333:
142:
20:
41:. Traditionally motorcycles used wire-spoked wheels with inner tubes and pneumatic tyres. Although cast wheels were first used on a motorcycle in 1927, it would not be until the 1970s that mainstream manufacturers would start to introduce cast wheels on their roadgoing motorcycles. Spoked wheels are usually made using steel spokes with steel or aluminium rims. Cast wheels are predominantly made from an aluminium-alloy, but can also be made from more-exotic materials, such as
54:
299:
314:
191:'s Shelby-Dowd Industries; and in early 1975 Thomas J. Lester of then-named Lester Tire Company had applied for a patent on composite cast motorcycle wheel construction (with a press-fit hub). By mid 1975, Shelby-Dowd aftermarket cast alloy wheels were advertised for sale. In November 1975, Harley-Davidson, Moto Guzzi and Ducati all showed factory models fitted with alloy wheels at the
1240:
287:
introduced a rim-mounted "zero torsional load" disc brake that was claimed to reduce unsprung weight in the wheel-brake system, including lighter wheel spokes that carried no braking load. This style is generically termed a "perimeter brake" for its point of attachment to the wheel, and had been used
356:
have not gained wide adoption. Hub-center steering is used in special applications, such as on land speed racing streamliners at
Bonneville Speed Week, as it allows for a very compact, low-profile steering assembly when frontal area of the vehicle needs to be kept as small as possible to reduce air
687:
666:
36:
are made to cope with radial and axial forces. They also provide a way of mounting other critical components such as the brakes, final drive and suspension. Wheels, and anything directly connected to them, are considered to be
117:
By the late 2000s, a number of materials and designs in addition to traditional spoked wheels were available, including cast, spun or forged aluminum; cast or forged magnesium; and single-layup or composite
257:
tolerance and the elimination of spoke maintenance; better rigidity and thus better handling; weight reduction due to smaller hub size; and better handling of side loads for motorcycles with sidecar rigs.
244:
low-volume production road motorcycle range. Twenty years after the original business closed, the wheel is again being manufactured by a new business established by a former employee of Dawson
Harmsworth.
224:
C sold in 1976 was the first motorcycle by a major manufacturer to be fitted with cast wheels. The cast wheels weighed 100 grams (3.5 oz) more than the spoked wheels fitted to its RD350 predecessor.
273:
In a bid to improve wet weather braking performance, Spanish manufacturer
Sanglas in 1976 fitted inboard front brakes to their top model, the 500S, followed in the 1980s by Honda models such as the
195:
show in Milan. By 1976, two more manufacturers were offering aftermarket cast aluminum wheels: Henry Abe of Osaka, Japan (now
Daytona Global); and Lester Industries of Ohio (now a division of
1142:
649:
Read Titan, new equipment for 1975. Cast Mag Wheels. "Lowest price on market utilises original rear brake drum and fittings, available for Honda 750-500-350-250, Kawa 900, Yamaha, Suzuki
232:
composite wheels in 1977, marking the first time a manufacturer had included tubeless tires on a production motorcycle. At the same time as Honda's
Comstar, Dawson Harmsworth firm in
631:
Koln Show. "Only the ingenuity of Honda and their flat-four Gold Wing 1,000 cc special stopped the Wankel-powered machines taking the Koln (Cologne) Motor Cycle
Exhibition by storm!
1184:
1560:
566:
Munch
Mammoth 4 1200 TTS. "Elektron-cast alloy rear wheels were adopted because early machines were so powerful that they destroyed spoked wheels
1157:
236:, England produced a similar composite wheel from 1977 with generally comparable appearance, materials and construction. Initially intended for
298:
1024:
464:
586:
1581:
184:
OCR1000 machines. Aftermarket cast wheels for
Japanese makes having drum rear and front disc brakes were available in UK from late 1974.
1177:
1415:
1148:
1360:
998:
972:
824:
798:
491:
897:
838:
642:
624:
1399:
1170:
573:
417:
544:
1063:
165:
motorcycle show at
Cologne in late 1966. Elliott Morris began producing seven-spoke cast magnesium racing wheels in 1973.
332:
313:
153:
High-performance motorcycles began to use cast alloy wheels (usually aluminum but sometimes magnesium) as early as the
90:. This style of wheel evolved into a stouter motorcycle-specific wheel, still with spokes, up to the 1960s and beyond.
