Project CB350F cafe brat

[stubsryan]

Just bought a sandblaster and started blasting a front wheel to see how it goes. Looks like it’s going to do the job fairly well


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[stubsryan]

Another 1


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[stubsryan]

So I did some more blasting today and found some rust holes in the rim. I’m now thinking of getting some new rims and spokes from AliExpress which might be 300 clams or so. I’m not sure what size to go for. I believe the front is 1.6 x 18 and the rear is 1.85 x 18. I would like fatter for looks but also for cornering. I’m more a fan of the corners than straight line speed. Color combo will be black rim, stainless spokes and a black hub. Does anyone know what is reasonable to upgrade the size to? Is 2.15 front and 3.00 back too big? Thanks. Oh and here is a photo of the rims. Aluminium cheapies


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[stubsryan]

I may have spoke before I really thought this through. 3.00x18 is really big. Alternatively I can get 2.15x18 for the front and back. Not sure if that’s ok for the front though ‍


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[farmer92]

Depends what tire size you want.
I wouldn’t go over 100mm in the front, or 120 in the back.
To wide makes it harder to push into corners, not as fun as a bike that can just be tipped in.
Here’s a rim size cheat sheet

2.15 in the front and a 3 in the rear should be okay.

 

[stubsryan]

Depends what tire size you want.
I wouldn’t go over 100mm in the front, or 120 in the back.
To wide makes it harder to push into corners, not as fun as a bike that can just be tipped in.
Here’s a rim size cheat sheet

2.15 in the front and a 3 in the rear should be okay.

Thanks for the help mate ‍


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[Integra99]

I'm running 2.1 / 100 front and 2.5 / 110 rear.. I could fit a 120 fear but dont want to affect the handling.

It looks ok..

 

[stubsryan]

So front will be 2.15x18 with 100/90 tyre.
Rear will be 3.00x18 with 120/90 tyre. Also think I’m going with the Pirelli sport demon. I hope this works out ok. Now I need to measure the existing spokes and then order it all and stop procrastinating about the other jobs I have to do


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[stubsryan]

I'm running 2.1 / 100 front and 2.5 / 110 rear.. I could fit a 120 fear but dont want to affect the handling.

It looks ok..

Looks good! I can’t seem to find a 2.5x18 for the right price so I stepped up a size. Finger crossed it will be ok. Hopefully I can find a 2.5 rim and I will do what you have done


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[stubsryan]

I'm running 2.1 / 100 front and 2.5 / 110 rear.. I could fit a 120 fear but dont want to affect the handling.

It looks ok..

Cool bike! How do you go with Cooling having the engine painted? I’m soda blasting soon but not sure if I should should paint the cylinders and valves..


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[Integra99]

Ooh yes rear will be nice.. I had thought about a 3" rear, 120 will be good. I think front will support the 100 well.

Yes almost finished just tank to paint..

I've got a Yamaha XS750 painted and its been fine.. So I think it will be ok..

 

[whynot]

Ooh yes rear will be nice.. I had thought about a 3" rear, 120 will be good. I think front will support the 100 well.

Yes almost finished just tank to paint..

I've got a Yamaha XS750 painted and its been fine.. So I think it will be ok..

Really want to go with tire sizes like you are doing stubsryan, but I'll more than likely stay factory


Nice bike integra99.....love the pipes.

They look familiar:

 

[Integra99]

Nice pipes.. I havent ridden far with them just a few blips.. but sound good so far!

 

[teazer]

Just a thought but that's a light bike and wide tires are not a good match if you like corners. A better combo might be say 2.15 front and 2.50 rear with a 100/80 front and 110/80 or maybe 120/80 on the rear. That's the same as an RZ350.

For its power and weight, those are arguably one size too large and a 1.85 front rim 2.15 rear might be better for handling but they will look slimmer. That's what was on my race Cb77 and work well.

 

[Integra99]

I agree its why I opted for a slimmer tyre, originally I was wanting a 130 but quickly advised it may look good but the handling would be greatly affected. I may even put a 90 on the front at some stage.

