Has anyone here tried one of these wheels yet?

[maxcruiser]

Well, I got the wheel, and tires, and took all of it over to a local motorcycle shop to get the tires mounted & balanced, and the rear wheel installed. The first thing is that the mechanic looked at the provided instructions, and said he didn't understand why the guy says to install the wheel, THEN to install the rotor onto the wheel. So he mounted the tire, installed the brake rotor, balanced the whole thing, and then let the air out of the tire, installed the wheel (with the rotor still attached), aired up the tire, and everythnig went smoothly. Along with the wheel come some washers to move the bar that holds the caliper, but he didn't use them, reconnected everything like it was originally, and while it was a close fit, nothing rubbed!

I've got Progressive 412 11.5" shocks, and I was worried that the wheel wouldn't fit because of the lowered shocks (somebody else here said they had to go back to the stock shocks), but so far it hasn't been a problem. I weigh in at 240# and with the shocks on the firmest preload setting I was able to take a passenger (small chick, she wears a size small dress, don't ask me what she weighs, I didn't ask) and the wheel/tire combo still didn't rub anything!

I'm a happy camper! The bike handles much better than it did before, no wobble at around 40mph anymore, nor at 90mph! (don't ask me about really high speeds, the fastest I rode it yesterday was around 120).

One quick question, with the front tire going from a 110/90 to a 110/80 how much of a difference in the speedo will that make?

The V-Rod wheel must make the bike LOOK like it's going faster, as I got pulled over, and given a speeding ticket for doing 61 in a 40 zone by a ******* motorcycle cop! Then he started giving me a ration of **** about wearing headphones, saying that FL law say you can only have one ear connected, and the other free, and unless they just changed that law, I know that's BS, as I looked up the laws when I first moved back here last year, and FL didn't specify one ear or two, only that they had to be for communications (I have an iPhone, so that qualifies as communications). This same cop gave me **** last year when I had a yellow headlight in my Kawasaki, so he must be a real *******.

Hopefully the weather will be nice today so I can go for a nice long ride!

-MikeS

Hey Mike, Congrats on the new set up - I was the one that posted the problem with rubbing and went back to stock rear shocks- maybe the offset problem has been corrected since mine was made - I no longer have the rubbing issue tho - my speedometer is now off by 5% - 100 mph on speedo is actually 95mph.

Mike

 

[MikeS]

Vrod wheel??? Vrods have a 19 in front and an 18 in back??

Actually I have no idea what a Vrod has up front, but the rear wheel is 18" x 5.5" wide. There's a guy on eBay that takes Vrod wheels, and cuts out the hub, and welds in a Vmax hub, thereby making an 18" 5.5" wide Vmax rear wheel. I suspect that there's just enough differences between individual bikes that some might need washers moved, some might not, etc. The wheel comes with a couple of washers I believe to move over the brake rod, but again on mine it wasn't needed (or so says the mechanic that mounted the wheel/tire.

-Mike

 

[MikeS]

Hey Mike, Congrats on the new set up - I was the one that posted the problem with rubbing and went back to stock rear shocks- maybe the offset problem has been corrected since mine was made - I no longer have the rubbing issue tho - my speedometer is now off by 5% - 100 mph on speedo is actually 95mph.

Mike

Hey Mike, when you installed the wheel, did you follow the written instructions to not bolt on the brake rotor until after the wheel was mounted in place? The mechanic that did mine thought that was silly, and instead he let the air out of the tire during the wheel install, then aired it up after it was mounted. He also dropped the shocks to get more room.

The more I ride now, the more I like the radial setup! (keep in mind this is the first time I've ever rode a bike with radials) Wow I can't believe the difference it makes, and I'm even more amazed that they still make bias ply tires! I mean, even a Harley cruiser would benefit from radials, so why not kill off bias ply tires like they did with cars years ago?

-MikeS

 

[maxcruiser]

Hey Mike, when you installed the wheel, did you follow the written instructions to not bolt on the brake rotor until after the wheel was mounted in place? The mechanic that did mine thought that was silly, and instead he let the air out of the tire during the wheel install, then aired it up after it was mounted. He also dropped the shocks to get more room.

The more I ride now, the more I like the radial setup! (keep in mind this is the first time I've ever rode a bike with radials) Wow I can't believe the difference it makes, and I'm even more amazed that they still make bias ply tires! I mean, even a Harley cruiser would benefit from radials, so why not kill off bias ply tires like they did with cars years ago?

-MikeS

No, did it the same as the mechanic did on yours to install.

Good to hear that your as happy with the new set up, as I am.

:cheers: Mike

 

[fpc187]

Did anyone put a dail indicator on this wheel and check the runout??

 

[maxcruiser]

Did anyone put a dail indicator on this wheel and check the runout??

I did not put a dial indicator - but it runs pretty true - looking by eye - no issues in that area.

Mike

 

[4gasem]

Did anyone put a dail indicator on this wheel and check the runout??

I did not put a dial indicator - but it runs pretty true - looking by eye - no issues in that area.

Mike

Which is more than I can say for the wheel Jon Cornell sent me... Stupid ass!