1425:
1094:
602:
401:
114:
patented a spoked wheel that cross ran the spokes onto the outside of the rim, allowing the use of tubeless tires.
526:
374:
141:
1547:
1420:
319:
284:
206:
850 Le Mans and the MV Agusta 750 America were available with alloy wheels as an option. Italian manufacturer
606:
75:
as bicycles had traditionally been fitted with. The
Steffey motorcycle in 1902, essentially a bicycle with a
1542:
1384:
1214:
1483:
1263:
154:
100:
Although cast wheels had already been used on automobiles previously, it was not until the 1927 that the
1334:
1283:
1193:
169:
919:
682:
1268:
661:
146:
1077:
281:. These used the front brake assembly enclosed in a vented aluminium hub to keep the mechanism dry.
1303:
685:, Thomas J. Lester, "Method of making composite motorcycle wheel", published 1977-07-19
349:
270:
independent of the wheels, but modern machines use drum or disc brakes integrated with the wheels.
241:
945:
880:"Manufacturer's advert. Astralite wheels, Dawson Harmsworth, 401-403 Penistone Road, Sheffield.",
853:
1506:
1491:
1288:
767:
725:
704:
211:
68:
1047:
508:
53:
1532:
1355:
1248:
1020:
1014:
994:
968:
962:
820:
794:
788:
569:
487:
460:
413:
289:
988:
814:
481:
454:
1370:
1298:
1278:
1209:
882:
745:
664:, Delmer D. Scott, "Motorcycle wheel", assigned to Shelby Dowd Industries, Inc.
353:
337:
158:
42:
1537:
1308:
1219:
1137:
217:
named 'Roma' with 10 in (250 mm) cast wheels as standard specification in 1975.
196:
58:
19:
1112:
1443:
406:
229:
188:
105:
432:
1575:
1365:
1339:
1329:
1273:
1133:
305:
278:
181:
101:
38:
24:
905:
288:
in smaller numbers by other manufacturers before Buell. They can rarely be found on
274:
221:
207:
119:
111:
1469:
1464:
1459:
858:
772:
730:
709:
611:
267:
253:
The advantages of the cast wheels versus spoked are several, and include better
237:
131:
80:
72:
843:
May 1975, p.59 Fantic Roma, Sixtener Special road test. Accessed 3 January 2017
1527:
1522:
671:
203:
76:
61:
187:
A patent for a cast alloy motorcycle wheel was filed in 1974 and assigned to
1313:
1293:
378:
233:
1224:
240:
applications, the wheel was specified for some models in the early 1980s
162:
1162:
607:"Mass centralization: Weight loss isn't just a post-holiday resolution."
1501:
1496:
1201:
254:
173:
94:
1239:
651:". Read Titan, 309 High Road, Leytonstone, London. Accessed 2015-06-13
1435:
1152:
177:
341:
331:
214:
192:
140:
87:
52:
18:
84:
1166:
97:
started production of motorcycle wheels with an aluminium rim.
925:
176:
motorcycle show with front and rear cast wheels and triple
588:
The Munch Mammoth: 45 years with Germany's first superbike
149:
with seven-spoke alloy wheels manufactured by Morris
1515:
1482:
1452:
1434:
1408:
1392:
1383:
1348:
1322:
1256:
1247:
1200:
405:
1095:"Perimeter Disc Rotors Installed On Spoke Wheels"
459:. MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company. p. 72.
1066:p.198, via Google Books. Retrieved 15 March 2020
266:Early motorcycles used brake mechanisms such as
1178:
8:
304:A drum brake at the spoked rear wheel of a
993:(revised ed.), Butterworth-Heinemann,
1389:
1253:
1185:
1171:
1163:
1064:Mick Walker's European Racing Motorcycles
647:, December 1974, p.48 Retailer's advert:
396:
394:
964:Harley-Davidson: The American Motorcycle
816:The Moto Guzzi Sport & Le Mans Bible
509:"Hoop it up: Sportbike wheel comparison"
456:The illustrated directory of motorcycles
375:"Classic motorcycles: Motorcycle wheels"
1561:Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling
947:Astralite Wheels - Care and Maintenance
790:The Book of the Classic MV Agusta Fours
768:"New ideas in wheels, forks and shocks"
365:
294:
433:"History of Borrani motorcycle wheels"
180:disc brakes for their 1975 Model Year
950:, Hesketh Owners Club, 18 August 2012
693:supersedes 1975 patent number 555,052
7:
1046:Mark Zimmerman (February 23, 2009),
705:"KK Motorcycle Supply advertisement"
507:Andrew Trevitt (February 23, 2009),
483:BMW GS: The Essential Buyer's Guide
16:Component of motorised two-wheelers
1416:Continuously variable transmission
161:rear wheel which was shown at the
14:
1158:How to re-spoke motorcycle wheels
1019:, Cengage Learning, p. 418,
1238:
527:"Carbon Fiber Motorcycle Wheels"
312:
297:
348:Exotic wheel technologies like
71:were built like bicycles, with
45:content alloy or carbon fibre.
