GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

I'm thinking of working on a set of custom aluminum wheels for my GS cut with a CNC machine.  If I can pull it off, is there any interest out there from you guys?  Before I get too wrapped up in it, I'd like to gauge the intrest level.  

Other custom wheels, polished or chrome, cost $800 to $1600 US.  These would be much less expensive and of a very high quality.  I'll send out pictures if we get one done.   :dunno:

lets see a concept design....

I'd want a 16 inch rear wheen that can fit a 150 or so wide tire ...
Cool.
Srinath.

BTW I'd expect the aluminum for it alone to cost over $150 ... ~60lbs at ~ $2.25-2.50/lb
Cool.
Srinath.

i would be. Just let me see a pic of one done.

Here is the deal: I have a friend in Seattle that uses a bunch of CNC machines.   I have a spare rear (17 inch) wheel and we may see what we can come up with.  Then later do a front.  Pretty simple: 5 spoke or something, billit aluminum.  When I get one made I'll put the photo up and (hopefully) it will be easy to duplicate.  The GS has no aftermarket wheels available.  I own a GS, so it is a perfect bike to start with.

that sounds great! i'd be interested...

would you be able to make it any wider?

We'll see.  I am assuming that the program is fairly sophisticated, so in theory, yes.  

If we can make one that is 4.5 inches wide (isn't that bigger than stock?) then I'll have the first one!  

I am sort of worried about liability if we make a lot of them.  But the chances one would fail are slim. . . Better set up an L.L.C., just to be safe.
Especially for the front.  A failure would be fairly catostrophic.  We'll be sure to watch the tolerances and just top grade materials.

Are you just making a complete 3D model and then throwing it in the machine? Or are you starting with a wheel blank and then coming up with your own design for the spokes?

Probably the later.  I need to look at it more.  I've got to pursuade him it is a good idea and that there will be some interest, which was part of the reason for this thread.

There is  :thumb:

6061 billet is incredibly strong ... all the big guys Jesse James, PM, Dominator as well as car guys use it ... 6061 also has very very good weathering and ageing ... its better than gold really ... BTW the stock shiite is cast crap ... its not worth 20 cents man .... just get a hunck of 6061 and machine away ... as long as its atleast stock thickness you'd have a 10 times better product ... make 1 make 1000 none is going to fail ... The factories that make this stuff supply aircraft, army and navy and every thing in between ... like trailers, containers, horse trailers, just you name it its made from 6061 ... Just cut it to stock or thicker and you'll be fine. Besides making 5 or 6 spoke is better than the 3 the factory made ... and of course the spokes will be solid in your case ... It will be stronger than the rest of the bike ... My hope is ... you make enough and make a profit and sell them all and eventually make a 16 just for me ...  :)
Cool.
Srinath.

Quote from: seshadri_srinathMy hope is ... you make enough and make a profit and sell them all and eventually make a 16 just for me ...  :)

fat chance!  you were really working it there for a while...spitting out all kinds of facts :P

would probably be interested in something like that depending on final cost. a cool 5 spoke design would be very nice. also, a 4.5 inch rear would be perfect.

Quote from: JetSwing

Quote from: seshadri_srinathMy hope is ... you make enough and make a profit and sell them all and eventually make a 16 just for me ...  :)

fat chance!  you were really working it there for a while...spitting out all kinds of facts :P

Hey jake D Take one of those 60 lb blocks and hit this guy on the head ...
Cool.
Srinath.

Yeha, i would love a 5 spoke rims. Go ahead am make em

imo what makes the most sense is just making a 4.5inch wide rear.



