Ask Woody About Your Wheels

No question, just a statement.... (unpaid advertisement)

Woodyswheelworks rock

They supplied the whole kit foe the strom.... 18" rear and 21" front on rad hubs... Looks the goods and does, the job,

The stock strom rims bent on a small pothole 60klms on the dirt and blew the tyre off the rim

In two short rides I have bottomed out the suspension a few times without a dent.

Yes the rims take the bike past it's operational capacity but I hate euro bikes





Thanks foe the quality and service

Pete

Hi Woody,

I will keep stock wheel for cruising, 2up and 'transport', but have to find something for the Dakar 'wannabie' riding.
Enemies are fist to double size rocks lurking around corners with minimal time to avoid. Add some smaller washouts where lifting the front is the only options. Abandonen gravel roads and older two tracks plus some easier single tracks.

I cannot decide between 1.60 or 1.85 for the front. Same for read. Will the 2.50 rear work?
I really want to be able to order tires in the 80/100 size for front to widen the range. For the rear I hope I could use 140/80 or 120/100 tires. Even a 130/90 if it's possible. The speed in this Dakar mode is rarely above 80mph. I'd say most of the riding will be done in the 60-70 area.

I'm ready to pull the trigger but just want some advise before selecting the right sizes.

Thanks!

Hello Woody, can a KTM rear rim be redrilled for a Cush hub? I'm pretty sure that's a yes, but are larger nipples needed? It's an excel 18 x 2.15. I'm assuming the rotor side is the same, and I'd need to buy new spokes for the Cush side.

Thanks, Trevor

Woody,
Please forgive my ignorance but I need some advice and/or help with a wheel problem and you sir, are the man.
I have an old harley I've been putting back together and when I got to the part where I went to put a rear tire on it, I found the rim and spokes in very poor shape. I'm looking to replace them. I'm not even sure of the year or model the wheel came from but it's not stock for this bike. I want good quality, chrome spokes and rim. Tire size is 130 and dia is 16".
Any advice on where to start?

well that's a question that's been asked more than once,,,

the dilemna is ,we'd need to know which model ktm ya have,,,if my memory serves me correctly,,,there is an indexing difference plus the change in spoke hole diameter in cush drive hub

this necessitates re-angling and counter-sinking the spoke holes on the cush side of the rim,,, circa$30,,,you'll definitely need different spokes

call or e-mail Zach at the shop,,he'll set ya straight,,he knows this stuff and all your options like the back of hand,,,,tell him hi from Saigon

we can provide all these services


woody

we have most everything ya need new n used,,,

your best bet is to send a pic of your wheel to our shop website listed below,,attention Zach

IMHO,,unless it's a show bike,,you'll be far happier with a polished set of ss spokes and nipples,,haven't nary replaced one in 40 years

most chrome spokes come from china these days,,are prone to breaking and rusting pre-maturely

hope that get's ya on a better track,,,OBTW,,,if ya send it in and want a a sound repaired wheel ,,we can give ya an analysis of what's up with the whole assy,,,and recommend better solutions within your budget and other criteria,,,

woody

just reading,,about your needs i'll recommend the 1.85x21 front and 2.5x18rear superlaced to a set of the billet hubs i had RAD hubs we have in stock

i'd stick with the larger 90/90 front,,,extra rubber is your friend for the size bike ya have....IMHO opinion of course

having good suspension is another ally when riding hard off-road,,,


woodyii

Ok, so 1.85 and 2.50 it'll be. I am previous customer when I had my SE, so it'll be good to see some of your products again.