1400:Sequential manual transmission
1076:Wes Siler (October 13, 2010),
904:, 28 June 2013, archived from
886:, p. 9, 22 September 1982
408:Sportbike Performance Handbook
79:engine attached, used wooden,
1:
1113:"Perimeter Disc Brake Rotors"
576:Accessed and added 2014-06-12
562:The Ultimate Motor-Cycle Book
480:Peter Henshaw (15 Apr 2008).
108:was fitted with cast wheels.
1093:Cyril Huze (July 15, 2010),
1016:Modern Motorcycle Technology
921:Astralite wheels by Rennstar
724:Joe Parkhurst (April 1976),
69:first commercial motorcycles
1582:Motorcycle tires and wheels
967:, Motorbooks, p. 186,
629:, December 1974, pp.34-36.
228:Honda began offering their
1598:
1079:Erik Buell Racing 1190RR-B
990:Motorcycle Tuning: Chassis
924:, Rennstar, archived from
129:
1556:
1236:
486:. Veloce Publishing Ltd.
322:wheel and perimeter brake
157:Mammoth, with its single
57:Wire wheels on the first
1548:Anti-lock braking system
1421:Dual-clutch transmission
1048:"Wire-wheel maintenance"
545:"Harley XLCR Café Racer"
336:Concept motorcycle with
285:Buell Motorcycle Company
104:, a motorcycle built in
1543:Traction control system
1143:considered for deletion
854:"Cycle World Road Test"
793:, Veloce, p. 169,
776:, p. 65, June 1976
750:, Daytona International
713:, p. 28, July 1975
525:David M. Young (2006),
987:John Robinson (1994),
961:Allan Girdler (1992),
819:, Veloce, p. 65,
633:". Accessed 2015-06-12
568:". Dorling Kindersley
453:de Cet, Mirco (2002).
345:
150:
64:
27:
1194:Motorcycle components
560:Wilson, Hugo. (1993)
335:
172:was exhibited at the
168:In November 1974 the
144:
56:
22:
840:Motorcycle Mechanics
813:Ian Falloon (2007),
787:Ian Falloon (2011),
644:Motorcycle Mechanics
626:Motorcycle Mechanics
147:Harley-Davidson XLCR
1111:Paul Crowe (2007),
605:(January 7, 2014),
549:Motorcycle Classics
350:hub-center steering
1371:Hydrogen fuel cell
1052:Motorcycle Cruiser
898:"Astralite wheels"
747:History of Daytona
591:, Motorcycle Daily
435:. Borrani Americas
373:John Glimmerveen.
346:
340:on display at the
151:
65:
28:
1569:
1568:
1478:
1477:
1379:
1378:
1366:Gasoline (petrol)
1279:Flat twin (boxer)
1026:978-1-111-64064-4
1013:Abdo, E. (2012),
466:978-0-7603-1417-3
290:custom motorcycle
126:Cast alloy wheels
1589:
1390:
1257:Layouts (common)
1254:
1242:
1187:
1180:
1173:
1164:
1149:Motorcycle wheel
1146:
1120:
1119:
1108:
1102:
1101:
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1083:
1073:
1067:
1061:
1055:
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1010:
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1003:
984:
978:
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958:
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951:
942:
936:
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916:
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894:
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883:Motor Cycle News
877:
871:
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868:
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862:: 36. March 1976
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441:
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411:
398:
389:
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386:
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354:centreless wheel
338:centreless wheel
316:
301:
93:In April, 1922,
23:Rear wheel of a
1597:
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1592:
1591:
1590:
1588:
1587:
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1571:
1570:
1565:
1564:
1552:
1511:
1474:
1448:
1430:
1404:
1375:
1344:
1340:Wankel (rotary)
1323:Layouts (other)
1318:
1243:
1234:
1196:
1191:
1131:
1128:
1123:
1110:
1109:
1105:
1099:Cyril Huze Post
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908:on 4 March 2016
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292:spoked wheels.
