Pentagram/Star Wheels: My rebuild and How-To thread

Spacing between 34mm forks and 35mm forks is the same. The hubs on 74/75/76 with 34mm forks fit all 77-84 35mm forks with the same spacers.
 
I bought a front hub and the seller sold it as an XS650 hub. Thought things were a bit strange when i was polishing it and then when i checked it against another 650 hub i had.....low and behold it was narrower............

The space from the rotor face to the outside of the spacer is exactly the same as the 650 hub so if i installed it in the 650 forks then the wheel has 6-7mm spacing on the spedo side. Wheel is 3 1/2mm off center.
Link to some pics in my album http://www.xs650.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1557
Don't take any notice of the 360/650/750 wording. I don't know what bike the hub comes off but all the spacers swap into the XS650 hub.

The smaller hub has the same diameter and circumference as the XS650 hub and the second disc cover is metal. the plastic second disk covers didn't start until 77 so i figure the hub is off an early bike, maybe an RD350/250 or TX/XS500. Never found out so maybe there is a connection between the wheels you have and this hub?
 
I had a similar fiberglass tank/seat combo for a BSA. The wheels from what I have searched, were made for different bikes, with the inside of the rim painted different colors to denote make. Red for Honda, Yellow for Yamaha etc. I find this very informative as I have a 19" front rim w/drilled rotor. Hope you get this figured out.
 
Well, dang it....I thought I was on to something.
Why does MikesXS list the brace as fitting '77-84? Do you think removing the brace would do anything to help me?

If I can center the wheel using spacers and get everything torqued to spec, why couldn't I then play with caliper spacing to get it to "float" properly over the center of the rotor and make this work?
 
If I can center the wheel using spacers and get everything torqued to spec, why couldn't I then play with caliper spacing to get it to "float" properly over the center of the rotor and make this work?

What i thought i could do to my hub. Would need a 3 1/2 Spacer behind the Rotor and another 3 1/2mm between the Speed o and fork
 
I'm going to pull down the other front wheel I have and see if the off set is different on it. It may be easier to start over and build that wheel if it is.

What about the rear? Were they different for the RD, XS500, etc., too? I know people swap over 18" mag wheels to the XS650 often. Do they have trouble with chain alignment, etc.?
So far, I've gotten the rear wheel centered, but haven't checked chain alignment, yet.
 
At this point, I've aligned/centered the rear wheel but haven't checked chain alignment yet.
After sleeping on it, stewing over it, thinking about it in my helmet on a 3 hour ride today, etc., I'm seriously considering mothballing this project, at least for the XS650.
I'm thinking about putting the new tires on the spoked wheels and getting the bike back on the road. It's pretty apparent that these wheels are for the XS500 (and possibly the RD series)and, while not impossible, will take a good bit of work to make fit the XS650.
 
I don't have all the components/pieces for the rear, but I'll check my front and get back with measurements. . . . if I think it may help.

I had the front wheel off one that is getting tapered bearings so added a fork brace for reference points and dug out a front pentagram.
The wheel has just a speedo drive and dust cover. No extra spacers, special washers etc.
There is a small gap left approx 3/32's. Leaving the gap on the left the center of the wheel does set to the left by approx 1/4 inch.
Moving the gap to the right with a washer would make it worse.
Pictures in this album.
http://www.xs650.com/media/albums/2567/

If you are wanting other measurements let me know what you need and I'll see if I can help. Right now it is coming back off so I can get about my rat killing(country slang for "task at hand")

I do have a rear with the same caliper bracket and a spacer that came with it I can get a total width measurement from. I have not tried to fit it yet as I don't have a master cylinder. So don't know how it fits/fills the gap between the swingarm.
 
Yeah, I'm WAY off compared to that. I'll measure the NOS wheel I have, that I didn't use, and see if it's possibly for a 650.

I'm still not sure about the rear, either. Awful lot of spacers back there and I'm still not sure of chain alignment.

