Wheel size questions

[G-Man]

I have some NOS Dream rims and they are definitely 1.85. Honda superseded both part numbers (front and rear) to the same part later on so they must be pretty close.

G

[davomoto]

Kellie,

Get the spokes from Buchannon's, but save yourself some big shipping charges by having Don lace them for you. Buchannon's won't do it any differently than him.

Davo

[KellieLyyne]

Davo, the problem being that I have NO IDEA what to order when it comes to the spokes <angles> and length. I would need some help there. Maybe that is where Don could help? He did a FANTASTIC job on the rims. He did say, that they weren't the easiest that he'd done due to the length of the spokes. And honestly, I just got lucky when ordering those spokes online from a dealer who assured me they would work. I didn't have to provide any lengths or angles but I definitely matched them up to my old spokes. I guess I could always send Buchanan two spokes and have them figure it out lol. Don's price and skill level is excellent.

[davomoto]

Kelly,

When you're ready, call Buchannon's, tell them what you need spokes for, and they'll know exactly what length you need. I have dealt with them many times, and I've never had to send a sample spoke in.

Davo

[conbs]

So, I am left wondering: If 1.85" is the correct size rim, is a 2.15" rim incorrect? I would guess not and it may be an early/late issue.

Graham, I beg to differ on the front and back rim part numbers bcoming one. Looking at the '64, '68 and '73 parts catalog, there are 4 "sets" of different part numbers for rims, each of which shows a different part number for the front and back.

The '64 catalog shows front rim C715401•1B which converts to 44701-253-020 and lists application for all years ('60 to '64 and includes CS model) then for '63 forward for CA72311561 CA77F-312958 it shows C725401•1 which converts to 44701-253-000. For the rear rim, the '64 catalog shows C716401•1B which converts to 42701-253-020 for all years ('60 to '64 and includes CS model) and then for '63 forward from the above frame numbers C726401•1 which converts to 42701-253-000.

The '68 catalog shows front rim 44701-253-020 and rear rim 42701-253-020 for '60 to '63 up to CA72311561 CA77F-312958 and then for all frame numbers beyond it shows 44701-259-000 front and 42701-259-000 rear.

The '73 catalog just shows 44701-259-000 front and 42701-259-000 rear with no distinction for any years.

Bill Silver's Dream NPS converter also shows C715401•1A/ 44701-253-010 front and C715401•1A/ 42701-253-010 rear, but I do not have anything that indicates the application.

Perhaps most important, because it spawned this thread in the first place - each of the changes in part numbers for rims has a corresponding change in spoke part numbers. Honda made some change in the spokes, though I have nothing that tells what it was. There were also changed numbers for hubs that change along with spoke/rim part number changes. That would imply that each set of hubs/rims takes a matching spoke set and that mixing and matching hubs and rims might create fitment issues. Also, aftermarket spokes might fit one hub/rim combination, but not necessarily another.

My purpose here is not to overthink re-lacing your wheels. At the end of the day, if you can get them back together and you are happy, that's probably all that matters. But, there has been no shortage of moaning and wailing on this site when it comes to fitting spokes, hubs and rims together. I hope the info in this post will help others get their wheels in ship shape. I plan to take on the task at some point and at least now I know more about what some of the challenges may be.

[cknight]

One clue might be obtained by measuring the width between the spoke flanges on the different versions of the front and rear hubs, and the diameters of the spoke hole circles. Honda may have had a slight difference in the drilling of the rims to compensate accordingly. Regards, Chase

[G-Man]

Bill

Thanks for the very detailed reply. I was just going with what CMS has on their web site. David Silver had a similar note when they still had stock.

I'm going to clean up and re-plate my original spokes so I am hoping to avoid some of the problems that people have been facing. I still have a couple of sets of wheels to dismantle. I'll take some measurements and post them here.

G