Wheels and my 3CV

[Urx]

So i think I've found a seller with a nice genesis 87/88 front wheel with spacers etc. he also has loads of other fzr bits n bobs including a YZF750 swingarm and wheel brake etc
Oh dear this might get fiddly

[Urx]

so I have a bid in on a Genesis rear wheel now which comes with all the parts needed inc a tyre(hmm might be rock hard i guess) but am wondering if the availability of 18" tyres is all that much better than the 16"oem and if I wouldnt be better just going direct to the FZR600 17" and getting the now almost universal 17x3.5 and 17x5 front rear sizes to get the easiest availability of the best selection.
is the 18" rear handling going to be worth the effort compared to getting a 17" and making that fit....I wonder

[Motofun]

All the best engineering is going into 17" tire sizes.  If making a change why would you consider anything else?

[Urx]

the honest answer is the 18" option is looking like it might cost me £50 all in so its a cheap 'suck it and see'
To put together a 17" approach while much better in the long run...its going to cost a good bit more in time and effort.
if I get 75% of the benefit by going 18" is it really worth all the money and work to get the extra 25% when I likely wont ride the bike to 100% of its handling limits...hhhmmm

[Pat Conlon]

18" will be better than the oem narrow 16" rim.

However, if your time is worth anything, invest in a 17" conversion.

[red]

Urx,

As Pat says, what is your time worth?  It is often MUCH cheaper and easier if you replace the entire front end - forks, brakes, 17" wheel, triple tree, et c. with the complete front end from a suitable (much newer) donor motorcycle.  The "used parts" websites may have everything needed, on any give day.

I do not know which bikes are the best donors for the FJ upgrade, but I believe that others here can advise you well in that process.  Personally, I would not put anything except a 17" wheel on the bike, if I do the upgrade here.

Best wishes.

[Urx]

Ah the ifs and maybes are around the back wheel...
Mine is an 89 3cv so has mt3.0 17" front as standard...i think I've found a genesis 17" front which will give me an mt3.5 17front. Thats a perfect bolt on swap up so there Im fine

The wondering is as to whether i get enough of a benefit from spending £50 on a genesis 18" back wheel with new bearings and the calliper torque arm already machined to suit an fj plus a 'pot luck' might be good tyre all included.
Or
Spend a good bit more getting a later exup or thundercat mt5 x 17" wheel and either need to swap out bearings and keep to 15mm rear axle or modify things to use a later stiffer 17mm axle....

First option will be an easy peasy upgrade for some benefit
Second option will be more expensive and more effort but more benefit longer term

Tricky one

[Bones]

The 15mm/17mm axle your referring to only applies to the front wheel not the rear. The rear is 20mm so the standard FJ axle can be used with either the YZF600 or early GSXR wheels.

[Millietant]

URX - make sure you don't go for a FZR 600 rear wheel, it's the wrong one. It's the YZF 600 R Thundercat wheel you need. If you join the UK Thundercat Owners forums on FB, you'll see that the complete rear wheel set up you need, including brake disc, caliper mounting arm, sprocket carrier and spacers, is often available for £50.

I've bought 4 now, all between £35 and £55 complete (one even cane with a decent 3 year old tyre).

The fitting is simple and straightforward.

If you need any help/info, message me, I've done a couple of these now.

[Urx]

 
And this is why we need smart people that have done it before on this forum .....

Im going to pass on the 18" rear setup as someone else obviously wants to pay more for it ...17" thundercat will now be the way forward. Ill try to conclude the genesis front wheel deal next week and get the two fitted and tested ok.

I dont do facebook but i might just have to investigate as thundercat rear wheels are 50-70 on flebay and can be in various stages of bare and tatty

[Millietant]

I'm on the Thundercat Forums and will let you know when something pops up 

[Millietant]

I dont do facebook but i might just have to investigate as thundercat rear wheels are 50-70 on flebay and can be in various stages of bare and tatty

Yeah, fleabay is the place for over-priced secondhand tat. The owners groups are a better bet for properly priced parts, especially when someone is breaking a whole bike.

[Urx]

Do please Let me know if you do spot a suitable wheel

[Millietant]

Do please Let me know if you do spot a suitable wheel

Mid you want me to chase this one up for you? It has a 160/70x17 tyre fitted so it's either from a Thundercat, or a Fazer 600. But will do the job and 170/60x17 is the perfect tyre for that wheel on a FJ

[Millietant]

Oops, forgot the photo !