Question on Wheels and Hardtails

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RICH
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This question come up a lot and there is really no easy answer because if you got skills you can pull it off if you are a novice its hard to do.
XS650 can have just about any wheel MADE TO FIT! The word made to fit is the key. There have been many different sizes of wheels put on the rear and front of a XS650. There are bikes with just the good looking standard size wheel with spokes or mags or if you want to buy a kit you can go up to a 200 wheel. I have seen 240 and larger but the work is crazy to make it look nice.
So here are just some helping hints from me who has built over 50 hardtail XS650 with some nice wheels.
Wheels can be bought as stock and modified to make them look much better. There is a company in Cal and I am not here to give plugs so name will not be used but they fix your wheel or do new spokes at a good price.
I have used many Harley wheels from the stock 3.5 rear and 21 front to 4.5 and 5 inch rims. I am building now a 4.5x18 with a 26" front and pictures will come out soon. Now all of these wheels can be bought on line threw many different company's
Now here are a couple hints on do other wheels before you get in over your head.
1. Stock hardtails are 8"to 8.5 plate to plate . Every once in a while I got one that was 9" plate to plate
2. You need good spacers and sometimes you have to make them
3. Axle size and length are VERY important and sometimes you have to make one
4. On axles XS650 is 20mm rear 17mm front Harley is 3/4 sometimes both front and rear and sometimes 1" so a spacer needs to be bought. HINT! CB750 axle are same size but longer.
5. Aftermarket hardtail kits are easier to make up and you can buy plates to match wheels.
6. Rear plates come in different sizes 20mm 3/4 1" and maybe a few more I never used.
7. If you buy a stock hardtail it can be modified and I have heard of a couple guys using a bottle jack to get that extra 1" But I would be careful not to twist frame.
8. You want to go big and you got deep pockets go buy a 240 mm rear frame and cut it up and weld on the front half of your bike. Seen it done but now you need a jack shaft.
9. You can hunt down some bearings and swap them out to match what you have.
10. Last safety in mine NEVER grind down the axle plates with a file to make your axle fit. I had a bike
come in and the guy was trying to save money and he did it and axle adjusters were not tight and
wheel twisted inside frame and high sided him because both sides were different.
OK so any questions contact me at DADDYGCYCLES@YAHOO.COM
The pictures below are bikes with Harley wheels and one bike with GSXR wheels but not a XS650
All bikes were done with UNIVERSAL KITS on a table. Plus some other pictures
KEEP CHOPPIN Rich
 

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