Rear Wheel Swap

[hgravelpha@aol.com]

I was thinking of swapping my current 5" rear rim to a 5 1/2". Is this a simple swap or does it entail other modifications. I was going to look for a used 2002 or 2003 Lemans rim. The reason for the change is that much of my riding consist of an 80 miles commute and a bigger rear tire should make my ride more stable. My last bike was a Triumph T595 with a 6" rim and a 190 size tire and the bike was rock solid. My commute will soon be 160 miles (round trip) and I would like to make this change as soon as possible. Any info on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

[Mike Stewart]

I bought a set of Dymag wheels, went through the lengthy wait process (4 months) and spent a whole lot of cash for them ($2000). The result is a great looking set of wheels but I did not notice any difference in performance from the weight savings and I can't say the wider rear wheel helps anything but looks. If I had a chance to do it over again, I would of just sent out the stock wheels to have them powdercoated the color I wanted. This is just my opinion.

 

Mike

[joe camarda]

Another option would be to have the wheel widened by Kosman Racing near SF Bay Area (CA). They have a website and will widen the wheel for about $350. I'm sure other places around the country could do the same if youre not near SF Bay Area. Regards, Joe BTW, I think the stock rear wheel (on my 01 V11 Sport anyway) is 4.5 inches. Ive also thought about widening it!