Not much done today but I did manage to pull apart the rear wheel. Getting the tyre off was no problem. Who needs tyre levers? Messrs Black and Decker are your friends
Getting the bead wires was a bit of struggle but got there in the end
Revealing this...
Getting the spokes out with the help of the deputy engineer of the project (my 12 year old son) and WD40 was surprisingly easy
Almost there
Hooray!
Thinking back over my 30 years of riding bikes on an almost daily basis, I don't think i've even ridden a bike with spoke wheels let alone worked on one. I've recently learned that spokes are like belly buttons...they come in two different types. Innies and outties. i.e. those with the little button part inside the hub and those with it outside. Here are the differences.
My plan (if I can get all this crap back together) is as follows
Front wheel: Harley 40 spoke 19 x 2.5 inch steel rim. Swap the 19 inch rim out for 18 inch alloy rim. Keep it at 2.5width. Reuse the (brand new) chrome spokes/nipples.
Rear wheel: CB350 hub laced up to 18 x 3.5 inch alloy rim. See how the old spokes/nipples clean up and have them chromed them if they clean up well or get new ones if they don't.
So questions at this stage are:
Can I re-use the spokes from a 19 inch rim in an 18 inch rim? I assume they'll need to be cut shorter and the threads cut a little further. If the thread is cut further, will they need to be rechromed to prevent the newly cut thread from rusting?
Has anyone transplanted a 3.5 inch rear wheel to a stock cb350 frame? Are there any issues with the chain run fouling the frame rail? I am expecting to have to buy or make an offset countershaft sprocket and move the rear sprocket out slightly