I'm having a devil of a time dealing with the guy who says he has a gsxr wheel for my FJ. It's cheap ($50), but I'm not sure if he's going to actually get around to selling. Issue is shipping it. Says he'll ship it but nothing I suggest seems to suit him. I'm sure if someone showed up at his door and picked it up he'd be fine with it, but that's going to be as expensive as all get out. After spending nearly 140 bucks on a front fzr750r front wheel ($30 for the wheel, $75 to ship and exchange rate killed the rest), I'd like to keep costs down on the rear.
The local wrecker doesn't have any gsxr wheels he's willing to part with. But he is wrecking a zx7.
The wheel has the three spoke curved look and its 17x5.5 with a 170 tire. He wants 150 bucks for it with sprocket, spacers, axle, etc. Not sure if he'll move any on that, but it does come with a good radial already on it. It would do for rolling the bike around the shop in winter if nothing else.
I know I can make the zx7 wheel fit (have lathe and milling attachment) but I'd rather just bolt in the gsxr wheel.
Has anyone used a zx7 rear wheel before?
Any "gotchas" waiting for me if I go with the zx7?
Used the forum search and nothing came up.
Used Google site search and found this :http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=3388.15
So its been done before and doesn't look too hard.
I think I'll keep it as a fallback plan to the gsxr wheel....
I have one on my 91 FJ. It was installed by the previous owner. He modified the FJ brake caliper bracket and used stock FJ caliper and torque arm. Not sure what he did with the axle spacers.
When I switched over to the FZ1 swingarm I had to make all new spacers. I had a GSXR caliper laying around, so I made a caliper bracket and modified the torque arm to suit. It was quite a bit of work, but it is a close match for the YZF600R front wheel.
Derek
Quote from: Derek Young on August 15, 2015, 09:36:21 AM
I have one on my 91 FJ. It was installed by the previous owner. He modified the FJ brake caliper bracket and used stock FJ caliper and torque arm. Not sure what he did with the axle spacers.
When I switched over to the FZ1 swingarm I had to make all new spacers. I had a GSXR caliper laying around, so I made a caliper bracket and modified the torque arm to suit. It was quite a bit of work, but it is a close match for the YZF600R front wheel.
Derek
Yessir, saw your posts on it.
But I think I'm going to wait to find a GSXR rim to match the front FZR front rim a little better.
The ZX7 isn't a bad match, it just seems like the GSXR is closer.
I did a little time just up the road from you in Comox.
So I grabbed a couple pics off the internet and did a little photochoping.
GSXR rear with FZR front:
(http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/gsxr_zpsghxcc4hw.jpg)
ZXR rear with FZR front:
(http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/zx7_zpsawh2lsfj.jpg)
I'm almost thinking the ZX7 rear is a better match for the FZR than the GSXR....
Consider that the wheels will be partially hidden by a sprocket & chain (rear) and or rear brake rotors (front & rear) and only seen when standing still. They both look good, but are you displaying your FJ or riding it? Do what feels good to you, then ride it!!!
Good comparison of the wheel spoke profiles. And in my view, the more swap options that we have for 17" wheels, the better.
Joe
Quote from: FJmonkey on August 15, 2015, 11:53:50 AM
Consider that the wheels will be partially hidden by a sprocket & chain (rear) and or rear brake rotors (front & rear) and only seen when standing still. They both look good, but are you displaying your FJ or riding it? Do what feels good to you, then ride it!!!
riding it.
But I'm also one of those guys who know in the back of my mind something isn't
just how i want it or that it looks just a little off.
color matching front and rear will also make the small differences less obvious.
I think I'm going to do a 360 and go for the ZX7 rim. It has the added bonus of it being local and being able to pull it right off the swingarm so I can have all the bits and pieces that get lost otherwise.
I'll also be able to get the matching brake caliper bracket, brake stay arm and caliper.
