Noob question...about wheels

**dyls** · 28th July 2008, 22:51

Heya,

just sat my basic handling and hoping to be riding soon, so looking around at the various 250s or thereabouts.

My question is, one of the bikes that's been recommended (a LOT) is the Yamaha Scorpio...but in some pictures I see it having spokes and in others...umm...whatever the wheels are that aren't spokes, more like mags

Is the difference purely cosmetic or does it affect other things like braking and handling?

I know I could ask at the shop but I'm not gonna get a chance to go until the weekend and I'm spending most waking moments dreaming about bikes at the moment so asking now

spokes: http://www.dailybike.com/content/961..._Scorpio_A.jpg
not spokes: http://www.productreview.com.au/show...?item_id=40602

cheers

**Steam** · 28th July 2008, 22:55

For a beginner it will make absolutely no difference at all.
When you push the bike harder in different situations when you are experienced, then you may need to choose.

Cross it off your list of things to think about for now.

But no doubt someone will be along to explain how the two different types of wheel perform.

**James Deuce** · 28th July 2008, 23:23

http://www.motorcycleparts-accessori...cyclerims.html

**Katman** · 28th July 2008, 23:27

Originally Posted by Steam

For a beginner it will make absolutely no difference at all.

Not exactly - beginners get punctures too.

Tubed tyres have the disadvantage of instantly deflating in the event of a puncture. Can spoil you day pretty quickly on the road.

**CookMySock** · 29th July 2008, 07:51

Originally Posted by Katman

Not exactly - beginners get punctures too.

Tubed tyres have the disadvantage of instantly deflating in the event of a puncture. Can spoil you day pretty quickly on the road.

Katman, permit me to decode for the newbie ;

Wheels with spokes must have tubes fitted inside the tyre, or else the air will leak out around the little holes where the spokes go. Alloy or cast/solid wheels do not have this issue.

When you get a puncture in a tyre fitted with a tube, your tyre will deflate in minutes, if not in seconds! This will give you a bad fright on the motorway, and can be really dangerous.

If you have alloy/cast/solid wheels, you can fit a tyre without a tube (called fitting it tubeless) and if you get a puncture, air will slowly slowly leak out around whatever thing has got embedded in your tyre. The tyre will slowly deflate over a day or so (depending on how bad the puncture is.) The result of this is, when you discover your tyre is really squishy you can probably carefully ride to the garage and blow it up and still get to work, and fix the problem at your leisure rather than being abruptly and dangerously stranded.

HTH,
DB

**Qkchk:Me** · 29th July 2008, 08:39

The 2008 Scorpio comes with the mags..

All other Scorprios (pre 2008) come with spokes...

I would go for the mags so you can run tubeless. Makes life easier when it comes to punctures.

**dyls** · 29th July 2008, 09:06

Ah cool - thanks. I've read about tubeless tires and how punctures affect them differently but didn't realise the correlation between this and how the wheel looks.

Cheers!!

**robo555** · 29th July 2008, 09:44

I got a Scorpio with the cast wheels, I asked my dealer, he said both bikes come with the same tube tyres.

So maybe it's possible for you to swap the tyres, but I don't think the cast wheel is tubeless by default.