You may already know just about anything goes when building motorbikes and combining outdated items with new is currently the standard. But have you considered exploring into uncharted territories and utilizing a mix of parts that have by no means been mixed before? Yeah, on most things you can use the grinding machine and torch and make both pads fit, but when referring to rims it does take a stack of expertise, extra precaution, and some luck.
On our motorbike build task we yearned-for some fine rims that were unique and seemed vintage, but had sound pieces and would not knock down and kill us at speed.
We looked for guidance and gave our friends Gary and Dave at Wheel Works a phone call. Acquiring decades of experience in customizing wicked motorcycle ideas and tailor made motorcycle rims skillfully since the 70's, these guys have just about done and seen almost everything pertaining to Harley wheels. When we outlined what we wanted, Gary and Dave gave us some great recommendations when hunting for old and outdated rims.
They handed us a few easy advice most of us know already like do not use bent or rusted wheels, or ever use second hand spokes. However, they laid some real knowledge on us just like trying to find un-drilled rims. This is because every motorbike has different thickness hubs and many pre-drilled vintage MX rims won't securely work with many chopper hub offsets and widths because the spokes are forced into the wheel as severe angles. This will cause binding, which leads to cracked hub flanges and wheels.
Talking about hubs, if you find quite a few old ones, make sure you can still get the appropriate bearings and inner spacers for them or they're every bit as good as a paperweight. When setting up rims for our homemade projects we typically pick a quality pair of stock hubs whatever the year and model merely because alternative parts are around every corner. We also like using the re-pop V-Twin Mfg. hubs with regards to classic style and up to date bearings. Out front if the spool hub should be put into use, we usually always opt for a fresh aluminum or steel unit. The truth is these parts were under significant tension for many years and not made of the best metals to begin with.
As far as spokes go, most rims needs to be rebuilt utilizing new spokes, since even still intact used spokes are stressed from many years of being drawn in one direction and will usually break when being tightened again through the tuning process. Additionally, would be to go for rubbed stainless spokes. They look just as good as chrome, but don't have the plating crack off and rust after some time due to the tension they are suffering.
More on spoke tension; our friends at Wheel Work told us this might be the only biggest part of a wheel project other than getting round. The right tightened feeling will guarantee that your rim is true in two ways: Laterally (sideways) and radial (roundness). The correct spoke tightened feeling is really important with motorbike rims, because of the torque given to the rim through the brakes or engine. Loose spokes over a rim fatigue rapidly and bust, commonly where they connect to the hub. And we don't want that.
After the wheels are finished and true, many also advise wrapping a whole new tire around the refurbished rims. Used tires are typically burnt on the inside and pretty much when affixed to a completely new wheel and fitted with 40 psi or more, they are a ticking time bomb that has a blowout being almost always eminent. Also, the rubberized mix applied 40-50 years ago has dried and often will produce slight to no grip at all on the street, wet or dry. Don't worry; you won't have to put on some tires that appear as if they came off a super bike. There are growing amount of re-popped classic tires for your ride. They've got all of the looks of a classic tire, but have enhancements in casing materials and work a lot better on our present-day road surfaces.
On our motorbike build task we yearned-for some fine rims that were unique and seemed vintage, but had sound pieces and would not knock down and kill us at speed.
We looked for guidance and gave our friends Gary and Dave at Wheel Works a phone call. Acquiring decades of experience in customizing wicked motorcycle ideas and tailor made motorcycle rims skillfully since the 70's, these guys have just about done and seen almost everything pertaining to Harley wheels. When we outlined what we wanted, Gary and Dave gave us some great recommendations when hunting for old and outdated rims.
They handed us a few easy advice most of us know already like do not use bent or rusted wheels, or ever use second hand spokes. However, they laid some real knowledge on us just like trying to find un-drilled rims. This is because every motorbike has different thickness hubs and many pre-drilled vintage MX rims won't securely work with many chopper hub offsets and widths because the spokes are forced into the wheel as severe angles. This will cause binding, which leads to cracked hub flanges and wheels.
Talking about hubs, if you find quite a few old ones, make sure you can still get the appropriate bearings and inner spacers for them or they're every bit as good as a paperweight. When setting up rims for our homemade projects we typically pick a quality pair of stock hubs whatever the year and model merely because alternative parts are around every corner. We also like using the re-pop V-Twin Mfg. hubs with regards to classic style and up to date bearings. Out front if the spool hub should be put into use, we usually always opt for a fresh aluminum or steel unit. The truth is these parts were under significant tension for many years and not made of the best metals to begin with.
As far as spokes go, most rims needs to be rebuilt utilizing new spokes, since even still intact used spokes are stressed from many years of being drawn in one direction and will usually break when being tightened again through the tuning process. Additionally, would be to go for rubbed stainless spokes. They look just as good as chrome, but don't have the plating crack off and rust after some time due to the tension they are suffering.
More on spoke tension; our friends at Wheel Work told us this might be the only biggest part of a wheel project other than getting round. The right tightened feeling will guarantee that your rim is true in two ways: Laterally (sideways) and radial (roundness). The correct spoke tightened feeling is really important with motorbike rims, because of the torque given to the rim through the brakes or engine. Loose spokes over a rim fatigue rapidly and bust, commonly where they connect to the hub. And we don't want that.
After the wheels are finished and true, many also advise wrapping a whole new tire around the refurbished rims. Used tires are typically burnt on the inside and pretty much when affixed to a completely new wheel and fitted with 40 psi or more, they are a ticking time bomb that has a blowout being almost always eminent. Also, the rubberized mix applied 40-50 years ago has dried and often will produce slight to no grip at all on the street, wet or dry. Don't worry; you won't have to put on some tires that appear as if they came off a super bike. There are growing amount of re-popped classic tires for your ride. They've got all of the looks of a classic tire, but have enhancements in casing materials and work a lot better on our present-day road surfaces.
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