I think it's worth paying a bit more than the 50 buck GSXR wheel to get those matching pieces. Sure, it's 100 bucks more, but I know what I'm getting and no shipping costs or hassle. Heck, even if I was to drive to PEI (where the GSXR wheel is) I'd have to pay 45 bucks for the bridge/ferry toll. Add in gas and maybe a hotel and it's actually cheaper to buy the ZX7 rim.......
:dance:
Quote from: great white on August 15, 2015, 12:09:44 PM
Quote from: FJmonkey on August 15, 2015, 11:53:50 AM
Consider that the wheels will be partially hidden by a sprocket & chain (rear) and or rear brake rotors (front & rear) and only seen when standing still. They both look good, but are you displaying your FJ or riding it? Do what feels good to you, then ride it!!!
riding it.
But I'm also one of those guys who know in the back of my mind something isn't just how i want it or that it looks just a little off.
color matching front and rear will also make the small differences less obvious.
I think I'm going to do a 360 and go for the ZX7 rim. It has the added bonus of my being able to pull it right off the swingarm and have all the bits and pieces that get lost otherwise.
I'll also be able to get the matching brake caliper bracket, brake stay arm and caliper.
I think it's worth paying a bit more than the 50 buck GSXR wheel to get those matching pieces. Sure, it's 100 bucks more, but I know what I'm getting and no shipping costs or hassle. Heck, even if I was to drive to PEI (where the GSXR wheel is) I'd have to pay 45 bucks for the bridge/ferry toll. Add in gas and maybe a hotel and it's actually cheaper to buy the ZX7 rim.......
Getting all the bits in one shot is worth a little extra. I had to shop for my GSXR rear bits and got lucky, no off year parts and return shipping, but it cost extra as I was paying a la cart. Sounds like an easy decision. Post up when you have it installed.
Well, the deed is done:
(http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/339D8FEB-A80F-4E71-8599-F3E0783A98CE_zpsr54khnrt.jpg)
1989 ZX7, 17x5.5, has a 170 on it but it's at the end of any useful life. It will do to keep the bike mobile in the shop though.
Turns out he wanted another 30 bucks for the caliper. I was going to say stuff it as I have lots of rear calipers on the shelves and something would likely fit. But then I though for another 30 bucks and a guaranteed fit it was worth it.
I got everything that hangs off the axle and the bracket stay to the frame. Took the brake hose just because it was easier to pop it off the master. Kept it from leaking all over the van on the way home too.
So $180 all in. Sounds expensive for an old used part, but I'd pay that much and more if I were to piece it together and pay for shipping over and over.
I did get one pleasant surprise though. Everything I could find online was saying the ZX7 had a 25MM rear axle. Rather than hunting down what could be odd sized bearings to make it work on a 20MM axle, I had just resigned myself to having to take the FJ swingarm adjusters off and ream them to 25MM. I didn't like the thought of modifying the adjusters, but its a pretty minor thing to fit the larger wheels.
Once back in the garage, I grabbed the vernier and checked the axle just so I could put the last nail in that coffin.
It's 20MM!
Should slot right in (with some custom spacers).
:greeting:
Quote from: great white on August 15, 2015, 02:26:17 PM
So $180 all in. Sounds expensive for an old used part, but I'd pay that much and more if I were to piece it together and pay for shipping over and over.
$180.00 is very cheap with everything included. I payed $100.00 just for a gsxr rim, then I had to source all the parts for it. Total cost fitted on the bike, $900.00. :shok:
I would have been thrilled to pay $180.00 for everything on the axle when I swapped the GSXR wheel. I didn't have much more than $210.00 in the project, but there was a bunch of waiting on parts just to find out the vendor did not know what year bike they were parting out. Just wondering, are you going to go with a 170 or a 180 wide tire?
Joe
Quote from: Country Joe on August 15, 2015, 03:27:23 PM
I would have been thrilled to pay $180.00 for everything on the axle when I swapped the GSXR wheel. I didn't have much more than $210.00 in the project, but there was a bunch of waiting on parts just to find out the vendor did not know what year bike they were parting out. Just wondering, are you going to go with a 170 or a 180 wide tire?
