Wheel Help!!!

[William]

Hello to all... Im building my first 650 and hardtailing it. I have a frame from an 82 that came with a rear 16 inch mag. Im wanting to go with an 18 inch spoke in the rear and 21 in the front. After many nights of reading the best i can come up with is that im going to have to try my hand at lacing some new spokes! Really nervous about this with it being my first go at it. Just looking for some info on tire and wheel sizes such as wheel width and tire width and height. Already ordered tc bros hardtail but a little worried about the ride height after increasing tire and wheel size. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[inxs]

- lacing a wheel

- lacing II

- or here

- or here

- or here too

 

[William]

Thaks for the info on lacing. Cant wait to start on em. Anyone have an 18 inch spokes on a tc bros hardtail? Is the ride height like something from a 4x4 magazine? Really want to go 18 in the rear and 21 in the front but really really worried about ride height.

 

[Trebor13]

don't be afraid of lacing , i did it, first try and it was ok, just take your time.

 

[angus67]

it took me three hours to lace my first one, but only 1 hour for the second. the hard part is trueing. I got as close as I could, wasnt satisfied with it, and handed it over to a freind that had done it befor, and he said I was close, but he made it better. I have yet to ride it, it looks straight, but unsure if it is tight enuf.

 

[650Skull]

- lacing a wheel

- lacing II

- or here

- or here

- or here too

Checking out the second link here is a page out of the Jim Downey's Restoration Page. Click onto the link at the bottom of the article and it takes you back to the home page Some very good info and links and he ask you to join his site (free) if you wish................... "After exploring the Restoration Page, come on over and join the MBVMC party by clicking on the icon below!" .................He posts for free and any one can enjoy..........He also gives a credit to pirated photos and articles, unlike some.


Barb you will love this site

 

[Travis]

Just looking for some info on tire and wheel sizes such as wheel width and tire width and height. Already ordered tc bros hardtail but a little worried about the ride height after increasing tire and wheel size. :

I think people were kind of missing what you wanted help with. The ride height will be fine with an 18 inch rear wheel and 21 inch front. It won't really matter at all in the back and in the front you can shorten your forks or raise the forks in the trees a little to bring the front end down if you want

For the rear i would just use stock XS650 18" rear wheel. 2.15 x 18 rim
If you want a little bit wider rear tire, use a 2.50 x 18 rear rim.
For the front, you'll probably want to use a 1.85 x 21 rim

Then use a chart like this to determine what size tires to start shopping for http://www.hagon-shocks.co.uk/WheelTab.htm

 

[William]

There are some pretty good links there. Thanks for the replies... Im just gonna jump out there and order the 21 inch front wheel and spokes from mikexs.com. Any recomendations on the width? Doing away with the front disc brake. Trying to stick to barebones. i really like the vintage all black tires on Bobbers.

 

[Travis]

Looks like I may have answered your question right as you were posting. See my post above.

 

[Travis]

It's too bad front brakes look ugly... I wish they didn't provide 80% 90% or your stopping power or I'd remove mine too!

 

[William]

Thanks for the ride high mental crisis i was having I read somewhere that the TX750 rear wheel is a direct replacement for the xs650. Can this be true? Hard to find a rear 18 inch spoke for the xs650 but found lots of rear 18 inch spokes for the Tx750. Not another crisis

 

[XSLeo]

As far as the difference in ride height by changing the tire size. The overall hieght of the 110/90-18 and the 130/ 90-16 is about 1/2 inch. The same difference with going from the 100/90-19 to the 80/90-21 front tire, about 1/2 inch.
As far as no front brake, I hope you don't ride it. I wouldn't.

 

[William]

And i agree about losing alot of braking power by chunking the front disc. But gotta do whatcha gotta do!!! Would like to do rear disc but like i said im pretty new to this heavy of a mod. Baby steps...

 

[Travis]

William, You mentioned buying rims from Mikesxs. Just buy the spokes from there too and you'll be set.

 

[William]

Cool Beans Travis. You guys have put many sleepless nights to rest!!! My wife will be glad to hear me stop mumbling questions to myself now! Been walking around like rainman for about a week!

 

[William]

So i have been shopping around. Can i use a dirtbike front wheel as long as i lace my stock front hub? Any 1.85 x 21 rim? Want to get a black one so i dont have to paint or get it powdercoat it. Thanks

 

[inxs]

- older dirt bikes usually had drum brakes-if using one of these rims, the left and right spokes were different lengths, you may find also that the rim holes are drilled slightly differently
- also,although i agree that leaving the front brake off looks clean, as travis says they provide around 80 percent of your braking-designed to shift weight somewhat forward, pull it into the ground and shorten braking distance-a minor control thing, racing flattrackers generally have no brakes, but then they dont have to contend with cross traffic, pedestrians, cars, trucks, buses etc
- of course, its entirely your choice, you should however be aware

 

[inxs]

- these guys are building some pretty cool bikes, going for the minimal look but using small front brakes

 

[William]

You guys may of just saved my life and for that i am VERY GRATEFUL... How do i go about finding a 21 inch wheel with a drum front brake? This whole wheel thing is really making me crazy. Do i just find a stock front hub with a drum brake and lace a 21 inch wheel to it?

 

[cretinxs81]

Are you interested in selling the mags? I currently have mags on my 81 Special but need another set to powder coat so I can keep my ride on the road. I have disc up front and drum in rear. Email me at cycleryder02@aol.com if you want to sell. Looking forward to your build as I am thinking of hardtailing also. Post pics regularly if you can.....