Anyone with an XS500 wants a super nice set of Pentagram wheels? :)
 
So....you may remember that I had two front wheels; one that seems to be NOS and one that came with the pair from the XS500.
I chose to restore the one from the set because that way they'd have a similar finish to them. The NOS wheel is the one on the box in this pic.


Well, today I put a straight edge across the stock XS650B front wheel and got a hub measurement of 4 3/4". I checked the wheel on the bike and got a measurement of 4 1/2".
Then I checked the NOS wheel and got..... 4 3/4". I should have used the NOS wheel.

At this point, I have to decide whether to tape it up and paint it to match, order some new bearings and continue with the wheel swap, or just go with the spoked wheels.

Maybe I'll reassemble the rear one more time and check chain alignment. If that's good, I'll swap front wheels and forge on. If it's bad, or requires more spacers, I'll put the stock wheels back on.

Now that we've established that the fronts AREdifferent, does anyone know how different rear wheel hubs are between the XS500 and XS650?
I know people swap over 18" rear wheels from other bikes....XS400, SR500, some RD models, etc. Am I fighting an uphill battle on the rear, too?
 
Damn, sorry these didn't work out for you Scott. I was loving following this thread.

I am still in contact with the gentleman about his pentagram wheels, his wife sent me a couple of pics but they are incredibly blurry. At least I have proof that he actually has them.

I am clearing out space in my garage and I think I am going to take the whole bike just so the swap will be easier. I can always part out the frame & various other knick knacks.

Here's what he sent over, again this doesn't yield much information but it's something for now.





But Scott - here is the interesting photo - Do you see this booklet that says, "Installation Instructions"... I think it says for "Star Mag wheel"...



On a zoom in with some sharpening in Photoshop:



He did say he had the "literature" to go with the wheels, so this could be a nice find...
 
Really nice find. Hope you can score the whole package.

Agreed. Calling him today, I am going to drive out and pick it up, I've made the decision.

When I get the literature I will scan it in, I am going to create a separate thread so I don't keep hijacking Scott's thread (sorry Scott!)

I've just grown to love these wheels, I blame Scott for that. I thought I had actually gotten one with the purchase of my bike, and the previous owner was confused too because he said "this is a spare sport wheel for the XS650" and it was actually the Suzuki GS series wheel.

More updates to come, I am going to ask for more pictures of the booklets in the meantime to hold me over, but I will do a proper full scanned PDF of it once I get it.

I will start a thread in the coming weeks and put a link to the PDF and a little build thread similar to what Scott did here. I am going to try to document as much as I can for those interested in these.

From the seller:

I have perfect set, along with bearings, dual discs front(19"), rear with bearings, disc(18") Both mags are complete sets with brand new tires Dunlop arrowmax 120/90 rear, 100/90 front with axles, spacers
 
Guys.... Check this out!!! You guys ever see anything like this? End of June I am going to pick up the pentagrams.. and the bike they're attached to! Will be doing the centers black, keeping the lip polished.















 
Wow that's the mother load. Looks like a Tracy body also! You'll have the makings of a "Back in the day" custom there.
 
Wow that's the mother load. Looks like a Tracy body also! You'll have the makings of a "Back in the day" custom there.

I know!! Super excited to meet this gentleman and pick this thing up. He used to race for a shop, I forget the name he said, but he had access to all these racing parts for the XS650 back in the day, including these pentagram mags. I just can't believe he has the literature too! He just sent me these as a PDF so I had to instantly convert them to images and get these up for you guys to see.

Sorry again Scott for the mega-hijack but I felt that this was on-topic! :)

Finally, some documented literature on the elusive "pentagrams".
 
This is the thread I was looking for! will follow up with more on these wheels.

dscn7291-jpg.99343


7734-jpeg.99342
 
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gggGary, I have pretty much everything in that rear brake diagram. Let me know if you can use it. I'll make you a helluva deal on it. Rebuilt master cylinder, "good" caliper, the hanger, etc.
 
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