I want Chrome Wheels

[LifeLiberty]

You can do as much to your wheels as you want, depends on if money is a factor. if it isn't, look into some Oz wheels. http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/17-OZ1

for me, i'd look into some used wheels or fixing it, whatever was cheaper.

[Ghost GTO]

Hey, are 17's or 18's stock on the 2001 CBRs?

Also, what if you go bigger (from 17 to 18s?) Does that affect handling for the worse of better?

Thanks,
Trung

[RayOSV]

Originally Posted by Sirius_GTO

Hey, are 17's or 18's stock on the 2001 CBRs?

Also, what if you go bigger (from 17 to 18s?) Does that affect handling for the worse of better?

Thanks,
Trung

Not 100% sure, but I believe that stock is 17" wheels. I don't know where you'd find 18" sportbike wheels and they probably wouldn't fit anyway. Pretty much anything you do that varies the wheel/tire size from stock on your bike will make the handling WORSE. Bikes are WAY different than cars in the tire department (forget about plus sizing). Honda puts a lot of effort into getting the right sized wheels and tires on their bikes.

[JDSV650]

Not to say the Sirius is this way, but the wide tire reminded me of the pic of the R6 at the gap, anyone still got it?

[Ghost GTO]

Yeah, I was thinking that too.

Seems like the opposite applies for bikes and cars concerning tires and wheels.

On my 3000GT Vr4, I have 18x9's with 275's on them, and it gets better as it gets bigger (to a point).

But with Bikes, I guess I have to keep everything stock. Lowering a bike will also decrease HANDLING right??

ON my car, it's lowered like 3 inches..and that increases handling.

Thanks,
Jon

[Tony824]

Originally Posted by Sirius_GTO

Hey, are 17's or 18's stock on the 2001 CBRs?

Also, what if you go bigger (from 17 to 18s?) Does that affect handling for the worse of better?

Thanks,
Trung

Yep, everything affects the bikes handling. Most people who change tire profiles have to adjust their fork height, as well as suspension just to compensate for the different profile tires. And we're talking about mm's of difference. Can you imagine how much a inch would change in it's geometry. Everything plays a tole in how the bike handles including those who lower their bikes. You're obviously limiting the amount of ground clearance your bike has which can equal hard parts dragging if you're leaned over. Changing the width of the tire also effects how the steering feels when leaning the bike. Obviously, the thinner rear will turn in alot faster than a overly obnoxious rear like a 200. Take a look at the contact patch on a motorcycle tire compared to car tire, the car tire is flat..... where the contact patch is. On motorcycles, where you're rarely on the center of the tire, your contact patch is on the sides of the tire which is why some people prefer the feel of triangular, taller profile race tires during a race or trackday... ie, Michelin DOT/Dunlop GP tires are notorious for having tall profiles.

Also, 190 rears are not necessarily bad. Some bikes still come standard w/ a 190 rear ala, Honda's RC51/954, Yamaha's R1, Ducati's 999R. It all depends on the way the bike feels to you and what you prefer. A 180 rear will turn in quicker and be more flickable while a 190 may turn in slower, but will feel more stable in the turn.

Also, FZRs came in 18" rims back in the day. Today, industry standards seemed to have shifted to a 17"er.

[bbqb4racin]

It seems like there is an unlimited number of places that offer chrome wheels for sport bikes. Many of them straighten and repair them also. Most are exchange only but you can buy them outright at a decent price if you look hard enough. The maintainance is low also, windex and a paper towel will do the trick.

Do they weigh more? Probably, but could you tell the difference holding them in your hands? No.

Weaker? Don't know. Maybe, but I haven't seen anyone have any problems with them.

I'm not much into the chromed out Sportbikes but the chrome wheels look just fine to me. If you like the look, go for it. The rest of ya

[Ghost GTO]

http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/18-RC-195

http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/18-RC-200

http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/18-RC-199

These aren't chrome? They are polished right?

Which ones do you guys like?

Jon

[King Cobra]

Ridiculous.

[bbqb4racin]

They're a bit over the top for my taste. If you like 'em, that's cool. Here's a stock set of chrome ones for ya:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

[Tony824]

click here for absolute blingin' wheels

[RACER X]

Originally Posted by Tony824

click here for absolute blingin' wheels

...........

[bbqb4racin]

Originally Posted by Tony824

click here for absolute blingin' wheels

I like them a lot!!!!!

[firefighter81]

Yeah, those BST CF wheels are just awesome. I hate how the picture of those wheels is on my same bike, makes me jealous. But I can't justify spending $3500 on a set of wheels that quite honestly, I don't need.

[hybrid]

Okay while some of you are semi educated in the handling department I will leave it alone.

Chrome: To have a nice chrome surface it must be polished to perfection. Chrome plating is typicaly no mor that .005" thick with all the different metals applied together. That being said no it will not effect the handling on the street to the extent that you would notice the difference. It is easier to clean than polishing.

Now the bad If a wheel is chromed and it chips, it will have to be completely stripped of all chrome to be replated. EXPENSIVE and time consuming at the chrome shop. It can become pitted and start to oxidize. For the tech hungry chrome is what makes the nickle plating underneath look silver. If you see any yellowish color ( usually in the corners) it is because the chrome didnt "throw" properly.

Hydrogen embrittlement is what every one keeps referring to as weakening. Hydrogen gas can become trapped underneath the plating and start to attack aluminum. The best known fix is to bake the part that was plated for several hours immediately after plating. Hydrogen embrittlement is most commonly known for producing failures in aluminum welds. A reputable chrome shop will tell you about negatives before they plate something that must induce stress. Not all shops are capable of baking a frame or other parts as it is the same oven that a powder coat shop uses and is very expensive to obtain let alone use occasionally. I would suggest that you get some wheels polished instead of plating, if it is polished you can fix it if it gets curbed or scraped. Like the one you have now. I usually weld up the curb and reshape the wheel to get the scrape out of it. If the wheel is chrome I would tell you to throw it away and buy a new one.

BTW I have a set of F4 wheels that are in almost perfect condition except for paint scratches. They came off one of my old race bikes that I put some marvics on. I will part with them for a reasonable price if your interested PM me.

Oh and for you tech monkeys, the reason behind handling problems with wheels isnt necessarily the overall weight of the wheel, it is more about the rotational weight ie the outer rim and lips. For every gram of weight there it proportionaly gets heavier with fps speed. Like a crank that is X amount of grams out of balance it it X amount of pounds out of balance at 10K rpms. I dont have the math formula in front of me for specific numbers and if I remembered all of it I would explode