Feeler for forged wheels for our bikes.

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
Would any of y'all be interested in a set of forged magnesium/aluminum wheels for our bike in the stock sizes or otherwise? I'm talking to a guy to source wheel blanks so I can manufacture my own wheels and was wondering if there would be a market for the same. I'm assuming it would be cheaper than the big name wheels, but I'll only know when I actually make a set and see how much it costs to machine. The first set I make will be forged magnesium, as that's all the supplier has in stock right now. I know all about anodizing aluminum and have a plant for the same at my dad's factory, but I know pretty much nada about magnesium, so it's going to be a learning curve for me. I'm thinking of manufacturing 4 sizes 3" & 3.5" fronts and 4"& 4.5"(maybe a 5) rears, only for small sport bikes like the Ninja 250/300, CBR250/300, Duke/RC 125/200/390 and Yamaha R25/R3.
 

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
I'm placing the order for blanks this week. Will only find out the cost when I actually do the machining. Any suggestions for the design? 5 spoke or 10 spoke or 5Y or something else? I think 5 spokes would be the ideal number for size and lightness but I could be wrong. I'm reading some studies done on the subject for reference and will make the design accordingly. Then I'll do the stress analysis on the computer and finally produce the first samples.
 
Last edited:

tt2013

New Member
I agree with everyone else. I love the idea, but it all depends on the price. Do you have an estimated price range for both wheels?
 

ToraTora

Member
Country flag
For the street Aluminum is a better material. Magnesium has to be regularly checked for stress cracks, and you need special equipment to do the check. And if the powder coat gets compromised on the Magnesium wheels problems occur. They are a great choice for racing, but not so good for the street. Forged aluminum gets pretty close to the same weight, but doesn't have the same issues, and thus a much better choice for the street.
 

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
For the street Aluminum is a better material. Magnesium has to be regularly checked for stress cracks, and you need special equipment to do the check. And if the powder coat gets compromised on the Magnesium wheels problems occur. They are a great choice for racing, but not so good for the street. Forged aluminum gets pretty close to the same weight, but doesn't have the same issues, and thus a much better choice for the street.
Yep, also never having worked with magnesium before, I really want to avoid it. So I've asked him to hold the order till such time that he can supply me with the correct size aluminum blanks.
 

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
I managed to get a hold of the stock front wheel from the SVC and have it weighed on a calibrated CAS 10kg scale... The wheel was with bearings and some wheel weights which are in the pictures below. No valve stem. The weight is 5.113kgs or 11lbs 4.32 ounces. Not a very difficult target to achieve. I believe it would be practical to target a front wheel weight of 8-9lbs? With most of the weight being concentrated at the hub. I'll need a way to measure the Moment of Inertia also when I actually get to making the samples. This will provide the actual saving data, as the wheel could weigh the same as stock and still have a lower MOI which is what really matters. Source - Hoop It Up: Sportbike Wheel Comparison | Sport Rider


 
Last edited:

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
The only thing I'm concerned about is the cush drive on the rear wheel. I'm tempted to just leave it out and make it a direct bolt on, as it would be so much simpler, but I've been lead to believe this might not be so good for the engine and drivetrain. Any thoughts on the subject?
 

motoputz

Member
Country flag
You would want to keep the cush drive but probably simplify it. Of course that would mean designing and fabricating a sprocket carrier to go with the rear wheel.
 

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
Would it be a problem if I just copied some other manufacturers design, or would I get sued? Lol I definitely don't wanna get sued.
 

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
You would want to keep the cush drive but probably simplify it. Of course that would mean designing and fabricating a sprocket carrier to go with the rear wheel.
Yeah, I think I have a rough idea of what I'm going to do. Probably do it Ducati style with the round Cush drive rubbers and a standard rotor bolt pattern, seems simpler to implement.
 

motoputz

Member
Country flag
Ducati style would be simpler, but with only 3 cush drive connections and not 5 or 6. The Ducati in my garage has a single sided swing arm and so I do not deal with the cush drive when changing tires and do not remember how many are connecting the sprocket to the hub. These small bike are never going to make big torque numbers so three medium size bushings should work.

I pulled the front wheel off my bike this weekend and was shocked at how heavy it is. The wheel on my old R1 and Multistrada have to be almost half the weight of this one. I would be interested in a set of what you come up with if they would be around $1500 for the set. And if the weigh reduction is sufficient, lighter than half the weight of the stock assemblies. I also think powder coating would give a better and more durable finish over anodizing.
 

psych0hans

Member
Country flag
I think the bulk of the weight savings will be on the rear wheel as that's way heavier than the front one. I lifted both at the SVC yesterday and I was shocked at how much heavier the rear wheel was than the front. Also I'm going to try pricing it slightly more aggressively than 1,500$, hopefully.
 
Top