Cheers

 

[Hercules]

Actually I have no idea what a Vrod has up front, but the rear wheel is 18" x 5.5" wide. There's a guy on eBay that takes Vrod wheels, and cuts out the hub, and welds in a Vmax hub, thereby making an 18" 5.5" wide Vmax rear wheel. I suspect that there's just enough differences between individual bikes that some might need washers moved, some might not, etc. The wheel comes with a couple of washers I believe to move over the brake rod, but again on mine it wasn't needed (or so says the mechanic that mounted the wheel/tire.

-Mike

I used Peformance machine wheels on my bike that were set up for a Vrod 19-3 in front and a 18-8.5[for the fat tire] in back Paul[Madmax] had to make new hubs front and rear for it.

 

[fpc187]

I did not put a dial indicator - but it runs pretty true - looking by eye - no issues in that area.

Mike

One last question. With the size increase to 18" and a little bit more weight than stock, effect your performance "noticeably"?

 

[fpc187]

One last question. With the size increase to 18" and a little bit more weight than stock, effect your performance "noticeably"?

I lied, one more. How tight is the clearance from the tire to the swingarm on the left side (drive shaft side)?

 

[maxcruiser]

One last question. With the size increase to 18" and a little bit more weight than stock, effect your performance "noticeably"?

Noticeably? - no, but I am not a drag racer either - but as far as street performance - benefits of handling and ride far outweigh any performance loss for me.

Mike

 

[maxcruiser]

I lied, one more. How tight is the clearance from the tire to the swingarm on the left side (drive shaft side)?

Can measure exactly once I get home, but by eye I would say about 1/4" or so - but keep in mind, this solid rim is offset 3/8" to the right.

Mike

 

[fpc187]

Mike, I would check out your wheel with a dial indicator! Greg has sent me a wheel that has .059 lateral runout (left to right) and .022 axial runout (hop). He also is doing nothing about it, he says the wheel is within spec and to use it. This is Bullsh*t!! The stock Vmax wheel measured in at on .006 lateral runout, that is a difference of .053!! The total runout of the wheel is almost 1/16" of an inch! This can easily be seen with the naked eye. Anyway I hope yours is in better shape than mine. This is also not just a one time occurance. I just talked with another fellow out west that was screwed over by him too. Hopefully there will be sometime positive that comes out from all of this. Vmax owners beware of Ebay member eightsnuff's wheels!

 

[maxcruiser]

Mike, I would check out your wheel with a dial indicator! Greg has sent me a wheel that has .059 radial runout (left to right) and .022 axial runout (hop). He also is doing nothing about it, he says the wheel is within spec and to use it. This is Bullsh*t!! The stock Vmax wheel measured in at on .006 radial runout, that is a difference of .053!! The total runout of the wheel is almost 1/16" of an inch! This can easily be seen with the naked eye. Anyway I hope yours is in better shape than mine. This is also not just a one time occurance. I just talked with another fellow out west that was screwed over by him too. Hopefully there will be sometime positive that comes out from all of this. Vmax owners beware of Ebay member eightsnuff's wheels!

I checked mine tonight, radial runout is .011 - Can't really check axial runout with tire on rim, but visually, nothing is obvious.

Sorry to hear about situation and worst that he is not willing to correct the problem.

Mike

 

[MikeS]

So far I've put about 500 miles or so on the new wheel, and I've had no problems with it. The bike is running much smoother with the new wheel/tires than it did before, so I'm happy. I used to be a machinery manufacturer, and can tell you that all parts have tolerances. If you're really concerned, I would look into what the tolerances for a factory wheel are. Remember, this is just a motorcycle, it's not rocket science, so he might be right that the wheel is within spec. That being said, if I was the seller, I would have exchanged it with one that was closer to spec just to keep the customer happy.

My wheel was from a different eBayer that said he got it from another ebayer, but the instructions were still from Greg whoever he is (I assume eightsnuff).

-MikeS

 

[fpc187]

Yes, I have checked the specs in the service manual from Yamaha. It states a Radial runout limit of 1mm = (.040) and Lateral runout limit of .5mm=(.020)! Right before that it says " Over the specified limits Replace" Again mine is at .059 lateral and .022 axial which is outside both limits. Thanks for all of your feedback I really appreciate it!

 

[fpc187]

*UPDATE* He decided after he saw the wheel for himself, that he would refund my money. Paypal is definetly the safe way to go when purchasing on the internet. After all, Greg seemed to be a standup guy by offering a refund to me in full. I think if I go with the radial out back I am going to use Kosman wheel. I have heard nothing but GOOD things about Sandy and his wheels. Thanks again for alll the feedback!

 

[ssnsltd]

I have now been running one of these rims for 3 weeks.

the only issue I had was my rotor was getting REALLY hot. after reading this post I hung the bike from the rafters and watched the tire spin at idle. the rim has a SMALL side to side movement (not noticeable from behind when riding I am told) but my rotor was moving pretty good. couple whacks with a dead-blow hammer and we were running true again.

I don't know if I bent it when I swapped it or if the old rim or new rim caused the issue. In any event we are good now.

the tire and rim are +5.5 pounds heavier than stock. I have an ME880 180/55/18 on it

 

[AtlasMax]

Ebay Rims

Hi there I am new to the forum (What a fantastic source of info!).

My question is:

Has anyone had experience with this particular product from this ebay seller?

I am considering a rim upgrade to get into radials.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350086211856&fromMakeTrack=true

Thanks

 

[vmaxinID]

Re: Ebay Rims

http://www.vmaxforum.net/showthread.php?t=1165

:clapping: