Wilsons Sandbox

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 8:24 am**

i know its 4inches if u minus it , but what does it mean on the road? how does it effect the klr's handling? offroad? clint

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:40 am**

--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "clint lee jin yew" wrote:

> > i know its 4inches if u minus it , but what does it mean on the

road?

> how does it effect the klr's handling? > offroad? > clint

what I have been told is 21 inch front wheel is better for off road. the larger diameter is easier to get over rocks, logs and other obstructions. The 17 is better for the street, maybe becasue there is less side flex in a turn. I dont know why the Harley Davidson Sportster has a 21 inch front. Maybe becasue thats what they had in the 60's and the 17 doesn't look good on the bike

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 12:23 pm**

clint lee jin yew wrote:

> > i know its 4inches if u minus it , but what does it mean on the road? > how does it effect the klr's handling? > offroad? > clint > > >

Some pro motocross bikes use 19 or 20 inch fronts but none use 17 inch fronts. Super moto bikes typically use 3.50x17 rims on the front and 4.25x17 on the back. Road race bikes typically use 17 inch on both ends. Has alot to do with what tires are available for what size rims. 21 inch rims are generally quite narrow which makes the contact patch narrow and not as suitable for high speed road or track work. 17 inch rims come in much wider sizes so they can mount wider tires that give a wider contact patch more suitable for road work. Not to mention the fact that you can buy street and track tires for 17 inch rims that aren't available for 21 inch rims. Going to a 17 will lower the front of the bike affecting rake and trail just as raising the fork tubes does. This is a very complex subject that doesn't lend itself to being explained in a short email, at least by me. But for off road only think of that 17 inch tire dropping into a hole and staying there and then think of the 21 inch tire bridging the same hole and rolling through. Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 3:56 pm**

My original reasoning behind re-lacing the front to a rear 18 inch wheel was to keep the beast afloat in the sand and mud. I run the deep sift of the nearby rivers alot and it was quite the workout! The heavy KLR front plows hard in the soft stuff. After nearly 8000 miles with a 4.60 dirt tire on the front, other advantages have been observed. I can run lower pressure in the front without rim pinching in the rocky terrain I ride in. Try urban assault curb hoppin with 18lbs in a little 3.00 if you like pinchin rims, been there and done it. This also minimizes deflection through the rocks. The increased contact area also adds to high speed stability and general handling on the street. High crosswinds at speed don't seem to affect me as much anymore. My DOT DualSport tire of choice was only offered in a lil girly 3.00, just too dang narrow for the weight of the Hoss KLR in the soft stuff,IMO. Wouldn't wish the work I went through on anyone to get this done, however. If you have 500 bucks, I'd recommend to go for it. I found a KLR front wheel and a rear Spanish Ackront 18 for next to nothin. I cut and threaded all 36 spokes of the KLR wheel by hand and hogged the dimples of the Ackront with a hand drill to point the spokes the proper angle to the KLR hub. I trued and balanced it using a stand and the axle. It runs straighter than either of my factory wheels and the spokes have remained tight for nearly 8000 miles. Contrary to popular belief, an 18 with a 4.60 is only about an inch and a half shorter than a 21 with a 3.00. There's no fallin into a hole with this big wide tire on the front! Rod,,,,,,,no regrets --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "clint lee jin yew" wrote:

> > i know its 4inches if u minus it , but what does it mean on the

road?

> how does it effect the klr's handling? > offroad? > clint

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 5:14 pm**

Rodney Copeland wrote:

> > have remained tight for nearly 8000 miles. > Contrary to popular belief, an 18 with a 4.60 is only about an inch > and a half shorter than a 21 with a 3.00. > There's no fallin into a hole with this big wide tire on the front! > Rod,,,,,,,no regrets >

Good information all. Very very good when it comes from practical experience. I'm thinking of going to a 2.50 x 19 front for many reasons and cutting and threading my own spokes. Did you use one of the many formulas to figure out spoke length? I applaud your do it yourself spirit! Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 5:19 pm**

----- Original Message ----- From: "squasher_1" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 11:40 AM Subject: [DSN_klr650] Re: 17in , 21in front , whats the difference? > > > --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "clint lee jin yew" > wrote: > > > > i know its 4inches if u minus it , but what does it mean on the > road? > > how does it effect the klr's handling? > > offroad? > > clint > > > > what I have been told is 21 inch front wheel is better for off road. > the larger diameter is easier to get over rocks, logs and other > obstructions. The 17 is better for the street, maybe becasue there is > less side flex in a turn. I dont know why the Harley Davidson > Sportster has a 21 inch front. Maybe becasue thats what they had in > the 60's and the 17 doesn't look good on the bike > > > > > You are correct about the differences in handling. Harleys have never been about handling. Its all about style over function. The Buells are another matter. Jim > > > >