Joe
Probably a 170. That's 20 MM up on the stock size and the stock size has plenty of grip for my uses. A set of modern radials should be more than enough for me without having to go "fat". Larger tires are just more weight and rolling friction for me.
I'm eyeballing a set of Battlax BT20's on my VF750F that I put F2 rims on. I snapped those rubbers on the CBR/F2 rims a while ago and they're nearly new, mileage wise. Would be nice to use them and wear them out instead of them rotting out.
Front is a 120, but the rear is a 160. The largest recommended rim with for the 160/60 17R seems to be a 5.0
I know it will "work" on a 5.5, but I don't want to end up with too flat a profile and making the steering slow and fat feeling.
It's slow steering enough already, don't need to make it worse.... :wacko3:
I run a 180/55-17 on my 17" x 5.5" with no steering issues or chain clearance problems. The Conti Motions that I currently run seem narrow compared to the Dunlop Q2 rear, I needed a 170 Dunlop to clear the chain. My front is 17" x 3.5 with a 120/70-17, when both are fresh the steering is very neutral and light. Here is my last rear tire... 2700 miles.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/9/medium_104_03_08_15_5_58_27.jpeg)
Ahh I see your last tyre had that trailing edge feathering going on Mark. My current one has it bad, and its only half worn, if that. :diablo:
Quote from: X-Ray on August 16, 2015, 07:31:21 AM
Ahh I see your last tyre had that trailing edge feathering going on Mark. My current one has it bad, and its only half worn, if that. :diablo:
That's usually caused by the rebound being too slow. Speed it up and see the difference in your tyre wear.
regards, Pete. :good2:
Mark, you seem to have the same problem with the motions that I do. They wear out fast..... I only got 3000 miles out of my front and my rear is at 2500 and looks to need replacing soon. These tires are cheap, but stick like glue and sure go away fast.
CraigO
:good2:
What rear shock are you two running? That looks like a rebound issue.
Quote from: the fan on August 16, 2015, 06:54:36 PM
What rear shock are you two running? That looks like a rebound issue.
Let me check my notes, I have the RPM rear shock but it is currently adjusted one full turn tighter than recommended/adjusted by Randy. I think that tire was installed after the RPM shock, just not sure where in the tread life Randy helped me make the adjustment. My new tire is another Conti Motion on the rear and for the awesome price I have one more front and two more rear tires in the garage...
Craig, too much front braking, it wears out the front way too fast..... Go in smooth, power out...
Quote from: the fan on August 16, 2015, 06:54:36 PM
What rear shock are you two running? That looks like a rebound issue.
Penske
Mark, the center is fine, lots of tread. It's the sides that are gone. So it's not the breaking...
(https://scontent.fsan1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/11825048_10207240556716376_6594215536914055135_n.jpg?oh=9d5f3e1b73aab886e6d63fbd641040fe&oe=56469920)
Quote from: craigo on August 17, 2015, 03:11:38 AM
Mark, the center is fine, lots of tread. It's the sides that are gone. So it's not the breaking...
My front tends to wear like that, not having a good mix of highway (commuter) miles and only twisty roads to have fun on. :yahoo:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3538/3399873619_8fae260dcc_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/6breYF)
(https://flic.kr/p/6breYF)
Quote from: FJmonkey on August 15, 2015, 04:42:46 PM
I run a 180/55-17 on my 17" x 5.5" with no steering issues or chain clearance problems. The Conti Motions that I currently run seem narrow compared to the Dunlop Q2 rear, I needed a 170 Dunlop to clear the chain. My front is 17" x 3.5 with a 120/70-17, when both are fresh the steering is very neutral and light. Here is my last rear tire... 2700 miles.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/9/medium_104_03_08_15_5_58_27.jpeg)
Mark, I know you love your Conti Motions, but with the amazing mileages people are getting from tyres like PR4's and Z8's etc, have you done the cost comparison of up front price vs mileage?
