Motorcycle Rims & Wheels

Tips, Reviews & Resources

Motorcycle rims and wheels, what to say. Either you stick with the factory version or you'll be into customizing them. Most important is the alignment, which directly influences your driving.

The most obvious change to wheels has been the old wire spoked to one piece cast constructed wheels. Motorcycle wheels are nearly always made of aluminum but on more expensive models (or factory race bikes) they are made from magnesium, which is very strong and light.

You do still see spoked wheels but it's mainly a look & feel aspect which designers want instead of efficiency. Often custom bikes have spoked motorcycle rims where more modern design bikes ride with the one piece cast.The standard size of wheels is 17 inch.

Wheels need to be aligned properly. Mis-alignment will result in a bike handling not so good. Place the bike on a center stand and place bricks behind and in front of the wheels. Now line two long poles along the wheel (let the pole touch the front and back of the back wheel. Check if the front tire is exactly in the middle of both poles.

Every motorcycle has a different technique for removing it's tire. Check your manual for details. Wheels can be removed from your bike quite easily as long as you're careful. You will need to secure the bike in a very stable manner. Some bikes have quick detachable rear connections. In such a case you can remove the tire while all else stays in place.

Spoked wheel advantage - easy to rebuild, very strong and great looks but do need attention in maintenance.

A good habit is to check your spokes once in a while by tapping them with a metal tool and listening for a bright 'ding'. If is it's dull you'll need to tighten it.

Cast wheel advantages - light strong and no maintenance

Magnesium wheel advantage - very light, very strong but expensive and not suitable for daily weather conditions.

Composite wheel advantages - light, strong but difficult to make.

Balancing your wheel is best left to experts, it's easy and cheap. Wheel weights come in different shapes and size but sometimes do tend to fall off.

The most common customizations of wheels - wider rims, lighter rims & sticker tires. Please check into some good background info before you start out on this path.

If you encounter wheel lockup handle with care - front wheel lock ups should be disengaged ASAP whereas a back wheel lockup needs to be ridden out. Take care!

Larger diameter wheels are much more stable but less easy to turn, small wheels are more responsive and often found on sports bikes.

When removing your wheels refer to your manual for instruction and make sure to disconnect things like speedometers etc.

Wheel & tire maintenance should be a regular part of your service schedule - check and adjust tire pressure - check tire wear - check spokes and wheel rims - check wheel bearings.

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