Posted: **Sun Oct 24, 2004 6:45 pm**

Thanks Alan, I hadn't heard of any formulas for spoke length. I laced the hub to the new wheel with the spokes stickin way out at first and did a prelim tru of the wheel. I marked them kinda long and cut them. After cutting and threading and the final assembly and truing, I just ground off the excess length as necessary. The biggest pain was getting the dimples hogged to the correct angle to approach the hub without spoke bend. If you've ever noticed, the angle is more extreme on a rear than a large diameter front. Another note, choose a rim size that supports the tire you like. There is a wealth of tires offered in an 18 rear, not so many with the 17 and 19. I'm not sure I'll do it but preliminary measurments seem to indicate I can fit a 510 18 rear 858 on the front of the Hoss! Should be interesting. Rod --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, Alan L Henderson wrote:

> Rodney Copeland wrote: > > > have remained tight for nearly 8000 miles. > > Contrary to popular belief, an 18 with a 4.60 is only about an

inch

> > and a half shorter than a 21 with a 3.00. > > There's no fallin into a hole with this big wide tire on the

front!

> > Rod,,,,,,,no regrets > > > Good information all. Very very good when it comes from practical > experience. I'm thinking of going to a 2.50 x 19 front for many

reasons

> and cutting and threading my own spokes. Did you use one of the

many

> formulas to figure out spoke length? > I applaud your do it yourself spirit! > Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

Posted: **Mon Oct 25, 2004 8:08 am**

The loss of clearance between 17" and 21" rims would be half of the difference in diameter then divided roughly in half again at the skidpan as it's approx. half way between front & rear axel. Loose and inch roughly, depends on the profile of the new tire as OD's vary even on the same rim. One reason that a smaller wheel/tire is desirable is that less centrifigal force has to be overcome at the handlebars to get the bike to turn in. This is usually more of a concern on road racing bikes as speed of rotation increases the gyroscopic effect. (Ever see the bicycle wheel on the swivel stool experiment in science class?) I suppose the KLR science decided a big narrow front tire suited the average application, but everything is a compromise. There has to be a relation between mass and speed of rotation that figures into this - Physics Major needed here! Handlebar length also factors in as more leverage is available with wide bars and race bikes tend to have narrow bars. BMW went to a smaller front wheel in recent years. The styling is not to my liking but the handling has improved. Sand riding is a whole 'nother deal where specialization obviously improves the preformance. A very interesting adaptation! Don M Atlanta, GA A16 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Posted: **Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:55 pm**

Someone asked this in another thread, but thought I'd also ask those already engaged on the subject. Is the only option for going down to an 18" wheel (or 17" for that matter, which is what I want to do) to find a used rim and lace it to the stock hub yourself? I've heard folks speculate that there might be another Kawi model that could fit the KLR hub, but no one seems to know for sure. Thoughts? MSW --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Rodney Copeland" wrote:

> > Thanks Alan, > I hadn't heard of any formulas for spoke length. > I laced the hub to the new wheel with the spokes stickin way out at > first and did a prelim tru of the wheel. > I marked them kinda long and cut them. > After cutting and threading and the final assembly and truing, I

just

> ground off the excess length as necessary. > The biggest pain was getting the dimples hogged to the correct

angle

> to approach the hub without spoke bend. > If you've ever noticed, the angle is more extreme on a rear than a > large diameter front. > Another note, choose a rim size that supports the tire you like. > There is a wealth of tires offered in an 18 rear, not so many with > the 17 and 19. > I'm not sure I'll do it but preliminary measurments seem to

indicate

> I can fit a 510 18 rear 858 on the front of the Hoss! > Should be interesting. > Rod > > > > > --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, Alan L Henderson > wrote: > > Rodney Copeland wrote: > > > > have remained tight for nearly 8000 miles. > > > Contrary to popular belief, an 18 with a 4.60 is only about an > inch > > > and a half shorter than a 21 with a 3.00. > > > There's no fallin into a hole with this big wide tire on the > front! > > > Rod,,,,,,,no regrets > > > > > Good information all. Very very good when it comes from practical > > experience. I'm thinking of going to a 2.50 x 19 front for many > reasons > > and cutting and threading my own spokes. Did you use one of the > many > > formulas to figure out spoke length? > > I applaud your do it yourself spirit! > > Alan Henderson A13 Iowa

Posted: **Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:24 pm**

michaelswhite@... wrote:

>Someone asked this in another thread, but thought I'd also ask those >already engaged on the subject. Is the only option for going down to >an 18" wheel (or 17" for that matter, which is what I want to do) to >find a used rim and lace it to the stock hub yourself? > >I've heard folks speculate that there might be another Kawi model >that could fit the KLR hub, but no one seems to know for sure. > >

Any Kawi with a 17" front wheel (or 18" for that matter) would be a cast wheel, not a laced one. These are actually lighter, but unlike a laced wheel really can't be repaired if damaged. You can buy a new rim from Buchananspokes.com, who would be able to figure out the right angles to drill the rim for a KLR650 front hub. They should also be able to figure the spoke length, and make you a set of spokes using rolled threads and not die-cut threads (tougher). I might just send them a stock wheel, which they can use to measure the offset, then have them build a wheel with the rim size you want. What tire do you want to use for the front, that an 18" rim would be ideal? (people usually build the wheels around their tires of choice). Devon

Wilsons Sandbox

fuel tank choices

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?

17in , 21in front , whats the difference?