I know, I would rather buy one rear, than a rear AND a front I don't need

Here are some ideas.  BTW, apparently it's "OK" to rip off each other's wheel designs because it seems like every wheel manufacturer offers very, very similar designs.:

(http://www.revlimiterracing.com/wheels/marchesiniwheels/marchesini4.jpg)MARCHESINI 5 SPOKE CARBON WHEELS
(http://www.revlimiterracing.com/wheels/marchesiniwheels/marchesini6.jpg)MARCHESINI FORGED WHEELS (also a 5 spoke)
(http://www.revlimiterracing.com/wheels/pvmwheels/PVM_5_yspoke_gold.jpg)PVM Wheels (5 spoke)
(http://www.ema-usa.com/wheels/images/PVM_5Y_pair_blk.jpg)EMA 5 spoke...alot like the marchesini...very popular style
(http://www.ema-usa.com/wheels/images/PVM_20S_pair_blk.jpg)BIG pimpin' EMA 20 spoke
(http://www.ema-usa.com/wheels/images/PVM_10spokeduo.jpg)little pimpin' EMA 10 spoke

I like the 10 spoke versions WAY better. Geeze they look hot! i prefer the MARCHESINI FORGED WHEELS (10 spoke) version. Very nice. I would definatly get me a set of those if available. A nice white set.

gold rims look pimp..i would be very interested in some aluminum wheels.  black rims are bland and boring.

no more than 5 spokes please...if i wanted to pimp my gs, i would have gone on mtv's pimp my ride!  :)

Jet, did you mean 5 solid spokes or 5 spokes with the split tips?...making it kind of a 10 spoke but they still call them 5 spokes.

Kind of confusing, I know.  :roll:

dom, don't make me change it to 4 spokes...  8)

I like the 5 or 6 spokes and those splitting 5 spoke ones I dont care too muhc for those but I'd say its better than the 10 spoke ... More spokes means the spokes can be smaller and hence lighter. The old Yamaha super wide 3 spoke with 3 big holes in each of those ... that was nice.
Cool.
Srinath.

Here's a fairly conservative 6 spoke
(http://www.ema-usa.com/wheels/images/PVM_6spoke_suzuki_ft_blk.jpg) PVM 6-spoke

i like 6 too :)

Quote from: stefman722i like 6 too :)

you like everything... :roll:

Not everything my friend.  :kiss:

the first one and last for, the others, no thanks, remind me of moped wheels from a tomas or puuch

Srinath, want 16" rims? i still have that 86 Ninja 600 sitting here, both wheels are 16" anti dive front Airforks, and air rear shock, perfect gauge cluster too.

I got NInna 600 rim as well ... and they will be faaar too muhc work to fit on a GS, I was really hoping they'd fit cos the belt part will be easy then ... I just buy Vulcan 800 ones from scootworks ... anyway I can manage the belt one way or another ... the 16 wheel might be shelved unless I get the billet guy to make me some ... looks like it might not happen either ...
Cool.
Srinath.

Hey actually I would like a ex500 88-96 I think rear wheel ... werase thought it might fit the GS.
Cool.
Srinath.

Hey, I want to make a bunch of wheels worse than any of you.  But it is going to take a long time to sort this out.  You will all be the first ones to know when I get 'er done.

I'm going to start a company. . . get rich. . . make movies. . .

Show me all the blueprints.  Show me all the blueprints. . .show me all the blueprints. . .

BTW Jetswing. . .If we can figure out how to make a 20 spoke, trust me . . .

I WILL!!!! :thumb:

Quote from: Jake DBTW Jetswing. . .If we can figure out how to make a 20 spoke, trust me . . .

I WILL!!!! :thumb:

greeeat...i'll be pimpin then  8)

I guess I would have to ask; what kind of software does your table use or what kind of files would you need...what format?  I mess around in AutoCad a bit and could make up some designs but most of the cnc routing I have had done was actually designed in Adobe Illustrator(wierd, I know...it's a vector thing...)  

