I searched for a while...and while there are post regarding the 18 inch rear.... I would like to ask you fine folks that did the conversion to 18 inch rears. In the next week or two...I will have my rear wheel send to Woody's....for a tubeless conversion..... I don't mean to start a tubeless....vs. tubed thread... But would really like to hear what you guys that has done this.....have to say... I am leaning that way....for my riding style. Bigger wheel roll over angle.... better off road traction...... But as with anything here on this forum..... your answers are a great help....... So after 18'ing it....wadayathink... Erling
Good starter thread Earling... I am contemplating this too. To that, some folk I think have done a 19" front (tubless) from Woodys... Not to hijack this thread, but I would like to consider an F & R conversion to tubeless. In doing so, the bike has to end up a bit lower, and on the front, a little more fender clearance is gained.... right?
Yeppers.... You would gain that....and if your off road riding is limited to dirt roads....washes....ie... no rock hopping etc.... you would be fine with the smaller front. for my riding style I will need to retain the 21 front....and would love the tubeless conversion....But nothing effectively beside Alpina (very costly) available. I spoke with Chris at Woddies yesterday.....and as usual..they are very knowledgeable....and offer tremendous help. This I know... I'm going tubeless on the rear..... Either retaining the stock wheel at 17 inch....( about 100-200 including boring out the hub+truing labor)...Or and excel 3.5 x18 incher all included for 650'ish. Tires cost about the same.......with a little more road rubber available in 17.....and a little more dirt rubber available in 18. Tire clearance is fine according to Chris...and a 1/2 inch higher tire lift of the bike is not an issue with me. Then there is the matter of ABS...? and how much taller the tall first gear now will feel..... Since I am using this for 50/50.....So you guys that have done the 18 rear..... How are you coping...???? Erling
I did the 18 conversion. two things to consider. You need a 45 rear sprocket to get the equivalent of the stock 42 because of the increased rolling radius. If you are switching between a 16/42 stock and 15/45 off road you will be tight to the front of the swing arm and if you have a mudsling or similar device, the clearance can be tight unless you add links to chain. Dave
That's what I was afraid of.... The first gear is too tall to start with.... and the extra 1/2 inch will obviously make that a little worse.... I will not re-gear it on the front or rear.... Was the gearing a big impact for you....???? On techno sections... that first can be a little tricky... How much did it impact you on the road???. Erling
Good question...... I really don't have an acceptable answer. I was thinking of it...as a drawback.... Like a negative that if needed....it was a strike against the 18...... But in retrospect....and in this day and age of thousand dollar farkles..... a sprocket set is not a big deal.....if all other things are good. I think I said that out of stupidity...... Thanks for shaking some reality in me....... Not kidding here.... Erling
I've wanted to do the 18" rear. But, I'm running a 17/45 sprocket combo which allows me to swap to 15/45 when I hit the mountains. This option really gives the bike some superior versatility. The lower gearing (3.00 vs. 2.65 ratio) really makes it a much better trail runner in the rough stuff. However, this requires most of the room (forward to aft) with the axle adjustment slot. So, I'm not sure an 18" wheel will still allow me to do this. Its something I've pondered much... This gearing option is a bigger advantage for me than an 18" wheel would be, if I can't have both. But I'd really like both. A little more ground clearance would be helpful. Though, I've not really had any traction problems with the 17" wheel. HF
Why spend all that money? What advantages are you getting? Seems like all negatives to me. The 17 inch rear wheel/tire is totally servicable on any surface to can navigate with a 500lb motorcycle. Besides, the outside diameter of your rear tire is already bigger than an enduro bike. Going tubeless is a problem in the bush as well. Bent a rim and your walking out. Add in the chainset to get your gearing back...$$$ Tubes and spokes are good things for adventuring. I vote save your money and spend it on a trip through the Yukon. Edit: The OD diameter of a 150/70/17 is almost exactly the same as a 130/80/18 found on most dirt bikes.
For me it all comes down to tire selection, an 18" rear gives you a multitude of choices, many at reasonable prices. Woody will be getting some business from me after tax season.
I don't see how. Tubeless gives you an advantage... pull out a nail, add a shoe-string patch, and you're fixed. Just a few seconds and you're on your way. With a tube, you're breaking down the entire wheel/tire to patch it, and hope you didn't forget your patches. With the nail, well, heck, stick the nail back in and it'll patch the hole for a while if you're out of real patches. On tubeless, you can ALWAYS carry a tube with you and put it in if you get a puncture that a shoe-string plug won't fix. We experienced this in AZ on a front 19" on a 12GS... sidewall pinch flat on a tubeless - added a tube, and he was on his way. I see a tube as a backup plan to tubeless, but running tubes isn't essential to adventure riding.
That is all true, but is it worth the money? Fixing a flat is no big deal. If you are willing to carry a spare tube, why bother with going tubeless in the first place? Tubeless tires are for cast wheels on the highway.
It's worth the money if you aren't a stickler about money. $1300 for a new Woody's rear wheel (KTM hub, rotor adapter, superlace, epoxy sealing) is not a lot of money for some people, and it's a ton of money to others. For me, it was worth the cost because I hate dealing with tubes when I'm riding solo in the middle of nowhere. YMMV
I will use my stock hub..... Excel 3.5 rim ...... Superlaced.... Tubeless converted 18 ........ $600'ish. Stock hub is ugly...... But good for saving $600 for a nice ano hub...:) Just need to be practical.
I did the Woody's 18 x2.5 rear and 21 front so I could rim locks and run ultra heavy duty tubes and Michi Deserts for a 13000 km ride last year. This took in everything from desert tracks to hwy and went across Australia and back. The wheels are superb and I didn't get one flat using uhd tubes. I kept the gearing the same by going 45 on the rear and had no problem with the gearing option when paddling some horrible sand dunes or travelling at hwy speed. One thing to think about is when you bottom the rear this 18 can make contact with the rear guard. I broke one and ended up limiting the stroke a little to stop the potential contact. The bike was carrying a lot of extra weight when this happened and not riding conservatively. My vote keep the tubes and go 45 rear. 800GS can do almost anything.
Nice.... Did you re gear....... Since you have goooobs of good terrain around you.... Or did the taller first not bother you??? Thanks Erling
Not just choices - but overall availability if you are in a small town. It's much easier to find 18" tires than 17" - especially if we're talking about tiny little towns where you always seem to be when a tire disintegrates . . . Another thing to consider is the resale value of the OEM wheels. It's been a while since I sold mine - but basically the cost of a set of complete wheels from Woody's, minus the sale price of the OEM wheels was pretty darn close to just having them re-use my OEM hubs and replace everything else. Obviously you'll want to look around at the current going rates for OEM wheels and do the math . . . but I was surprised at the result when I did it a year ago.
This is a good point. I live in Billings, MT. Biggest city in the state. (still only 100k people) I needed a tube last summer, 1 out of our 4 bike shops had a tube for a 17" Ryan