If that's all you're getting out of a tyre it might be cheaper to buy more expensive tyres.
Noel
Quote from: ribbert on August 17, 2015, 07:57:26 AM
Mark, I know you love your Conti Motions, but with the amazing mileages people are getting from tyres like PR4's and Z8's etc, have you done the cost comparison of up front price vs mileage?
If that's all you're getting out of a tyre it might be cheaper to buy more expensive tyres.
Noel
I normally get 3500 to 3800 on the rear and nearly double that on the front. However, I have been considering trying a set of the PR4's to test the mileage. They seem to do well on the FJ.
Well, to get this maybe a little bit more back on topic, what would be the best choice for tire with a 17" conversion?
I'm thinking a 170 to go with my 5.5 rear and a 120 to go with the 3.5 front, but what brand/ type would be best?
My riding style is mostly touring gentle side to side sweepers on rougher country road pavemnet. I also don't want to be replacing tires ever 2500-3000 miles! :eek:
Double that at least....I can't afford to be replacing tires every season (or twice a season).
Michelin Pilot Road 4
Quote from: ribbert on August 17, 2015, 07:57:26 AM
Quote from: FJmonkey on August 15, 2015, 04:42:46 PM
I run a 180/55-17 on my 17" x 5.5" with no steering issues or chain clearance problems. The Conti Motions that I currently run seem narrow compared to the Dunlop Q2 rear, I needed a 170 Dunlop to clear the chain. My front is 17" x 3.5 with a 120/70-17, when both are fresh the steering is very neutral and light. Here is my last rear tire... 2700 miles.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/9/medium_104_03_08_15_5_58_27.jpeg)
Mark, I know you love your Conti Motions, but with the amazing mileages people are getting from tyres like PR4's and Z8's etc, have you done the cost comparison of up front price vs mileage?
If that's all you're getting out of a tyre it might be cheaper to buy more expensive tyres.
Noel
I am beginning to agree with you Noel. Seems like I'm replacing these tires way too soon. I have a friend who rides a GSXR1000 that is getting 5-6000 miles out of his PR4's tires. And he is brutal on the throttle.
CraigO
Yep pr4s love em. Even get good mileage on the 1350, spinning them while wheelie'n out of the roundy rounds ( get off the highway morning and night coming home to work just to rip a wheelie out of the roundy rounds) :bye2:
I mounted a new set to my bike before The Dragon,and my rear is doing that too...I got 5000 kms on mine now...center looks good sides are feathered...
I have three friends who have purchased Conti-motions for FJ's. Two of them have their rear tires doing some funky kind of wear . The one whose tire looks good isn't riding.
I bought PR-4's for my FJ and my GTS and although a set is near 400 bucks are worth every penny.
The Pilot Road 3's gave me very good mileage so I'm looking forward to my current PR-4's.
I now have 5200 miles on the PR-4 rear and it looks like it will easily make the Renegade rally and back.
So 3 rallies on one set of tires (WCR, Central, Renegade) will turn out to be the best mileage I've ever had on motorcycle tires....ever.
Isn't modern tire technology wonderful?
They just keep getting better and better.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on August 17, 2015, 07:47:07 PM
Isn't modern tire technology wonderful?
They just keep getting better and better.
I believe of the 11000 people Michelin employ, 6000 of them are in R&D.
Noel
Quote from: great white on August 15, 2015, 02:26:17 PM
Well, the deed is done:
(http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/339D8FEB-A80F-4E71-8599-F3E0783A98CE_zpsr54khnrt.jpg)
1989 ZX7, 17x5.5, has a 170 on it but it's at the end of any useful life. It will do to keep the bike mobile in the shop though.
It looks like a ZX7 wheel, but with that tire on it, what the heck was he using it for? :unknown:
I'm picturing a ZX7-based, Mad-Max style bike with long travel suspension. Blasting across the desert. :good2:
Quote from: Firehawk068 on August 18, 2015, 09:36:13 AM
Quote from: great white on August 15, 2015, 02:26:17 PM
Well, the deed is done:
(http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r618/justonepict/339D8FEB-A80F-4E71-8599-F3E0783A98CE_zpsr54khnrt.jpg)
1989 ZX7, 17x5.5, has a 170 on it but it's at the end of any useful life. It will do to keep the bike mobile in the shop though.