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59:Harley-Davidson
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1117:The Kneeslider
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543:Roland Brown,
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412:, Motorbooks,
402:Cameron, Kevin
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189:Carroll Shelby
182:rotary-engined
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130:Main article:
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928:on 2015-07-07
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902:Classic Racer
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800:9781845842031
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202:In 1975, the
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63:
60:
55:
48:
46:
44:
40:
39:unsprung mass
35:
32:
26:
25:Ducati Diavel
21:
1559:
1385:Transmission
1304:Straight-six
1229:
1136:
1116:
1106:
1098:
1088:
1078:
1071:
1059:
1051:
1041:
1030:, retrieved
1015:
1008:
989:
982:
963:
956:
946:
940:
930:, retrieved
926:the original
920:
914:
906:the original
901:
892:
881:
875:
864:. Retrieved
857:
848:
839:
834:
815:
808:
789:
782:
771:
762:
752:, retrieved
746:
740:
734:, p. 32
729:
719:
708:
699:
692:
677:
656:
648:
643:
638:
630:
625:
620:
610:
597:
587:
581:
565:
561:
556:
548:
538:
531:webBikeWorld
530:
520:
512:
502:
482:
475:
455:
448:
437:. Retrieved
427:
407:
382:. Retrieved
368:
347:
283:
272:
265:
252:
227:
222:Yamaha RD400
219:
212:step-through
201:
186:
167:
152:
120:carbon fiber
116:
110:
99:
92:
66:
33:
30:
29:
1484:Accessories
1470:Shaft drive
1460:Chain drive
1453:Final drive
1289:Inline-four
1082:, RideApart
859:Cycle World
773:Cycle World
731:Cycle World
710:Cycle World
612:Cycle World
513:Sport Rider
268:spoon brake
238:road racing
137:Development
132:Alloy wheel
73:wire wheels
1528:Drum brake
1523:Disc brake
1465:Belt drive
1215:Suspension
932:2015-06-15
866:2015-06-19
754:2015-06-02
726:"Round-Up"
683:US 4035895
574:0751300438
439:2015-06-03
419:0760302294
384:2015-06-03
361:References
344:trade show
249:Advantages
210:produce a
204:Moto Guzzi
102:Böhmerland
77:two-stroke
62:motorcycle
31:Motorcycle
1409:Automatic
1299:Flat-four
1141:is being
662:US 235431
564:pp.54-55
379:about.com
234:Sheffield
43:magnesium
1576:Category
1361:Electric
1309:Flat-six
1225:Swingarm
1134:template
404:(1998),
352:and the
170:Van Veen
163:Intermot
1507:Trailer
1502:Sidecar
1497:Pannier
1492:Fairing
1444:Slipper
1335:Turbine
1202:Chassis
1032:June 4,
279:CBX500F
242:Hesketh
230:Comstar
174:Cologne
145:A 1977
95:Borrani
49:History
1533:Saddle
1436:Clutch
1393:Manual
1356:Diesel
1284:Triple
1274:V-twin
1264:Single
1249:Engine
1230:Wheels
1153:Curlie
1147:
1138:Curlie
1023:
997:
971:
823:
797:
689:
668:
572:
490:
463:
416:
357:drag.
328:Exotic
275:VF400F
262:Brakes
255:runout
208:Fantic
178:Brembo
88:spokes
34:wheels
1538:Tires
1516:Other
1210:Frame
1132:‹The
342:EICMA
320:Buell
215:moped
193:EICMA
155:Münch
83:with
1220:Fork
1034:2015
1021:ISBN
995:ISBN
969:ISBN
821:ISBN
795:ISBN
570:ISBN
488:ISBN
461:ISBN
414:ISBN
277:and
220:The
199:).
85:wire
81:rims
67:The
1151:at
197:ITT
112:BMW
1578::
1314:V8
1294:V4
1145:.›
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496:.
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442:.
387:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
