Bike mods - why not lighter wheels?

I found the thread from last time. http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.ph...lighter+wheels
There is a link in there to a place that sells wheels for the SV. Whether or not they're lighter I can't comment on.

I saw an ad ages ago in a magazine for Carbon Fibre wheels... never mind the weight saving (which would proabably make no difference to the way I ride) they looked gorgeous.

'Kin expensive though.

[northwind]

I'm sure Dymag does 'em... And I know PVM do a rear, so I'd be surprised if they don't do a front. All you're really looking for is the right rim size, the rest is just spacers and bearings.

I think it's entirely down to cost that we don't do it, pure and simple... It's a lot to spend on one of the most vulnerable parts of the bike. Also, they're generally less durable, so UK potholes could make short work of really light ones.

I reckon any of us would notice the difference. I've never used lighter wheels, but I have put Ultraseal in my tyres and the extra weight's noticable. That's a smaller difference than you get with a good quality set of wheels. On the other hand, to make the most of it you're goign to want to adjust your suspension, so they'd be a bit of a waste on an otherwise stock SV IMHO.

You could always try drilling them to remove some weight. :P

$ 2,535.95 US dollars for one!

Buy a pair and your close to buying a new SV!

Wheel weights with the bearings:

NEW 10 spoke forged magnesium wheels : Front: 6.04lbs, Rear: 7.76lbs
OEM aluminum 3-spokes, 11.5 lbs front, 13 lbs rear
OEM aluminum 5-spokes (996/99, 9.25 lbs front, 12 lbs rear

Half the weight is a huge difference. imagine if that was for the whole bike.

Marchesini Forged Magnesium Wheels

[Red ones]

Unsprung mass - even at constant speed you are accelerating the wheels! This is because acceleration is actually based not only on speed, but also direction (thanks to Isaac Newton for that one - apparently he would have been an SV fan!)

Force = mass x acceleration


Sorry guys you can't alter the acceleration of a wheel at 70 mph, but reduce the mass of the spinning wheel and hey presto you have reduced the force you apply to maintain your steady state - or quoted another way:

Acceleration = force / mass

Reduce the mass of your wheel and maintain the force you apply to it, the acceleration will increase.



Clearly in order to increase the speed of the wheel and still maintain engine speed to produce the force required you then need to review the gearing, which our triathlete friend neglected to mention (unless he is just wanting to save energy)


You now get to a trade off - do you want speed, do you want acceleration? If you want speed - change the wheels and change the gearing. If you want acceleration change the wheels (I assume the inertia of the engine is significantly small that the engine can over come this)

I actually looked into this not so long ago as I was interested in a set of these Dymag 2 piece carbo & magnesium 5 spoke wheels, which they can do for an SV:
http://www.ema-usa.com/wheels/images/dymag_5cc.jpg

However, as Northwind says above, after speaking with both Harris and Crescent, it turns out that although, light material wheels are great for track use, where the surface is close to flawless, they won't survive the rigures of everyday (rutted) road use. If you are after an aftermarket design, and intend to keep your bike on the road, you should really go for another style of cast wheel.

Originally Posted by svswartz

$ 2,535.95 US dollars for one!

Buy a pair and your close to buying a new SV!

Yes, you're much better off putting the money towards a new bike. Wheels like these are intended for racers, serious track day addicts or people with exotic bikes and full wallets.

You would have to stop eating a hell of a lot of pies to save enough money for a set of Marchessini rims

Unsprung weight is the best saving you can make to a bike, Eating less pies makes you more attractive to a non pie eater

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££££££££££££ try a diet its cheaper.