 

[whynot]

I agree its why I opted for a slimmer tyre, originally I was wanting a 130 but quickly advised it may look good but the handling would be greatly affected. I may even put a 90 on the front at some stage.

Where did you source those wheels and tires from?

 

[Integra99]

My mate runs the wheel shop for Talon engineering and they run Excel rims - Tyres are Avon AM26

 

[teazer]

In the US, I get rims form Mike's XS.com if they have one that's a good match on spoke pattern for similar sized hubs.

 

[jpmobius]

Just a thought but that's a light bike and wide tires are not a good match if you like corners. A better combo might be say 2.15 front and 2.50 rear with a 100/80 front and 110/80 or maybe 120/80 on the rear. That's the same as an RZ350.

For its power and weight, those are arguably one size too large and a 1.85 front rim 2.15 rear might be better for handling but they will look slimmer. That's what was on my race Cb77 and work well.

This is excellent advice. The very wide rims you are considering and consequent tires will absolutely KILL the handling of this bike (I have a 400F for reference). A 90/90 and 110/80 combination will work very well depending on the tire brand. A 120/80 will be ok on the back if you want a beefier looking tire, but it's a big tire for your bike and the 110 is better in my opinion. My 400 is a disaster with even a slightly too large front tire, and your 350 likely will be similar. I have a 90/90 tire on a 1.85 x 18 rim on the front of mine, very noticeably better than the 100/90 previous tire which made turn in awful. I would not fit larger than a 1.85 front rim. Of course, you can certainly fit much larger than stock rims and tires and your bike will still be safe to drive, but you will have no chance at all of keeping up with a stock bike in the turns, so if you truly are more interested in building a good handling bike, don't go beyond one size up on the rim width and keep the tires light. Also, if your 350 is as physically similar to the 400 as it appears, a 3.00 rear rim and tire will very likely interfere with the chain. I have also bought many rims from Mike's XS and have been very happy with them, though a couple needed some file work to level out the bead seat across the weld. The stainless spokes are also fine, though it can be tricky to figure out the right length as they sell model specific spoke sets and if your bike is not listed, you are on your own for fitment.

 

[stubsryan]

This is excellent advice. The very wide rims you are considering and consequent tires will absolutely KILL the handling of this bike (I have a 400F for reference). A 90/90 and 110/80 combination will work very well depending on the tire brand. A 120/80 will be ok on the back if you want a beefier looking tire, but it's a big tire for your bike and the 110 is better in my opinion. My 400 is a disaster with even a slightly too large front tire, and your 350 likely will be similar. I have a 90/90 tire on a 1.85 x 18 rim on the front of mine, very noticeably better than the 100/90 previous tire which made turn in awful. I would not fit larger than a 1.85 front rim. Of course, you can certainly fit much larger than stock rims and tires and your bike will still be safe to drive, but you will have no chance at all of keeping up with a stock bike in the turns, so if you truly are more interested in building a good handling bike, don't go beyond one size up on the rim width and keep the tires light. Also, if your 350 is as physically similar to the 400 as it appears, a 3.00 rear rim and tire will very likely interfere with the chain. I have also bought many rims from Mike's XS and have been very happy with them, though a couple needed some file work to level out the bead seat across the weld. The stainless spokes are also fine, though it can be tricky to figure out the right length as they sell model specific spoke sets and if your bike is not listed, you are on your own for fitment.

Thanks for your advice. So the graph says the 90/90 tyre is best suited to 2.15x18 rim. I could do that and get better bike control. As for the rear. I could also use 2.15x18 with a 110/90 or 80 but it is 1 size below standard figment. I have also read that it’s better to have a slightly bigger rim than slightly bigger tyre combination If it’s not a standard fit. Furthermore, I can’t find a 2.5 rim so I decided to get a 3.0 which works out to be 1 block up from 120/90.

Would you rather 3.0 rim with a slightly smaller tyre match(120/90) OR a a 2.15 rim with a slightly larger tyre match (110/80). Truth be told, I have ordered a 2.15 and 3.0 already but I will put that on hold, depending on what you say. Also didn’t want to mix rim brands so basically they are my two options in 18” rim sizes. Thanks


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