wheels for a S50? - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

un4gvn173 · 11-09-2005, 07:45 PM

I'm new to motorcycling, and I was wondering if they make certain wheels for shaft drive bikes? I plan on getting a S50 in January and when the weather breaks, a few friends and I want to go on some long rides ( few hundered miles over a few days) I hear that tubless tires can be repaired easier on the road so changing the spokes to mags might be in order.

DrBob · 11-09-2005, 10:21 PM

Front ones are common, and with a set of custom bearings you can easily make just about any 19 or 21-inch front wheel fit the front of the S50.
But the back is the problem: no one makes an off the shelf wheel for the back, and a custom-order one will run you well over two thousand bucks. The wheel has to fit not only the axle, but also the drive shaft gears, and it must contain the brake drum.

You have two options to ditch the spokes. The first involves factory parts: the S50 is an Intruder 800 with a few small changes. Back in 1986 the Intruder was a 700cc machine with some 'snowflake' style cast rims front and back. If you can find a set, they are a direct swap for the S50 wheels, and you can then sell your S50 wheels to get some of your money back. The down side is that Suzuki stopped making these wheels and selling them as replacement parts about 15 years ago, so finding a set is a challenge, and they can be expensive.

Your other option is to send your stock spoke wheels off and have then sealed for tubeless tires. It only costs about $60 per wheel, but of course you have to remove them, take the tires off, ship them off to California, wait for them to be sealed and shipped back, buy new tubeless tires, and then put them back on. Contact these folks when you are ready:

Wheel Works
12787 Nutwood Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92840
(714) 530-6681
www.wheel-works.com

I have thought about doing this a hundred times, but I never quite get around to it.

un4gvn173 · 11-10-2005, 07:23 PM

Thanks Dr Bob, for the info. It looks like it would be a good winter project next year to send out the wheels to be sealed. Thanks again.

11-09-2005, 07:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
un4gvn173 Newbie Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio Posts: 6	wheels for a S50? I'm new to motorcycling, and I was wondering if they make certain wheels for shaft drive bikes? I plan on getting a S50 in January and when the weather breaks, a few friends and I want to go on some long rides ( few hundered miles over a few days) I hear that tubless tires can be repaired easier on the road so changing the spokes to mags might be in order.

11-09-2005, 10:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
DrBob In The Zone Joined: May 2004 Bike: several Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 2,607	Front ones are common, and with a set of custom bearings you can easily make just about any 19 or 21-inch front wheel fit the front of the S50. But the back is the problem: no one makes an off the shelf wheel for the back, and a custom-order one will run you well over two thousand bucks. The wheel has to fit not only the axle, but also the drive shaft gears, and it must contain the brake drum. You have two options to ditch the spokes. The first involves factory parts: the S50 is an Intruder 800 with a few small changes. Back in 1986 the Intruder was a 700cc machine with some 'snowflake' style cast rims front and back. If you can find a set, they are a direct swap for the S50 wheels, and you can then sell your S50 wheels to get some of your money back. The down side is that Suzuki stopped making these wheels and selling them as replacement parts about 15 years ago, so finding a set is a challenge, and they can be expensive. Your other option is to send your stock spoke wheels off and have then sealed for tubeless tires. It only costs about $60 per wheel, but of course you have to remove them, take the tires off, ship them off to California, wait for them to be sealed and shipped back, buy new tubeless tires, and then put them back on. Contact these folks when you are ready: Wheel Works 12787 Nutwood Ave. Garden Grove, CA 92840 (714) 530-6681 www.wheel-works.com I have thought about doing this a hundred times, but I never quite get around to it. __________________ Dream like you'll live forever, live like you'll die tomorrow. You MUST obey the pug dog! Last edited by DrBob; 11-09-2005 at 10:33 PM.

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11-10-2005, 07:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
un4gvn173 Newbie Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio Posts: 6	Thanks Dr Bob, for the info. It looks like it would be a good winter project next year to send out the wheels to be sealed. Thanks again.

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