Btw, I have a full 690 rear wheel in my garage with only 60 miles on it. How much work is it to make this fit the ADV? It's 2.50 and DID dirtstar rims. Maybe I must strengthen the spokes, but maybe it can serve as a third rear for some special use.

the LC-4s have narrower rims and hubs than the LC-8 series,,,i assume ya have an LC-8 series bike,,,,,
FYI,,cush-drive hubs interchange with non cush drive hubs on all the single cylinder dirt bike series

you could send in the complete wheel and we could either transform it or use it as trade in for the proper wheel ya need ,,come to think of it,,,the LC-8 hub is so much wider we'd have a hard time re-angling/chanfering the spoke holes in the lateral direction

call Zach at the shop,,he'll know alot better what we have to work with,,,

woody

Ok, I'll pick a late night and call him. I had the 690, sold it but kept one of the rears I had (stock with Cush-drive hub), waiting for the LC8 to arrive....

ok,,good question,,,better answer

Rx=

1,, getting a 5/16th" or 8mm drill bit and drill

2,, look at where the current holes are drilled and the relationship to the spoke pattern,,you'll notice they are drilled in the "V",,,, this gives ya easier access to the nut for loosening/tightening,, all other spots are a pain in the ass to get your wrench and or air nozzle on ..

3,,,OK,,now locate the "V" as close to opposite of the existing holes,,,drill the hole from the drop center,,use a center punch if necessary to keep drill bit from wandering

FYI,,why do they drill em close together???,,,, makes tire changing easier/quicker....remember,,these rims are drilled for motocross bikes,,,where it's essentially a non issue at the sppeds aand/or the terrain they traverse,,,once ya hit the slab,,wheel trueness / concentricity/ balancing count as you have observed.

good luck from Saigon
woody

Any experience with 21 inch conversion on ESA and tyre pressure monitored 1200GS?

A friend recently did the conversion on his non ESA GS- comparing it with my bike (ESA), there seems to be less space between wheel and shock as result of ?sensor/pressure valve on ESA system.

He has the tubeless option 21"- the well of the rim appears too narrow to allow the fitment of the Tyre Pressure Monitor (standard on my bike). Have you encountered this scenario? Could just ignore the flashing dash light but not ideal.

Thanx for any feedback.

Hiya Woody,
First time long time! Will wheels from a 2002 ktm sx fit a 2007 ktm 525 exc? I appreciate the help !

We haven't heard any issues with it yet, I'm sure the mud can build up around there pretty easy though without a guard.

We can't get the sensor's in the 21'' rims because they are too narrow to fit in the drop center.

I am sure it doesn't mess with the computer's with them off, I have our abs ring removed on our 05 R1200GS with tubed 21/18 wheels and actually like it much better than not having it stop you off-road.

Thanks Zach

The front hub for the 2002 will not work on the 2007 they used a smaller inside bore and cant fit the 26 mm bearings in the hub.

The rear should fit no problem.

If these are aftermarket talon or Rad hubs you can change the spacers to make them work, but would need to know what hub they are.


thanks zach

Not all single cylinder wheels interchange, the 690 rear hubs are wider than the older LC4 and <530 bikes. But not wide enough to fit on the LC8....

You could also get a $25 adapter kit from KTM that allows you to fit a 20mm axle and wheel into your 26mm axle forks. It contains two split bushings and one wheel spacer.

Chao ong LukasM,,,fromSaigon,,,,

check with Zach,,,but i'm positive the hub wheel assy on the 690 is identical to all the others,,'cept it sports a wider spacer on one side,,we got snookered on that once before,,'tis a simple spacer swap,,Zach will remember better than i can these days

good call on the kit,,,my memory sez we found another solution,,,whatever,,,those early hubs were all replaced with beefier ones ,,not to mention the billets i designed and had RAD build me...

woody

Hi Woody,

I haven't actually measured them myself but I am 99% sure that the 690 hubs are wider. Not that this necessarily proves anything, but they do have a different part number and Rally Raid Products even offers a specific kit with a disc spacer to get the width the same when using a (narrower) 640 hub wheel in the 690.


Billet aluminium Adaptor Kit to allow the use of older LC4 rear wheel in the KTM 690 Enduro.Uses KTM 690 Sprocket Carrier and rubbers.




I have both 640 and 690 cush hub wheels at home so I'll get some measurements to confirm tonight.

Cheers,
Lukas


PS: Have a good time in HCMC, I spent a few months there a few years ago after a diving accident, first stuck in the hospital and then grounded until I was cleared to fly. Fun times!