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Message started by zipidachimp on 01/28/18 at 09:44:29

Title: 17" front wheel ?
Post by zipidachimp on 01/28/18 at 09:44:29

Musings on a cold, wet morning: Ryca sell an 18" front wheel for the S40, so why not a 17"? Anyone tried that? 8-)

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by engineer on 01/28/18 at 13:06:02

A friend has a 650 Triumph Bonneville and a 500 Triumph Daytona, we both agree that the 500 is a much handier bike to ride around town and on the twisty roads. Other than weight the only significant difference I can see between the two is that the Daytona has 17 inch wheels. So I've been thinking about lacing up smaller rims on my old BMW airhead.

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by verslagen1 on 01/28/18 at 14:05:10

2003 Triumph Bonneville T100 = Rake/29º Trail/117mm
2013 Triumph Daytona 675R = rake/22.9° trail/3.4"[86mm]

Seems to be quite a bit of difference, but I couldn't find exactly what you're talking about.

So, how about giving more detail on year and model?

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 01/28/18 at 14:32:03

21322B323F3A383332362B5B0 wrote:

Musings on a cold, wet morning: Ryca sell an 18" front wheel for the S40, so why not a 17"? Anyone tried that? 8-)

No reason that you can't. I would stick to 17" front and rear otherwise you'll probably have mis-matched rubber.

What are you trying to accomplish? I believe that 18 inch rims were chosen because they are period correct, and they keep the bike from getting too small. A finished RYCA is already a 7/8ths scale bike (it's got a very low seat height and very small stature)

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by engineer on 01/28/18 at 15:05:57

Verslagen, I should have been more specific, I was talking about the original Triumphs. I believe his Daytona is a 1967 or 68 and the Bonneville is a 1971.

But I checked the specs and the original Daytona was sold with 18 rear and 19 inch front rims, same as the Bonneville. But his Daytona has 17" wheels, (I checked the tires just last year) and I knew the guy who bought it new and then sold it to my friend. My buddy did restore those two bikes back in the late eighties and he sent the rims out on one to get them re-chromed but bought new rims for the other, don't know which. So something happened along the way.

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by Ruttly on 01/28/18 at 16:08:09

Yeah I thought about it for better selection of tires but I didn't want my tracker looking like a Honda Grom ! ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by zipidachimp on 01/28/18 at 16:41:41

Just trying to quicken steering. One corner on a usual ride has a 135' hook and it feels like I need to be in 1st to get around. Would like to take it in 2nd smoothly. 8-)

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by Dave on 01/28/18 at 16:49:34

67746D74797C7E7574706D1D0 wrote:

Just trying to quicken steering.

You can get smaller rubber....instead of a 100/90 you can use a 90/90.....or if you find a 100/80 try it. The smaller rubber is lighter and also less tall - which drops the front and reduces the trail.

Try taller rear shocks.

Drop the front end.....I used a top triple clamp that allows the fork tubes to be slid upward.

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 01/28/18 at 17:10:01

My forks are raised in the triple clamps 25mm and I also have about 35mm of rider sag. My shocks are as long as possible without getting chain rub on the swingarm. The resulting geometry is rake at 28 degrees and trail at 3.5 inches. The 28 degree rake number is rather tame, but the trail figure is quite short. Any shorter (and I've had it shorter with 27 degrees of rake) and the front end felt twitchy. I'm quite pleased with my current set up. You can get the details in this thread

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1421689358/0

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by zipidachimp on 01/28/18 at 21:34:26

Thanks! As a follower of Occam's Razor, and a cheap s.o.b., I'll do the least expensive option. Cheers! 8-)

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by Armen on 01/31/18 at 18:14:15

You can get a Michelin Pilot Activ in 17" front. My fav bias ply tire. Lighter, smaller, turns quicker than an 18 or 19.
And, oddly enough, the smaller tire makes the brakes and suspension work better.

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by zipidachimp on 02/01/18 at 00:37:59

Will probably do this, but would sure like to see one done before I jump. New fender would be needed. 8-). This will be my hotrod bike, still have a standard one. 8-)

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by Gary_in_NJ on 02/01/18 at 05:15:07

2F3C253C3134363D3C3825550 wrote:
New fender would be needed.

Probably not. You just need to relocate the mounting holes. That's what I did and it's a perfect fit. The holes moved so much that I was able to trim the old holes from the fender. It looks perfectly stock.

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by zipidachimp on 02/01/18 at 12:57:22

Prior to this conversation, I was always concerned about the rear wheel, shox etc., but I now think the biggest gains in rideability will come from modding the front end, including a new top tree. I'll leave the back end for later! 8-)
ps: anyone got a spare front hub to sell ?

Title: Re: 17" front wheel ?
Post by verslagen1 on 02/01/18 at 13:16:15

Might as well get a whole front end. [smiley=evil.gif]
http://www.savageriders.com/verslagen/Beast/beast%20mode.jpg