Switching to 18 inch front wheel on gs750

[ESEN]

Hi all, I posted this same topic a few months ago but got no replies and can't work out if I can edit the title so I'm posting it agian with a new title... apologies..

I'm planning on moving from the standard 19 inch front rim to an 18 inch, but keeping the gs 750 hub.

Question is, how do I know what spokes to order?

Is it as simple as just ordering spokes for an 18 Inch rim or are there more nuances to it than that?

Does it matter if the 18 inch rim is also wider than stock? Maybe 2.15 instead of 1.85.

Thanks everyone.

[chris]

Hi, I can't answer all your questions because I have never laced a street bike wheel but have done a few off road bikes. Yes the spokes must match the hub and rim and don't even bother with the cheap ones. There are a few companies that specialize in building wheels for vintage bikes. I would contact them, they are the experts. I would also ask about breaking them in when freshly laced.

[slayer61]

The folks at Buchanan's can help you out. Info, tech and parts & service

https://www.buchananspokes.com/

[Nessism]

There are various spoke calculator on the internet for building bicycle wheels. No doubt the same calculations apply. Might be worth the effort to see if there is something specific to motorcycle wheels.

[ESEN]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll check out Buchanans for info but I'm in England so wont be able to use them. Good tip on the spoke calculators too. Something to get my teeth into over winter!

[John Park]

I think the front hub for a 77-78 400 twin is the same as the 750. They were an 18" rim so the spokes for them should fit. If you're thinking of using an 18" rare rim in front you will find the spoke holes in the rim are angled differently as the rear hub is larger diameter. It's a bit iffy but may not matter.

I have a 78 400 18" wheel on my bike which I can measure from the head to the nipple for comparison. Cmsnl.com may still have those spokes available; they're in the Netherlands.

[ESEN]

Thanks John. Yeah I've used cmsnl quite a few times for parts. As long as I know what to order, I'm happy order from them