Wanted - Race Tires xs650 special

Grimmith

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I'm having quite a difficult time to find race tred and rims for my 1980 special, it has the 3" x 16" rear rim. is there any way to fit a smaller width of a tire on the rear, such as a 2.5" by 16"
 
3.0 x 16 ? Isn’t the stock wheel 2.75 x 16 ? And, what kind of racing are you referring to ? Street, Road Race, Dirt Track,
Tire choice is open ended discussion.
:cool:


Road racing, and apparently my 80 650 special was a "cruiser bike" and naw it really is 3" x 16" lol . I was told by the racing ref to ask the forum lol. He said maybe try an earlier model 650 18" rear wheel. What xs650's have 18" rear with disc brake? lol
 
Right off.....I can't think of any case in were a 16" rear wheel was used on a race bike (not saying there never has been) regardless of the type of racing. This may be why you can't find any. And I suggest NOT using a 16" intended for front wheel use.

Yeah the ref said 16 is too small, maybe find an earlier model 18" x 2.5" rear. any suggestions?
 
Road racing, and apparently my 80 650 special was a "cruiser bike" and naw it really is 3" x 16" lol .
Interesting.. what kind of wheel is it ?
According to Dunlop, which still supplies a K591 for the Harley Davidson application of a MT/MU90-16 ? rear tire the minimum required rim width is 3.0” that tire is BIG and may actually be a descent choice.
A Harley Davidson oversize Rear tire may be enough to satisfy your road racing quest here for a start ?
(I’m reading between the lines here.)
Taller shocks to pick up the ass end a bit ?
It’s actually fun to imagine this as a possibility.
If you go 18” with a rear drum :thumbsup:
well then you have rear brake mods to handle too at the brake lever.
Can you post pics ?
Thx, -RT
 
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Run a 18" rear wheel from a standard XS650. From a racing POV, disc or drum won't matter much. So little braking power is available from the rear.....

So like a drum brake spoked rim from a 79 650?

Mikesxs gave me the links for spokes, rim, and billet that would let me keep my disc brakes lol
 
well according to the rules, it says the maximum allowable rim widths are WM3 (2.15") front, and wm4 (2.5") rear.

here are some pics of my rear tire
 

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There are quite few 18" wheels from late '70's XS models that have the same style mag. (Disc too)

Food for thought.........Those old mags are HEAVY. I would entertain swapping BOTH front and rear to a 36 spoke aluminum rim wheel. 18" front and rear.

Ok ill try and do that if its allowed in the rules for my class lol. What if i stuck with the cast front rim to help it bite the ground more for turns? How do I make up the space if I'm going form 3" w/disc brake to 2.5" rim w/drum brake?
 
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"The KZ hub can be made to fit with the stock 2F0 caliper and hanger" where can I find these?
 
https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/kawasaki/motorcycle/1976/kz750-b1/rear-hub-chain
the stock 2F0 caliper and hanger can be found here on occasion. It's a stock '79 part.
If you have a drum swing arm you will have to replace with a disc swing arm or make the brake stay.
Ask https://www.kawasakimotorcycle.org/ for the hub assembly , Note! it's from the KZ750 TWIN .
As in the post above the Disc from the CB 200C needs a little modification also.
It isn't rocket surgery but it is brain science.

I first wrote that nearly 15 years ago and it went largely unnoticed.
Since then however it's become a common modification and the hubs have disappeared.
Curious that the drive hub and cush assy seems to all over the place ?????!
xs8.jpg
 
There are quite few 18" wheels from late '70's XS models that have the same style mag. (Disc too)

Food for thought.........Those old mags are HEAVY. I would entertain swapping BOTH front and rear to a 36 spoke aluminum rim wheel. 18" front and rear.


so rules say that my rims have to be same OEM material....where to find front and back 18" steel spoked rims? lol
 
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