Best place for new wheels?

[banksc1970]

Looking to go up a size in rims so I can go to a 90/90 front and 100/90 rear. I have found that others have used Buchannon Spoke for new "upsize" (WM2/WM3) wheels. Has anybody found a cheaper way to go? Can I use some wheels from another bike?

[G-Man]

Which bike?

You need to make sure that you'll have clearance under the fenders. Particularly the front on most Hondas.


G

[banksc1970]

Thanks for the reply! I am doing a CB77 cafe racer so fender clearance will not be an issue. I think that the early to mid 70's CB750 used a WM3 or 2.15 rear rim. Does anyone see an issue with lacing up a CB750 rim on my CB77 hub? I am thinking that I could use the CB750 rear and then lace up the original rear, which is a WM2 or 1.85 rim, on my front hub. Any problems that I am not seeing?

Thanks
Chris

[G-Man]

Chris

The rims are drilled to match the hub. A rim to suit a drum brake will have a different angle than one for a disc braked wheel with a small spool type hub. The spokes will also be different lengths.

If you try it with hubs of different diameters you will get some awkward angles as the spokes enter the rim. This will eventually lead to spoke breakage as the spokes will not have a straight pull.

See here http://www.central-wheel.co.uk/rims/rim ... edure.html


G

[brewsky]

My 78 CB750 has 1.85x19 front and 2.50x17 rear rims, but they are 40 spoke.

I believe the CB 450 brake drums are similar in size to the CB77, but 40 spoke, so maybe a wheel swap is possible?

[banksc1970]

I just visited the local "motorcycle mortuary" and found what I believe was about a 70-74 CB350 that had a rear wheel on it that looked very similar to the CB77 original 1.85 x 18 rear wheel. Like Brewsky stated, the hub is about the same size, but this rim had 36 spokes just like my CB77. The tire on the old CB350 rim was a 4.00 x 18 and according to the Hagon wheelbuilding chart here: http://www.hagon-shocks.co.uk/WheelTab.htm That would put it at a 2.50 rim (if it was a stock size tire), unfortunately. However, I just realized that according to that chart, I could still use the 100/90 tire on the 2.50 rim! This may be the way to go. The junkyard had all kinds of Honda bikes, but the 6 inches of fresh snow didn't help my search. I will probably go back when there isn't any snow and take my stock rim and a tape measure to see what I can come up with. With the info from G-man in mind I can compare the hubs, spoke angles, and spoke lengths to see if it would work. If it looks like a good match then I may try to lace it up to see what happens.

Thanks for all the info! Any additional input on the subject is more than welcome.

[teazer]

What is available at MikesXS.com? If he has the right rims, the prices are right. And remember that disk wheels have small hubs and different spoke angles than drum brakes (noted earlier).

If not the best way is to get some new rims from Buchanan and spokes to match.