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Wheel widening?

It's a little cheaper outside the US but still expensive.

There's a limited market for it too - shaft drives where there's no alternative wheel, specific rim width rules for various classes.
In NZ, for our pre 82 Post Classic race class, we're limited to a 5.0 inch maximum rim width. They're not common....
I've looked at having a 5.5 narrowed. Feasible but again not cheap.
 
It also adds a bunch of weight to the wheel. Better to swap in wide lightweight wheels if you need extra tire (which most folks don't but want because of aesthetics).
 
GregT said:
It's a little cheaper outside the US but still expensive.

There's a limited market for it too - shaft drives where there's no alternative wheel, specific rim width rules for various classes.
In NZ, for our pre 82 Post Classic race class, we're limited to a 5.0 inch maximum rim width. They're not common....
I've looked at having a 5.5 narrowed. Feasible but again not cheap.
Click to expand...

I remember on one of the Restomod threads a 5" wheel being used & it wasn't from a bike that rare... maybe a FZR or something. I remember it wasn't Suzuki...
 
salty_monk said:
I remember on one of the Restomod threads a 5" wheel being used & it wasn't from a bike that rare... maybe a FZR or something. I remember it wasn't Suzuki...
Click to expand...

Some of the late 600's and some of the early 1000's on 17's had 5.0 inch rims. In NZ, those 1000's were not imported in any quantity - and the 600's are still current so not being wrecked in numbers...We're a small market which can make things difficult at times.
Yes, if a customer has the budget, I can import a rim - but most simply don't have that kind of money.
That's why I looked at narrowing the common 5.5inch - and if it came off the chain side, that helps another problem too....
 
Look into CBR 600 F2 and F3 Wheels, they almost look like the Kawasaki / Morris mag wheels but are a fairly modern sport bike 17 inch wheel. One of the few modern Wheels that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb when installed on a vintage bike, that's one of my huge pet peeves, why put some ugly modern wheels on your vintage bike, if you want to ugly it out, just go full-on alien and buy a modern sport bike! They are probably a 5.5 rear though, offset sprockets 520 chain and other hassles go along with that. But that's all still cheaper than having a wheel widened. It also eliminates the hassle of finding a large offset triple clamp set to run your modern forks with, because you only need 38 or 43 mm triple clamp offset on an old frame with a relaxed (27 degrees) rake, running modern 17 inch rubber
 
mmattockx said:
The F2 rear was 4.5", F3 is 5.5".


Mark
Click to expand...

Ahhh... that's great to know, Mark, THANKS!
So I think if I were doing a 17" wheel conversion, I'd definitely be going with the F2 rear wheel so I could run a 150/70-17 or 160/60-17 instead of a 180 (or 170?) required on a 5.5... too big of offset sprockets for out bikes, I'd just run an ultra high performance tire like the Bridgestone BT016 Battlax so I'd get the ultimate grip out of the smaller (quicker turning) tire. I don't give a darn about treadlife generally, unless I were doing a cross country trip, then I'd run something that lasts 8,000 miles...

So many times now, I've seen my Shinko 230, Shinko SR741, and Bridgestone Battlax BT45V bias ply 130/80-18 & 140 or 150/70-18 tires clearly outperform fancy sportbike sport-touring 180 width rears that the owners of touted at how highly acclaimed these 180 ST tires were...


I think the F2 uses a solid mounted rotor with a large bolt pattern, and the F3 uses the same 6 bolt 7mm pcd bolt pattern as the GS or else the 6 bolt 74mm pattern which uses similar nearly identical floating rotors. So for vintage racing, the F2 solid front rotors would be required per rules and rim width restrictions, but for a street bike, I'd be inclined to run the F3 with the floating rotors.

Those mags really look very similar to a Kawasaki or Morris mag wheel from vintage 1970s bikes, but they are slightly bladed directionally. Really the only newer mag wheel that I think looks appropriate on a vintage bike. I just haven't had an application where I wanted to build one up yet. It would save a lot of hassle with front axle adapters to make a vintage wire spoke wheel hub fit on a 20mm axle modern sportbike conventional fork. And even more hassle trying to find that speedometer drive that would read accurately on an 18-inch period-correct wire spoke wheel.
 
Chuck78 said:
So I think if I were doing a 17" wheel conversion, I'd definitely be going with the F2 rear wheel so I could run a 150/70-17 or 160/60-17 instead of a 180 (or 170?) required on a 5.5...

