modern forks on cb450

[rizzlo34]

Hi, I am working on putting 07 Yamaha R6 forks (the gold ones) on the front of my '72 CL350. I purchased the complete front end off of ebay for $350 (forks, brakes, clip-ons, switches, so on). I just ordered my front rim, which is an excel 18x2.50, then I will order some spokes from Buchanon in order to design my front hub. I plan to design the hub around the length of the spokes that I order, which, of course will be a size that I know is close to what I want. I am going to run only one disc up front, so I will be cutting the bracketry off of the right hand side of the R6 forks, because they have mounts for duel front discs.

I am still probably a month off from beginning machining (lots of 3D CAD modeling to do), but will be sure to post the whole process on DTT, and give you guys a link from this thread.

Thanks, Ryan

Attached is a 2D representation of the front end...very slow going though.

 

[Hannibal Smith]

I have made front/rear spoked hubs before (non cush rear) using the lathe and mill-
Spokes come last, I would suggest that you design the hubs without "dish" (to include the rear) and merely drill the spoke holes with a common/known flange diameter.

You could even make canted flanges, but non canted will work just fine for your application too. Spokes can be had in any length, and getting the spokes first only paints your engineering into a corner. Start with the axle diameter, source the bearings, determine the meat you will engineer into the hub shell, then get to the flanges, and then the spoke hole diameter callout. The spoke is the most flexible aspect (design wise) of the wheel build, I would suggest that you purchase them last.

In all actuality, adapting a front hub for your intended application is probably an easier and far less costly route, an axle can be made with a threaded cylindrical "nut" to fit the modern forks etc. I used to do this stuff for a living 15 years ago-

 

[Uniac]

From the research i've done on the subject a Harley front hub should work. However the axle dia is 25mm on the Harley and 25.4mm on the modern inverted monotubes. Not a huge deal as the OD of the bearings for both hubs are the same(gsxr at leaset), just put a new set of bearings in the Harley hub, re-drill for new rotors, make spacers for wheel and rotors if need be and you're off to the races.

 

[rizzlo34]

You could even make canted flanges, but non canted will work just fine for your application too.

When you say canted, do you mean that the flange just tapers slightly from the hub body, getting narrower as it gets closer to the spoke holes? Basically following the same trajectory as if the spokes themselves went directly into the hub body?

Thanks,
Ryan