Swapping wheels on different sports bikes

[smithyithy]

Think this is the right section for this..

Is it a common practice, or even generally possible?

I mean for example putting R6 wheels on a Gixer 600, CBR wheels on a Ninja..

Where do the limitations start? Obviously first you'd be looking at the wheel widths and diameters, but providing those matched up, what next?

Do we look at centre bores and offsets like with car wheels?

Just something I'm curious about..

[kestrel]

You also need to consider spindle diameters and bearing sizes, often you can find bearings with a suitable ID/OD to accommodate the change.
Also think about disc flange spacing and disc bolt pattern, flange spacing will affect caliper position, you can sometimes get round this by using discs with different offsets or disc spacers, or by making adaptor plates to offset the calipers.
On the rear wheel also think about chain alignment, front or rear sprockets can be bought or made with different offsets to correct small amounts of chain misalignment, if you have to resort to having the wheel machined then it gets expensive.
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[smithyithy]

Thanks. So for the most part it seems it can be quite a lot of hassle, compared to swapping around car wheels at least..

[Ariel Badger]

It can be done but is it worth doing?
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[smithyithy]

Probably not, it seems. Unless you find a combination that's almost a straight swap.

Reason I ask is, I'm not really a fan of 3-spoke wheels on supersports, even though mine has them... The CBR600RR's do too and I'd prefer either the 5 spokes like the R6, or the 10-spokes like the new 'Blades.

Either way I'll probably be getting the stock black wheels painted white cause I much prefer white wheels (even though they're a bitch to keep clean) so I was curious about whether you could just swap with another bike..

[Vincent]

It's quite often just as easy to transplant the entire front and rear ends. Steering stems can be swapped over and swingarm pivot widths are similar on a lot of bikes.
It's a nice way to transform a skinny wheeled classic into a more "modern" looking bike too.
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[Kickstart]

Hi

Kestral covered most things. Remember the speedo drive though, which also applies even if you are swapping the complete front and rear ends.

All the best

Keith
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[kestrel]