Two types of motorcycle wheels are available in the market for custom bike builders or for motorcycle owners who want to upgrade their OEM set. The two types are spoked wheels and the one-piece solid block type, with both being preferred depending on what look and appearance you want with your bike.
There was a time when wire wheels were the only option available on motorcycles, and they really weren’t anything special. But in recent years several manufacturers have developed different spoke configurations and some of the spoked wheels currently on the market are quite sharp. But that aside, spoked wheels have a downside and can actually be much lower maintenance than the one-piece billet type.
First of all, the spoked wheel is incredibly difficult and time-consuming to clean, and if you live in an area z loses its shine very quickly. Another problem with spokes, as there are many on a wheel, is that they require regular maintenance as they become loose which can lead to a potentially dangerous situation.
Another quirk of spoked wheels is that if you’re interested in running a tubeless tire, it can be more difficult to ensure the connections are tight since they’re usually physically attached to the rim. Please note that wire wheels… except in special circumstances… require a tube and tubed tyre.
Here are a few things to keep in mind for tires that require tubes:
1. Tubed tires may suffer major failures when damaged, which is not the case with tubeless tires due to the different manufacturing process.
2. Tube tires cannot be repaired if you are traveling with a motorcycle tire repair kit. Do you have an apartment… call a tow truck.
Another feature of spoked wheels is that they tend to be lighter than the solid wheels and because the wheel’s mass is primarily concentrated on the rim…rather than closer to the hub…it takes more energy to accelerate your motorcycle or to stop .
A quick thing about tires: At some point in your motorcycle ownership life, if you ride at all, you will need to buy new tires. Having just assembled a new set, there’s something you need to consider before jamming down the street trying to impress anyone who pays your attention.
When tire manufacturers make the tires that you buy and put on your bike, they use a mold. Before all the ingredients used to make the tire are poured in, the mold is sprayed with an oily substance to keep the tire from sticking when it’s ready to be removed from the mold.
The point is that new tires have an “oily” film that makes them really slippery. It’s a good idea to put 50-100 miles on them to burn off the film of oil. This eliminates the possibility of landing on your butt and wondering what happened.
