheels - straight swap apparently, so it would work the other way around, I suppose.
Your final result looks good though, and probably better than the GV wheels would have.