Wheel choices for XR650R

[brawlo]

Have taken the decision to motard my XR650R and have come across this site. Lots of good info.

The question is what other donor wheel choices are there for the xr besides the CBR250R route. Do Ihave to go to a wreckers with a tape measure or are there certain choices that fit better than most?

[Muzzard]

Theres a pair on EBay at the moment that are nearly brand new,
Try this link...

Really nice pair of XR650 wheels on genuine hubs.
Spoke with the owner and they are in mint condition used infrequently due to lack of time.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120027782247&sspagename=ADME:L:RTQ:AU:1

Current price @ 8/9 1900hrs, very good

[Muzzard]

Theres the 'use your hubs deal and lace any brand 17" rims to them'...
Theres the 'buy the bling billet wheels complete'...
Theres the mag wheel conversion route which requires machining unless they are already out of a bike been motarded of the same model...

The first option is the cheapest with rims from $500 per pair up to $1200 per pair depending on brand.
Billet hubs and rim set costs $1400-$2200,
and mags with machining round the $800-$1000 including the purchase of rims.
Hope this has given you some insight.

Scour EBay, You will get a pair at the right price.
Wheels are wheels and so long as the rims are straight you really cant go too wrong. ;)

Antti has done an XR650 recently with (pinwheels as I refer to them)RGV/CBR mags, and I believe there is a thread on http://www.mcnews.com.au referring to his XR buildup.
XR 'tang is go..... finally.... sort of.... - MCNEWS.COM.AU Forums

[brawlo]

I guess I should have clarified this one a bit. I am after mag rim options for the bike as I definitely want a cush drive for the rear.

There are a nice set on ebay at the moment for an xr400 but not sure if they will fit the 650.

I'm not interested in the motard racing option with jumping so mag rims will be cheaper and fine strength wise. Just some riding around town and on the mountains to the coast from time to time and I am sure with Wakefield park nearby there may be a few hot laps thrown in as well.

[Wobbly]

Just a case of break out the tape measure and have a look ... your axle size will dictate things to an extent, but you can work around this with different sized bearings or inserts. Biggest thing is working out your drive sprocket offset and rear disc offset. If you end up having to machine a lot this will cost you, as well as potentially playing havoc with the cush system (some people with cast wheels have ended up making solid inserts to replace the cush because of the amount of machining required).

[Muzzard]

My understanding is the 400 is different but I cant tell you where.
Tom had an XR400 and ended up with a 650 later and found there were some issues inserting his wheels from the 400 into the 650.
As Neil says the axle diametre is along with the width of the sprocket across the hub width to the disc face the 2 most important things to be looking for.
If the distance of the new wheel is greater, obviously the wheel will need to be machined, and usually the first thing to go through ease and space is the cush drive.
If it is narrower spacers need to be machined to suit the float as well as your new wheel axle spacers anyway.
Dont opt for wheels with real small axles, get something as close as you can to original for bearing interchangability.

Remember seeing the ZXR400 set there I think the other night that would suit OK cheap, and I think the ZXR uses a 4.5" or 5" rim...

[Wobbly]

You can normally go up in axle size by about 2mm or so, but it becomes harder to go more than that because of the relative change in bearing ID compared to the same OD you need to keep (so you can go from say a 15mm to a 17mm axle by matching the bearing to something with 2mm greater ID for example). Best to get the bearing size and then check at your local CBC...

[Tom]

On the XR400 to XR650R wheel swap.

The front wheel is exactly the same. The rear wheel is different, however. the sprocket and disc offsets are the same, just the axle is larger on the 650.

So, if you get a set of rims modded to fit an XR400 you can change the bearings, crush tube and spacers and then it will fit.

I was using Talon hubs, and after Muzz put me on to the importer, he just sent me down a package with the bearings, tube and spacers in one bag and everything fit after that. If you're using moded wheels you may have to pay a visit to your local Honda dealer and play around a bit.

By the way, definately go to Wakefield! I did a track day there about 2 weeks ago on my XR and the track is perfect for motards. Really twisty with a short straight.

Good Luck.

Tom.