So, what is the cut depth on the Z axis?(very important)  Do you plan to cut the axle first, pin it down, mill one half, flip it, and mill the other side?  I remember seeing them use an automated mill with a 360 degree rotary table when I saw them cutting wheels on OCC....just thinking, because it might be difficult to get a true wheel from a solid block unless you can manage to pin it down to the table some how....and then another concern arises when you flip the wheel over to mill the other side, aligning everything perfectly and what not....  I would consider making a male piece that looks like a cog that bolts to the table and a corresponding female piece that is milled into the wheel so you know that when you flip the blank over the halves will align.

:cheers:

adobe illustrator? how do you make a wheel from a 2d drawing?  :dunno:

i don't know...a chisel and a hammer might be the way to go... :roll:

jack d, i'm willing to pay what ever! btw, i want 30 spokes, no more, no less! please hurry! my gs needs a new phat wheel!

Jet,

Well, I have only had a few jobs that required any special attention to the Z axis, so I would send the file to the cnc routing company and they program the specific cut depths.

I was just asking what format the files needed to be in so I could send him a file that could actually be useful, not just a pretty picture.

Not to mention that JakeD will probably need to utilize several different angled bits so that the wheels don't have razor sharp 90 degree corners all over the place.  Also, they would tend to look chintzy if he only uses a standard flute end/side mill bit.

OK I am betting that jetswing here hocks his ride loooong before we even get a whiff of the new 30 spoke wheels ...
BTW How is that exhaust jetswing ...
Cool.
Srinath.

Dom:

You might be the man with the plan!  And as luck would have it, they guy that is going to help me make these wheels lives in Seattle.  I'll be up there in 19 days then we head to Whistler to snowboard for a week.  

I'll pm you and get your e-mail address so I can at least get some more advice.  Maybe you can help us design the first one!

Quote from: seshadri_srinathBTW How is that exhaust jetswing ...

i haven't even begun to put in on...i've took off my wheel get them painted and i'm way too busy to even go back to it till next month...it's sitting in a storage without both wheels...

i sure could use a 30 spoke rear wheel about now... :roll:

check this video out...shows a brief wheel making process.
http://www.performancemachine.com/video/trinity/video.htm

Anyway jetswing ... the pipe and can ... make sure you clamp the thing on with the muffler clamp and tighten the bolts and clamps holding it to the footpeg ... you dont waht that can shaking around ... If you think it should be tighter at the place it slips on ... stuff muffler tape in there ... its gotta have no free movement ... else it will flop around and hit the swingarm and stuff and scratch itself ... One more reason I like Titanium ... its harder than the metal the bike is made of ... whoo hooo handle it rough and it likes it ...
Cool.
Srinath.

I spoke to a part time guy at my work who also works at a fancy pants machine shop that has the exact same machine that they used in OCC to make the custom wheels...it's calles a HAAS or Hawes 4-axis machine.  He said it might be difficult to make a wheel on a 3 axis machine...or at least it would take alot longer because you would have to switch out all of the tools by hand...on 4 axis machines you can load several different bits at once and the machine will switch them out as needed.  He also said that the wheels would take an extremely long time....like hours each, and that materials alone, like a solid block of 6061 would be at least $200.  Not to sound discouraging but I don't know if it can be done on a 3 axis... :dunno:

........... :roll:

and you think a bunch of cheap assed GS riders are going to pay for these......get the $ up front and make them one at a time.

that way you only make one for yourself. :mrgreen:

i want a set of PVM/OZ/marvic/Dymag/PM/technomagnezio/RC components/.......

there is a real good reason they cost....800-1200 a wheel
sounds like the price of... a .... GS500

i got a ton of crap for converting my bike to GSXR rear wheel and GSXR USD front end.....
"Why did you do that??????????...."
took a while to sell it and i eventually had to start removing parts to sell it


don't mind me i'm just pissed cause i don't think the SSSA will fit in the frame......

I like the forged ones... very sexy!!!! Ill buy. If I have the cash.

Quote from: werase643........... :roll:

....blah blah blah....

don't mind me i'm just pissed cause i don't think the SSSA will fit in the frame......

