spoke tiers

I have a few XS650 16" rear wheels with drum brake hubs. In various cosmetic and functional conditions. Some can be run as is, some need to be re-spoked, some need to be blasted and powder-coated to look good. PM me if interested.

For tires, I have found that http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/ has the cheapest prices and fast shipping. All of their tire prices include shipping.
 
Old KTM wheels aren't a bad project to convert. If the axle diameter matches the XS650 it doesn't go too bad, fabricate spacers, speedo drive, brake caliper mounts.

For the rear simplest is a XS650 special II or Heritage special wheel.
 
A phonetic spelling of tire jus say it ti er comes from folks studying the important things in life like...... texting we don't need no stinking grammer or punctuation
 
Oh, thought he was looking for someone to lace a wheel! Spoke tier's and mag wheel tier's must be different. The guy get's mad because nobody answers his question. Lot's of people looked but were probably confused.
 
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you guys think you are so cool and that any one that doesn't know as much as you isn't worth your time. or if they make a mistake they must be so stupid you can be bothered don't worry no more questions from me i am off to cry like a little girl so piss off dead roman.
 
and by the way i am dyslexic and so some times letters get switched but you brain surgeons would not know how that is.
 
Don't know if you ever get the time off during a work day or a Saturday, but If you are not in a big hurry, you can keep an eye on this place to re-open. They have several Special rear wheels, and are real helpful. There's about 5000 spoked wheels over there, and you could pull an XS wheel and walk around looking for a 21 inch front. I think the roof had issues with the 14 inches of snow during the Christmas holiday is the reason it's temporarily closed, but the Yammies and Hondas are in the basement!

http://mainecycle.net/the-warehouse.html
 
No thanks for Dogbunny? He offered several options for your rear. He is on the board, he rides these and understands what works and has good feedback. I'll go out on a limb here and say if you were willing to pay for the effort he would locate a 21 inch front.
And welcome to the site.
 
thanks weekendrider
sorry dogbunny i do appreciate your help as well and i pmed you about what you have.
and well i am at it thanks to anyone who helps us first timers (myself included).
 
dyslexia is a bitch. I mess the same letters up over and over and NEVER catch it... even if I proof read.

anywho...

If you search around on the site you will find various information that will help you track down the used rims you want from existing bikes along with all sorts of information regarding necessary spacers, offsets, hubs, etc.. necessary to get them to fit.
The wheels section in the tech area the best place to start:
http://www.xs650.com/tech.php


Here is a source for brand new sets:
http://www.mikesxs.net/products-56.html#products

There are other xs650 specific parts sites out there but mikes is pretty easy to work with.

The other option is to have something custom:
http://www.woodyswheelworks.com/home.htm

There plenty of places that can make a custom set to what ever specs you want.
 
In his PM to me nwhitehorn asked about discs vs drums, especially regarding safety. I'm answering here because others may want to chime in. Here's my opinion:

The drums, especially when polished, look a hundred times better than discs, so they look better on hardtails and customs, which are all about looks, and they have the correct vintage look if your look is more stock.
Discs have way more stopping power than drums. Regarding safety, the problem is when you have a disc front, and a drum rear, which is how most XS650s are (and my preference). In a panic stop, you will grab a big handful of front brake, the drum rear will be doing very little, and you will go down. So, a disc rear is a lot safer in a panic situation. The problem is made even worse due to the excessive dive of the front forks. I am completely sold on doing the Minton Mod to your forks, and adding one ounce of fluid over the specs to each leg -- together this makes the stock forks behave as they should, much safer. I also think that once a year everyone should go to an empty parking lot and practice panic stops.
 
I have gotten into the habit of leaving the rear mostly out of it if I'm stopping that hard, since it seldom does more than lock up and send the ass-end skittering around trying to pass you up. I'm a fan of an improved fork as well, although I prefer straight rate springs and cartridge emulators. The modifications you speak of are an effective improvement in thier own right, but these older bikes have some sacked out springs that were weak to begin with, and I weigh twice as much as any Japanese test rider! With a good front brake and suspension setup and a good tire to carry it, there's no reason that you can't brake hard and effectively with good results. Mine right now, might as well have rear only, because the front is so wooden, and needs a rebuild. I ride the front end hard on all my bikes so they usually get the most attention, and the first. Drums work like crap when wet, and discs with organic pads not much better. Drums run cleaner, disc is easier to inspect. the rear disc setup is big and kinda ugly on an XS, and the drum is at least compact and polishable, and does not hide the wheel. One of the things I kind of like operationally about a drum is I can set it up with lame enough leverage til I can't hardly lock it up of I try, but it's still effective for stabilizing trail braking and such.

Big +1 on practicing panic stops.
 

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