CB's 19" Front wheel 18" rear, why and why not?? (and other ?'s :) )
- Thread starter Modgod1
- Start date
my-79-750-k
Therapy is expensive. Riding is cheap. You decide.
I had Enkie mags on my CB750, swapped over from a 750 nighthawk, 16" rear, 18" front. It handled like a 500lb bike, because it was. However, it handled better than it did with the spoke wheels that came with it. Also, I got dual discs in front to replace the single from the original setup. The were within 1/2 lb of the wire wheels, and yes, it was definitely a noticeable improvement in handling.
mydlyfkryzis
当有疑问时踢你的敌人在生殖器上，你可以道歉后
Spoked wheels with aluminum rims are lighter than the same spokes on steel rims...Mags? who knows....depends on the Mag and it's construction....
Mags can be lighter or heavier than spoked. I do like the lower maintenance of mags though.
Mags can be lighter or heavier than spoked. I do like the lower maintenance of mags though.
mydlyfkryzis
当有疑问时踢你的敌人在生殖器上，你可以道歉后
If you are looking for a real "Street Racer" hopefully you are only looking racing other Old 500's. A modern bike is liker and more powerful. 600's go over 100 HP today, about twice the HP a 550 can put out.
New bikes are aluminum framed, fuel injected, better suspension......If you are not actually racing, then just go for the look....too expensive to make a real racer. If you are going real, then titanium fasteners, even handlebars will reduce weight. Lighter tires, half worn for less rotational mass, lower friction bearings....
No point in Racing unless you intend on winning. To win, you need to go all the way. Start weighing the tires....
New bikes are aluminum framed, fuel injected, better suspension......If you are not actually racing, then just go for the look....too expensive to make a real racer. If you are going real, then titanium fasteners, even handlebars will reduce weight. Lighter tires, half worn for less rotational mass, lower friction bearings....
No point in Racing unless you intend on winning. To win, you need to go all the way. Start weighing the tires....
If you have a bike with a 19" wheel on the front, and you replace it with an 18" wheel identical in every way (same model tire, same width rim, etc.), two things will happen. The slightly smaller diameter will cause the trail to be reduced slightly. This will happen even if you lower the rear suspension slightly to keep the bike "level". If you leave the rear where it is, the rake will steepen very slightly just because the front is now slightly lower. Both things will have the effect of quickening the steering slightly. They will also reduce the inherent stability. Whether this is a good idea or not is subjective, but without a benchmark to work from, (i.e., you have been riding your bike a lot, have exhausted every option of suspension tuning of the stock setup, and have determined a specific change is in order) I would keep the stock diameter. Stable motorcycles are safer, and reducing rake and trail will feed larger loads into the frame with possible unexpected consequences. Going 19" to 18" is not an especially large change, but you will notice the effect. If you are racing and the guys beating you have gone to a smaller wheel, you would be wise to try it as well, but whether you will like that on the street is another story. However, fast on the track - fast on the street is not bad advise if "fast" means you are willing to ride around the possible undesired properties that go with it.
