| Author | Message | ||
     Solson1041 |
I've found myself needing a new front wheel. I've looked around the internet, but other than Ebay, I can't really find anything. I don't mind the color, but I'll be painting it Diamond Blue to match my bike. Are there any good sources for wheels? Anyone on here have one they're wanting to unload? | ||
| Froggy |
Your dealer can order you up a new one in Diamond Blue, which may be cheaper than finding a used wheel and getting it powder coated again. | ||
| Jdugger |
If you want to really drop some coin, there's the PVM wheel option. They are sweeeeeeeeeet. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Yes, yes they are! Incredibly light, very nice pieces. Wish I had some. All mounted up they fell lighter than a stock wheel that is bare. There's also this: http://www.erikbuellracing.com/store/models/1125r/ magnesium-front-wheel.html | ||
| Jdugger |
> Wish I had some. All mounted up they fell lighter than a stock wheel that is bare. I have an Aluminum rear from them, actually. I could probably be talked into letting it go, but it wouldn't be cheap. Although the DSB-Spec cast Mg front wheel from EBR could probably be pressed into street duty reliably (it's marked race-only), I can assure you the Mg rears cannot, in particular with the belt drive. The journals on those wheels are very unreliable with the belt tension. That's why I went Al when I got that PVM. At the time, I was still on belt drive, and I was literally having to re-machine and sleeve my Mg Buell wheels a couple of times a year! (Message edited by jdugger on June 26, 2013) | ||
| Solson1041 |
You're right froggy! They're all over $300 on Ebay, and here, a new one is only $315. http://www.surdyke.com/AdvPartInfo.asp?PartNumber= G0110.02A8AYCR I'm not actually "home" for the summer, so I have no clue if there are any good Harley dealers in the area, but this here might be my ticket. | ||
| Froggy |
Ebay is typically overpriced (although you can find some things cheap if the seller doesn't know what they have), I've bought used spare wheels many times here on the forums and only paid like $150-200 each. I've seen other parts like the Firebolt fairing bracket, the broken ones sell for nearly twice the cost of a brand new one at a dealer. Nuts. It is interesting to see the price of that wheel on Surdyke, it looks like many parts are starting to creep up in price, $315 was the original MSRP not $380. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Yikes, I'm sure it's way out of my budget and over my skill level! | ||
| Jdugger |
The problem with the belt drive is even if you take a lot of weight off the wheels, you still have that blasted giant pulley that's half the wheel's size spinning back there. The big weight savings comes when you have both lighter wheels AND drop the large pulley for something like a 44t aluminum vortex sprocket. The race rotor is another small savings. Pick up one of my race wheels (chain drive) vs. OEM belt drive, and you will be absolutely shocked at the difference. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Not to make too big of a thread hijack, but I've noticed EBR still isn't running the cool "production" rear wheel from the 1190RS on their racers. Last year, I figured they just couldn't produce enough to have multiple wheels for each bike at each race, but they're still not using it this year from what I've seen. I thought the EBR rear wheel was supposed to be the lightest wheel ever- anyone know why they aren't using it for racing? | ||
| Jdugger |
> I thought the EBR rear wheel was supposed to be the lightest wheel ever- > anyone know why they aren't using it for racing? So far as I know, that's an accurate statement, and I don't know why they aren't running it, though I have some speculation -- probably broadly inaccurate! The new 1190 wheel is lighter largely because they eliminate the hub. That's where a lot of the weight savings comes from. In addition, it does not have a cush drive -- a compensating counter sprocket is used instead. It's a pretty clever design, if you ask me. The impression I have is they are having some availability issues with Mg wheels vs. Aluminum. And, the PVM race wheels in Mg have a cush, don't require the front compensating sprocket, and are just 'easier' for race applications. A PVM in Mg is probably very close to an EBR in Al. Probably total BS, worth what it cost you to hear, yadda yadda yadda. We could probably confirm or prove wrong some of this speculation with the right photos of a race bike. Rob may have some insight as well... he's got one. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
When I asked about this, the response was ease of sprocket changes. The sprocket on the stock wheel is bolted on, on the PVM (not what EBR was running, I forget what brand wheel they had, but it was a similar system), the sprockets go onto a hub (for lack of better word) and those hubs just drop in and out of the wheel with no tools needed. Maybe JD can show that on the PVM that he has. | ||
| Steeleagle |
I thought the hub minimization was from the use of ZTL brakes, available on the front wheels. The rear still distributes acceleration and braking forces to the contact patch from the chain/belt/brake rotor through the hub. However the 1190RS does have significantly less "meat" at the hub compared to the 1125R, so there would seemingly need to be some other accommodation for strength. Thoughts? | ||
| Jdugger |
> When I asked about this, the response was ease of sprocket changes. > Maybe JD can show that on the PVM that he has. I'll bet you are right. On my PVM, it was intended for the belt drive when I ordered it, so it's a direct bolt-on, just like the regular Buell wheels. I do know you can order the PVM with a cush drive, though. | ||
| Jdugger |
> However the 1190RS does have significantly less "meat" at the hub compared to the 1125R, > so there would seemingly need to be some other accommodation for strength. Thoughts? There was some discussion about it here a long time ago. What I seem to remember was the engineers figured out through FEA the hub never got much stress, so they knew it could use less material. The design challenge became designing a spoke and wheel system that minimized the need for a hub, so the hub could be optimized. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Here's a good pic illustrating the "hubless" design:  And another pic giving a better overall perspective:  |
