VF500 F2 Rear Wheel Impossible!

150/70-17

Happy the hear this! Congratulations on getting the F2 rim mounted and the brake caliper aligned :thumbsup:

On the tire rubbing, I'm surprised to read that this is still an issue with a 150/70-17 tire. Is this specific to the Pirelli?

 

Applause for you and Jamie on this project from hell.

BZ

 

slow its been a rough rode but im glad you made it through! the bike looks awesome :thumbsup:

 

Forgive the intrusion, but I just finsihed reading thru all of this. What an adventure. Congrats to both of you for sticking to it thru to a solution.

I just have one question..the issue seems to have been the swingarm mounting tab that needed grinding off? (if I'm following correctly.)

I have no idea what THAT is...can you point me to a foto or a link or a circled part in a foto? Maybe a before & after thing? Would love to see what the problem has been all along...it's like a good movie that you get up and walk out on with 5 minutes left? I have no visualization of the ending...

 

arty2::cheer2:Congrats!!!! Time for celebration!!!!

 

Slowbird congrats for sticking with it 'til the end.

Jamie A+ on customer service. Your midwestern values shine through like a beacon! I expected no less and you didn't disapoint!

 

Thanks everyone. I'm still very curious to know why my Swingarm tab is different then others.

I have no idea. It might be

The circled Tab is on the right side of the swingarm and on the inside. It is what the Rear brake caliper bracket slots onto.

 

150mm

This is a bit of a puzzle - I've read, in previous posts, that a 150mm wide tire will fit inside the stock swingarm with no issue and that it is the 160's that can get tricky - though some brands do indeed fit.

 

The profile series matters too. Even so, the 150/70 that Slowbird is trying to use should be ok. Actual width from edge to edge will vary quite a bit from model to model of tire.

 

profile

Thank you for the post.

Am I correct in understanding then that a 150mm tire can actually be wider than 150mm (based on the tire's profile)?

With this in mind - it seems like it would best to contact the specific tire manufacturer before placing an order so they can confirm the actual profile and relevant dimension.

On a side note, is there a specification available for the maximum allowable rear tire width for a stock VF500F swingarm?

 

Time to get a large vernier

 

Let me climb around in the next day or two and see what I have on mine. Runs in my mind it was the stock 600F2 size (160/70?) but I will doublecheck. It clears with just enough room.

 

Maybe this is another clue that my swingarm is oddball?

 

I run a 160/70 on my 500's and there is clearance (not a lot though). These tires measure around 155mm or so. I've measured 160's as low as 150mm and as wide as pver 165mm. I'd say 160mm actual width is about the most you can fit in the stock VF500 swingarm. Because of the above variances from model to model and manufacturer to manufacturer it's kind of difficult to know for sure without trying.

As mentioned previously, I've found that Dunlops tend to run narrow at the tip edge of the tire, that's why I can run a 160/70 and still have clearance.

 

Just checked mine, it's 160/60-17 Metzeler Z1. As Jamie said there is some clearance with the swingarm but we are talking 2-3mm per side at the most.

 

160 actual - max

Thank you. This is good information to have for anyone working on a 17" wheel conversion.

Given that 160mm actual is the maximum width - I can see why some 160's don't fit but all the 150's should.., right?

 

My Dunlops run about 5mm clearance per side, just eyeballing it. Depending on where the chain is adjusted it can get smaller.

 

So I have finally fully installed the rear wheel PLUS the CBR rear shock.





It was a bit of a pain to install the rear shock but it wasn't too bad. I couldn't use my rear stand cause it was lifting the bike from the swingarm and compressing the shock making it difficult to remove.
Since the center stand doesn't work with the F2 rear wheel I couldn't use that to support the bike so I had to use a block of wood and lift it slightly from the exhaust collector.
I also had to remove the battery and loosen the battery box as well as remove the coolant resevoir to re and re the rear shock.

Pics

Before:


After:


With the chain adjusted to be a little too tight the rear tire still has very little clearance from the swingarm. I haven't found a vernier large enough to measure exactly how thick it is.
I'm hoping with a 16/41 sprocket combo and a new (stock length) chain it'll be ok.

 

Looking good and congratulations on getting the rear wheel mounted!

If I could ask, what model CBR shock did you use for the core? Also, is the rear tire size 150/80-17?

On a side note, I did not realize the bike's centerstand has to be tossed when going with an F2 rim - why is this?

 

IIRC it's a 93 CBR600F2 rear shock and a 150/70-17 rear tire. Perilli Demon Sport

The F2 Rear Wheel kit wasn't designed with the Center stand in mind.

Pic with the tire and the center stand