Which SSSA do you have or looking at?

Quote from: werase643i want a set of PVM/OZ/marvic/Dymag/PM/technomagnezio/RC components/.......

there is a real good reason they cost....800-1200 a wheel
....

look at carrozzeria wheels, good and inexpensive at $900 a SET.







I am still considering getting a set for my 600rr if I score a nice fat project...


[oops, forgot the URL: http://www.czusainc.com/ ]

pablo
i'd bet 20 bucks towards purchase ya can't get a set to fit a GS


Dgyver.....honda HAWK GT

the GS is too narrow at the swingarm pivot
i would have to grind off way!!!!!!!!!! tooooo much of the casting to get it in there.....i will measure it again 3-10 times........

Quote from: werase643pablo
i'd bet 20 bucks towards purchase ya can't get a set to fit a GS


Dgyver.....honda HAWK GT

the GS is too narrow at the swingarm pivot
i would have to grind off way!!!!!!!!!! tooooo much of the casting to get it in there.....i will measure it again 3-10 times........

Can you imagine a $900 on my 89 rat ... yup ... wheels cost more than the bike ... more than twice what its worth ... BTW I have seen this clown put a $1400 all stainless exhaust on an Isuzu impulse or some other little 87-88 isuzu. The muffler shop charged 400 in labor alone ... 145K miles and the under side of the car was - get this brown and black ... the black was oil ... it leaked so much ... brown of course was rust ...
Cool.
Srinath.

It looks like things are progressing.  There is some reason to be hopeful.

Srinath, I wouldn't expect the wheel we make to cost $900.  We'll have to make one and see what goes into it.  

So, looking at all these other wheels.  They don't seem to have the "inner drum" and "rubber dampers" the GS wheels have.  Do you think that we could just make a hub that bolts directly to the drive sprocket and leave out the inner hub and dampers?  
:dunno:

Quote from: Jake DSo, looking at all these other wheels.  They don't seem to have the "inner drum" and "rubber dampers" the GS wheels have.  Do you think that we could just make a hub that bolts directly to the drive sprocket and leave out the inner hub and dampers?  
:dunno:

You need to have the rubber dampers. All wheels have some type. Some types look like a rubber grommet or bushing. These prevent the metal to metal contact of the sprocket hub to the wheel. They act as a cushion under acceleration. Without them you would end up damaging the wheel.

Yeah, if you look at the carrozzeria wheels, the gold ones, you'll see the rubber bushings that they used in place of our cush drives.  It's really a smart alternative since it's extremely easy to machine and acquire bushings and inner sleeves for... thanks carrozzeria :thumb:

Quote from: Jake DIt looks like things are progressing.  There is some reason to be hopeful.

so i should hold off on teh gixxer wheel swap...?  :)

update please...

Alright. . .

The dream is alive.  

The computer guy is programing the machine as we speak.  Last I heard, the owner of the company making it said, "We'll make a 10 spoke and send it to you. . ."  :o

I know, he was kidding on some level.  The bits needed are expensive.  We are going to see what it is going to take.

Dom: you have a spare wheel on hand in Seattle?

Not all bike wheels have a "cush drive" or elastomeric isolator. Unless somebody is doing it different now, HD's never used anything other than the sprocket bolted straight up to the hub. And on the old drum types the sprocket was riveted to the hub. I never even heard of a "cush drive" till I got the Baby G...and I love it and the forum.

C......

Cush drive: out.  

Bushings: in.  

I update as things progress.

Word up.

awesome!

update?

Still programing the design into the computer. . .

Will update when it all works or falls apart.

make me a set like those EMA 5 spoke bad boys, I dont care what the price is.

Quote from: rclzmake me a set like those EMA 5 spoke bad boys, I dont care what the price is.

yo, the end of the line for a custom wheel is waaaay back there  :mrgreen:

ummm...any updates?