Wire Rim Wheels on a Mag Wheel bike?

[xs750NY]

I have a 1979 yamaha xs750 special. Wire wheels would make all the difference in terms of looks. The mags are cool, but just not as easy on the eye as wires.
Seems the front wheel might be pretty simple, and maybe a stock xs650 wire wheel could fit right up.
But what about the rear wheel?
Anybody ever taken their mag wheels off and found a wire wheel replacement? Or done some mod work to make it happen ?

 

[gggGary]

that's gonna be onerous on a shafty. Do the (easy) front, leave the rear as a mag?

 

[xs750NY]

that's gonna be onerous on a shafty. Do the (easy) front, leave the rear as a mag?

I found this while poking around the interwebs for ideas.
In summary, basically taking a pre existing wire wheel, de-spoking and de-rimming, making a couple minor changes to the remaining hub and including a couple bits from the original 750 hub, then adding proper sized rims and spokes. With the way they describe it it actually doesn't seem that bad.


"""
First off, the front is easy. XS650 parts bolt straight across. The rear is the pain.

I'm not 100% certain but I think there are some easy swap possibilities with Viragos... but that leads to other problems. Most Viragos are that heavy cast shit too. The 700cc variant of 1984-1986 often came with spokes and even had nice aluminum hoops but they were only 15" in the rear...no good, but at least you can lace them to bigger hoops. BUT now we have another problem - everybody and his kid brother is looking for these for Virago conversions... I've seen 'em for $500 on fleabay, rear only.

But that still leaves "Virago plan B": adapt a rear rim of a Virago 535. These are dirt cheap and common as fleas. You may even able to find a junkyard specimen with a bent rim (which you're going to discard anyways) for $20ish, worst case $100 intact.

You then unbolt the spline drive part from the left side of your stock rear rim and bolt it to the left side of the 535 hub. Use 535 drum brake parts on the other side and fabricate whatever spacers you need, or use washers . On the Virago you need to file away at a "lip" of some sort on the 535 hub to make the drive unit from the larger Virago fit but it's not that bad, nothing some careful work with a Dremel sanding drum on the aluminum can't handle.

I have no idea how much of this is applicable to your 750, OK? Worst case it'll cost you $100ish for a 535 rear rim and then a few hours of tinkering to see what works and how. But if it does work you are in good shape - you'll be using the stock spline drive parts so it should hold up just fine. That hub is 36spoke so the good and cheap aluminum hoops at Mike's XS will fit. He can probably sell you spokes if you tell him what you're doing and measure the 535 hub's distance across on the spoke holes. Otherwise talk to Buchanan's on spokes. """

 

[Walters_Gallery]

Ayo, just registered today. Just bought one of those 15" xv700 spoked rears for 100 bucks a few months ago. I'm doing a hardtail build and I thought having that rear drum would be bitchin. Any advice though if the rear flange is a for sure fit on my 79 xs750 special?

 

[Signal]

GX 750 Wire wheels are sought after, be prepared to pay top dollar for them.

 

[OHRider]

I am doing this to my 78 SE. the front is no problem lots of disk brake hubs. Yamaha didn’t make any rear disk brake hubs that I could find. I dI’d find that Kaw KZ750 have one, but it is 40 spoke not 36 like Yamaha.

 

[halfmile]

Shaft drive??

 

[Walters_Gallery]

Shaft drive??

Ye it's a shafty

 

[Walters_Gallery]

GX 750 Wire wheels are sought after, be prepared to pay top dollar for them.

From what I can see gx750 wheels are almost non existent. I was lucky to even find the 84-86 700 virago rear.