It looks like a ZX7 wheel, but with that tire on it, what the heck was he using it for? :unknown:
I'm picturing a ZX7-based, Mad-Max style bike with long travel suspension. Blasting across the desert. :good2:
Dunno, couldn't tell ya. Was nothing but a frame and wheels by the time I got to it....
I separated the discussion on Art Vandelay out of this thread....moved it over to here: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=14447.0 (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=14447.0)
Not sure what Art's problem with Mark is? :unknown:
I thought Mark contributed some useful information about his experience with using a 170 vs a 180 tire, and the difference between the brands. :pardon:
My guess is it's someone who's had a previous beef with the Monkey, and created a separate account just to bag on him.
Quote from: Firehawk068 on August 18, 2015, 02:50:13 PM
Not sure what Art's problem with Mark is? :unknown:
I thought Mark contributed some useful information about his experience with using a 170 vs a 180 tire, and the difference between the brands. :pardon:
My guess is it's someone who's had a previous beef with the Monkey, and created a separate account just to bag on him.
Agree totally. Negativity can breed negativity to a life long virulent point that becomes an Art form.
Only cure is the antibiotic Arallyoxocillin. :drinks:
Yup, the subject of tire sizes was brought up in a reply to the subject, and the OP threw out that he was deliberating what size tire to get to go with his rim. Mark was giving him some useful information. The info Mark gave is well known to us that have been around for a while and have done a rear wheel mod, but not necessarily to the OP. It was a relevant post. Period.
Quote from: Firehawk068 on August 18, 2015, 02:50:13 PM
Not sure what Art's problem with Mark is? :unknown:
I thought Mark contributed some useful information about his experience with using a 170 vs a 180 tire, and the difference between the brands. :pardon:
My guess is it's someone who's had a previous beef with the Monkey, and created a separate account just to bag on him.
Based on Pat's mention of IP addresses...that information may already be known...but is still being handled in a very professional and mature manner...I don't have a dog in this, but that's how it appears to me... (popcorn)
Quote from: The General on August 18, 2015, 03:20:27 PM
Only cure is the antibiotic Arallyoxocillin. :drinks:
Already have the script Doug, just need to get it filled out.
Noel
Since the question was asked if I was getting my money's worth on my current tires, I did a quick calculation of cost per mile on the Conti Motions. Since I use two rear tires for each front, I used the cost of three tires. My cost per mile is 4.3 cents. Since I mount and balance my own tires, I don't have any cost on that. Making an assumption (since I don't have the data) I am using the same ratio of one front and two rears on the cost of the PR4's. To get the same cost per mile I need to get 13,400 miles out of the PR4 tires. The only rider that I know of that is getting this kind of high mileage on tires is Capn Ron on his Marathon tires.
If they tend to wear out as a set then the cost is for only two tires, mileage would need to be 8600.
What kind of mileage are the PR3/4 users getting? And do you tend to go through two rears for each front? Or do you need to change them as a pair?
Any input on this would be appreciated.
Don't know if this will actually add to the info you want on Mich tires, but...
I got about 17,500 kms (10,850 mi) from my rear PR2 160/60x17 on 4.5" rim,
and a couple of thousand more on the front PR2 120/70x17 on OEM front wheel.
Don't know that we ride the same way and certainly not on the same roads.
And, to further obfusicate this discussion,
I got about 6,000 kms (~3700 mi) to the cord on a rear Pirelli Diablo Corsa Rosso
180/55x17 on my Aprilia Shiver with a 6" wide wheel. Got Mich PRs on it too now :-)
Arnie
Thanks Arnie, that helps to support the general trait of tire wear for the PR family of tire. It seems that each new PR generation is slightly longer lasting so your information helps.