Bike Wheels

[wkid_one]

Who here has customised their alloys? This is something that doesn't appear to be a big thing in NZ - yet in the states it is huge....

Check somma these puppies out...

[pete376403]

Why not in this country? Four letters: L. T. S. A.
What would be the cost to an importer of getting each wheel approved? That cost passed on to the purchaser would put the wheel cost over the top.

[wkid_one]

All are apparently certified anyway - they apparently don't need to do seperate crash tests if they can prove it has been similar tests elsewhere

[Two Smoker]

not that im going to do it to my current bike, but has anyone got their current wheels and got them polished and coated???? if so how much did it cost... i know kk's GS1000 has yellow wheels hehehe it looks mean

[Posh Tourer :P]

Powder coating is not too expensive if thats what you are talking, but I bet kk painted his himself....

[spudchucka]

Why not in this country? Four letters: L. T. S. A.
What would be the cost to an importer of getting each wheel approved? That cost passed on to the purchaser would put the wheel cost over the top.

Heavily chromed wheels are banned in some countries because they distract other drivers, in the same way mirror window tints can. I wouldn't be surprised to see them banned here before long. The LTSA will be on to them before long, you wouldn't want to invest too much in importing something that may soon be illegal.

[Coldkiwi]

bugger the LTSA, I think its just because they cost so damn much! they're at least $1500 per wheel and frankly i'd rather spend $3000 elsewhere on the bike first. Don't get me wrong, if I was customising and spending loads of cash on my machine I would get round to them but the price tags are just scary (up to $3000 for ONE carbon wheel from memory in a superbike mag ad!)

as for chromed wheels... sheesh, they'd be hard pressed to say flashy motorcycle wheels are dangerous when they're pushing their 'look out for bikes' campaign i would think! Still, thats assuming logic comes into LTSA decisions/policy, which I think we can safely but sadly rule out :spudwhat:

[750Y]

costs about 250-350 for a set of wheels to be polished so they come up like mirror. then you spend the rest of your life trying to keep them clean.

[F5 Dave]

Like most things from the sick stateside continent; SHOW is more important than GO. The chroming of ally is a heavy process, Losing unsprung weight is a good idea, adding it is just dumb.

One of the advantages of these forged wheels (like the OZ ones on the Factory Aprillias) are you can anodise them which saves the weight of paint. Can’t really do cast metal sadly.

If you really must have magpie attracting wheels I saw some crowd in the trade show @ Auss GP doing it so a flick through ACMN might net something.

[slob]

If I had lots of cash lying around, I'd go for some Dymag carbon fibre wheels - form and function in a nice light package!

[spudchucka]

as for chromed wheels... sheesh, they'd be hard pressed to say flashy motorcycle wheels are dangerous when they're pushing their 'look out for bikes' campaign i would think! Still, thats assuming logic comes into LTSA decisions/policy, which I think we can safely but sadly rule out :spudwhat:

I agree but they can cause distractions on bright sunny days, ever been dazzled by a car with mirror tints??

[F5 Dave]

Now I saw the funniest thing the other day. This car (turned out to be a shop car of a local mag place) rolled up beside me at the lights & had these magpie shiny wheels but they seemed to be sticking out from the centre like they had something attached to them, maybe a modern equivalent of Bodisia’s(sp) chariot? Then I realised the dam things were still spinning when the car had stopped. Made a silly noise.

Oh how I laughed. Let’s add more weight with a gaudy display of lame posing which would be a total prick to clean & probably get crashed off the first time they park too close to a curb.

& just yesterday I saw a boy racer hatch (what mums used to use for shopping carts before they discovered 4WDs), anyway this thing had LEDs around the exhaust pipe, maybe to look like a spaceship. I imagine this sort of thing will become more common when we are all buzzing around in quiet electric vehicles, people will have fake exhaust pipes hooked up to amps & speakers.

To paraphrase an old English saying: There’s nowt as totally sad as folk.

[Posh Tourer :P]

Now I saw the funniest thing the other day. This car (turned out to be a shop car of a local mag place) rolled up beside me at the lights & had these magpie shiny wheels but they seemed to be sticking out from the centre like they had something attached to them, maybe a modern equivalent of Bodisia’s(sp) chariot? Then I realised the dam things were still spinning when the car had stopped. Made a silly noise.

Yep. Spinners... the next big thing in wheels.... cost lots and lots and look strange....The key part is the cost and therefore the exclusivity... many things have been justified this way unfortunately (*very quiet voice* eg Harleys - I didnt just diss another two wheeler not me really )

[Jackrat]

My younger brother resently bought in a set of nice wheels for his WRX.
Curbed em' a couple of days after fiting them,,Bye bye $2500
He also bought flash wheels for his HD an put a ding in The rear rim shortly after fiting them Again.
They were real nice looking wheels an all but they must be the one part thats takes the most abuse in every day use.
Talking about the BRO' he came round the other day after spending mega dollers on a new sputhe engine for his HD.He was pratling on about now owning the second fastest HD in NZ.You can imagine what he said when I made the comment that he should now be able to keep up with most Jap 500s
if he really pushes it and the handling don't get the best of him.
We don't get on that well anyway so it was no love lost

[F5 Dave]

Some people are easily parted with their money & as I mature I am less likely to look down on cruisers, everyone is out to enjoy themselves, I still ridicule the ones who doss them up like a tarts handbag.

A friend owned a dyno shop & for a while he was getting a bit of business from the HD crowd, esp the ones who had fitted all manner of Screaming Budgie® parts, complete with names like Thunder jets for the carbs etc etc.

Invariably he got hp improvement by either removing the bits or filling the jets in with solder & drilling them smaller. Overall they became dissatisfied with his service. Obviously his dyno was ‘wrong’ & was giving smaller numbers than their bikes were putting out. Sure.

When another Wellington bike shop (specialising in HDs) got a dyno they wisely chose one that gave ‘the proper numbers’. ie: about 20-30% more than a Dynojet gives. Now everyone was much happier & a happy customer is far more likely to go back into the shop by a “Live to Ride Drive to Work” emblem for the sidecover.