19" front wheel or stick with the 18?

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by jbfla

...I don't know if it makes a lot of difference, the 19" rim is 2.15" and the Shinko tire calls for a 2.50" rim.




The tire seems to fit OK.

jb

You can vary one rim size in either direction from the rim size specified in the tire fitment chart, and not encounter any problems.

[jbfla]

Here's the continuation of my 19" front wheel story from page 2 of this thread.

Checked the grease in the bearings of the new wheel. It had a sufficient amount, but I added a bit more.




Mounted the new Shinko 705 (110/80-19).




Then the fun began. I tried to remove the front brake rotor from the stock 18" wheel.

I used a heat gun on high for 5 minutes, and still stripped the head on the first rotor bolt I tried to remove......

I've lost count of the number of stripped bolt heads and bolt threads on this bike.

So I ordered a new stock rotor with bolts:







Ready to mount the rotor.

Lightly seated 5 of the rotor bolts in the holes, but when I went to put the 6th bolt in..........




So I removed all the bolts and tried all possible configurations.

No matter which way the rotor was turned, the last bolt would not seat properly.




Was it the rotor or the hub? Don't know.

After screwing in all 6 bolts so they just touched the rotor surface, but were not into the recessed space around each hole....

.....I turned each bolt a quarter turn at a time, and slowly, each bolt was fully seated.




My best guess is that each bolt was bent just enough to fit into the recess around the holes.





All that happened last fall....

Being frugal, I wanted to get some more miles out of the stock front tire.




And........ it looks like my legs will keep getting shorter.....



The new 19" wheel/tire combination is nearly 2" taller.



I jacked up the bike, removed the front wheel, transferred the wheel spacer and speedometer drive, and mounted the 19" wheel/tire.

Sorry no photos of this ....it was near 90 F degrees today, and I was working in the sun in the driveway....

The final result:



With the new tire, the seat height is 32" (with a 1" lowering link installed).

jb

[fjmartin]

Nice write up. I also put on a 19" front wheel today. Picked it up at CSC while down there for the Baja ride. I wanted this wheel for my off-road setup. I have the stock wheels with stock CST tires for road rides and another set now with a 19" running Shinko 804/805s for dirt. I'm heading out Friday for the Stumpjumper 100 Desert Race and I'll be doing the ADV/Dual Sport Poker ride at the event. Hoping this new combo works well! Also, my bike continues to get taller. With the 19" front, tall wheels, Progressive shock, Seat Concepts seat it has grown from 30.9" standover to 33.5". I'm now on my tippy toes but they both can touch where before I could flat foot.

[jbfla]

I've ridden 200+ miles (on pavement) on the new 19" front wheel and tire.

There is no discernible difference in ride or handling.

The main reason to change to the 19" wheel would be a wider choice of tires.

It does raise the front of the motorcycle, which if that is a concern, you could offset by raising the fork tubes in the triple clamp.

A slight benefit is that the larger wheel corrects some of the speedometer error.

With the stock 18" front wheel, the speedometer reads ~ 7 mph higher than the GPS (at 60mph in 6th gear).

At the same speed with 19" wheel/tire, the difference is ~ 4 mph.

jb

[fjmartin]

I just put a 19" on mine for my off-road wheelset. I put on Shinko 804/805s. I like the way the bike rides with those tires both on and off-road, I like the geometry as my bikes rear was raised with the Progressive shock, I like the extra ground clearance for off-road and I didn't notice any handling issues at highway speeds. It did great in a 140 mile mostly offroad poker ride I did on Saturday with fast 50 mph gravel and sand service roads and some serious singletrack. Stock wheels and tires has a -10.2% speedo error. Stock wheels and Shinko 244's had an -11.7 and now with the 19" and 804 it's -5.6% optimistic. I've corrected this with a SpeedoDRD.

[RC]

Originally Posted by jezzrite

I can confirm with 100% accuracy that if one wishes to change from 15" rear to 17" and 18" front to 19", one does not need to buy new spokes for both rear and front. The original spokes are of sufficient lengths.

So... pink elephant: where can one find a good 19" front rim choice for under $200?

I figure with that option I could replace the rim and:
1. Save $
2. Get a lighter, stronger rim (alloy over steel)
3. Instead of having a spare wheel laying around, I would only have a spare hoop.

I've already checked Warp9 and several other websites, but they don't offer a 19" front 36 spoke, only rear.
Given the popularity of 19" fronts in adv bikes, I would think there would be more options, but perhaps the adv crowd is not so keen on lacing rims, preferring to buy wheels only. I see CSC sells the 18" replacement rim for only $42, but no option to buy the 19" rim.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by RC

So... pink elephant: where can one find a good 19" front rim choice for under $200?

I figure with that option I could replace the rim and:
1. Save $
2. Get a lighter, stronger rim (alloy over steel)
3. Instead of having a spare wheel laying around, I would only have a spare hoop.

I've already checked Warp9 and several other websites, but they don't offer a 19" front 36 spoke, only rear.
Given the popularity of 19" fronts in adv bikes, I would think there would be more options, but perhaps the adv crowd is not so keen on lacing rims, preferring to buy wheels only. I see CSC sells the 18" replacement rim for only $42, but no option to buy the 19" rim.

A size 2.15-19 rim with 36 spoke holes will work for either the front, or rear wheel. For example, you can choose either the Warp9 or Tusk rims from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. I have built about a half dozen wheels with Warp9 rims, and I like them a lot.

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...rm=2.15-19+rim

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p...rm=2.15-19+rim



If you decide to lace a 19-inch front wheel, I suggest you purchase the 19-inch spokes from CSC. The longer spokes will definitely increase your chances of building a stronger wheel.

http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/19-Fro...-p/z50-117.htm
http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/product-p/z50-118.htm

If you don't mind spending the money for custom spokes, I highly recommend a 21-inch front wheel. The 21-inch front wheel has transformed my RX3.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=17732

[RC]

Hmm, I would have thought a rear rim would be overbuilt compared to a front to handle all of the extra torque and weight.

But yes, seeing how my rear wheel rebuild to 17" warp9 rim resulted in barely enough spoke length using the old spokes, I would not risk using the old spokes for a 1" rim increase.

I am very tempted to go the 21" route. While I'm not much of a trail rider, I have heard some RTW ADV riders proclaim that the larger wheel size is worth it even for long stretches of gravel or heavily potholed pavement.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by RC

Hmm, I would have thought a rear rim would be overbuilt compared to a front to handle all of the extra torque and weight.

But yes, seeing how my rear wheel rebuild to 17" warp9 rim resulted in barely enough spoke length using the old spokes, I would not risk using the old spokes for a 1" rim increase.

I am very tempted to go the 21" route. While I'm not much of a trail rider, I have heard some RTW ADV riders proclaim that the larger wheel size is worth it even for long stretches of gravel or heavily potholed pavement.

Trust me, you will never regret going to a 21-inch front rim. The improvement in handling is dramatic. I see you have joined the following thread. Another fellow plans to build a 21-inch front wheel for his RX3, and I intend to give him the spoke information tomorrow.

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=17732