I think the F2 uses a solid mounted rotor with a large bolt pattern, and the F3 uses the same 6 bolt 7mm pcd bolt pattern as the GS or else the 6 bolt 74mm pattern which uses similar nearly identical floating rotors. So for vintage racing, the F2 solid front rotors would be required per rules and rim width restrictions, but for a street bike, I'd be inclined to run the F3 with the floating rotors.
Click to expand...

I know the wheel sizes because I have thought long and hard about doing a 17" radial conversion with them on my 1100E. Like you, I much prefer the Honda spoke pattern/style to the Suzuki 3 spoke arrangement. I would go with the F2 rear for the reasons you mention (a 160 rear is perfect for my 1100E without big effort) and the F3 front because it looks so much better than the F2 front. You are correct that the F2 front has a large diameter hub that the rotors bolt directly to and the F3 has a smaller diameter hub. Salty_Monk's twin piston caliper upgrade uses the F3 rotors (among others).


Mark
 
Something else to consider is the F2 front wheel has a cable speedo drive and the F3 used an electronic pickup off the counter sprocket.
 
steve murdoch said:
Something else to consider is the F2 front wheel has a cable speedo drive and the F3 used an electronic pickup off the counter sprocket.
Click to expand...

That's a good point. It makes no difference to me as I am running a Trailtech Vapor for tach/speedo functions with a magnet on the brake rotor for the pickup, but for those wanting to stay with cable drive it's a big deal.


Mark
 
I also looked slightly into what other models run this pattern of wheel. Fronts on some years of VFR800's (rears use a single sided swingarm on the 800, or maybe that's the 750? Or both?), the VFR750, the VTR1000F SP1 Superhawk, CBR600 F2 & F3, etc. Not all years on any, most use the fugly 3 spoke space alien wheels.
Also, highly desirable to me would be the Australian/etc VTR250 with a 3.00x17 & 4.00x17 set... another non-USA model would be the VFR400 front and rear.

I think I can get an F2 rear and F3 front for a reasonable price, but shipping overseas on those 3"/4" VTR250 wheels would put me close to the prices of lacing up wire spoke rims in wider widths ($600/set shipped from Australia).
 
Yes I'd definitely consider going wire spoke wheels especially on a chain drive. There was only 1 shaft drive option and I think that was a newer cruiser that would require Sun non-dimpled rims custom drilled for 52 spoke count I believe. 800cc Madura or Volusia or something?

To do a wire spoke wheel set the right way, building it from New, spokes will run you probably $120 per wheel if you do the most long term plan and run with stainless spokes, and the rims from Buchanan's or Woody's will cost you $230 up to $350 each. Pricey...
And the rims are drilled fairly specific to the hubs, so you can't just get a used rim and lace it up, you might need to have it drilled oversized to run larger nipples in order to get the holes corrected to the right angle for that hub diameter
 
Chuck78 said:
Yes I'd definitely consider going wire spoke wheels especially on a chain drive. There was only 1 shaft drive option and I think that was a newer cruiser that would require Sun non-dimpled rims custom drilled for 52 spoke count I believe. 800cc Madura or Volusia or something?

To do a wire spoke wheel set the right way, building it from New, spokes will run you probably $120 per wheel if you do the most long term plan and run with stainless spokes, and the rims from Buchanan's or Woody's will cost you $230 up to $350 each. Pricey...
And the rims are drilled fairly specific to the hubs, so you can't just get a used rim and lace it up, you might need to have it drilled oversized to run larger nipples in order to get the holes corrected to the right angle for that hub diameter
Click to expand...

Well....I assume Brandon is asking about this for a G model....but I could be wrong...my wife says I'm wrong all the time (and then I remind her I married her and she quiets up for a while....)
For a G model, there are a few wire spoke options;
...the 1200 intruder rear wheel with 15" rim and disc brake is a drop in but you suffer the higher 54 spoke count..if that bothers you.
...the 04 VS 800 rear has the same drive side but runs a drum hub...a new spacer will be required along with making the connection for the brake arm...once again you get 54 spokes.
...the 95 VS hub runs 36 spokes....would match the 36 spoke front (some of us like matching spoke counts) and that one runs a drum brake but its cable operated this time...a tad more adaptable (imho).
There some options for the Gs....and wider rim capabilities for a chain drive GS.
 
Chuck....some day I'd like to pick your brain on wire wheel rim/tire options for my G...I got burned out temporarily with too many ideas and possibly overthinking it with the radial tire thing.
 
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