Which wheel is the lightest?

My rear's knackered on my '94 so I need a new one, if I liked the look of the 94 wheel I'd probably look into fixing it as nothing that I can buy is cheap, but that not being the case I have to go shopping.

I, along with everyone else and their dog love the 8 spoke, and had I the money in my pocket I'd already have one, but since I don't maybe I should throw aesthetics into the wind and go with practicality. So which is the lightest among the single sided 4bolts?

Also what about other makes? Those that I've done some research into include Ducatis' 916series and now the 1098series, Triumph superbikes(which all have really ugly wheels, sorry) and a selection of BMWs, I really like some of these, but they're all really strange some are 5 bolt and they all look like they have almost no offset. Obviously many of these would not be a direct bolt on, but that does not mean I can't make them work.

 

"Which wheel is the lightest?"
Which wheel ARE the lightest?

Motorcycles are NOT like cars. You cannot just swap wheels. The wheels are VERY specific to each motorcycle.
Some dirt track bikes have some brands of wheels that are more interchangeable but the HUBS of almost every motorcycle are different and propietary, especially sport bikes.

 

Thank you for the comment Donald. The mounting is actually less of an issue for me, I run a bank of 4 three axis HAAS milling machines that I can potentially use to fabricate the part that will be needed to fit the wheel to the spindle. This is actually why BMW wheels are appealing to me, todays BMW wheels are mounted with bolts (instead of the more common stud and lug nut arrangement) which means they only require a back plate with a center boss for location and 5 (or 4) tapped M10 holes. My concern with BMW wheels though is the backspacing. Not yet having the chance to measure one, they look deep, there may not be enough backspace for the wheel to center on the VFR swingarm.

The core of my question though was: between the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation (throughout which the wheels are interchangeable) which is the lightest? Also I think the answer to my question might be the 4th gen because I think it's the only one that's a 5" while the others are 5.5".

"ARE" would have been correct if I had asked "Which wheelS ARE the lightest" but being that "wheel" is singular "Which wheel is the lightest" is correct. I only asked it that way because I was referring to the fact that there is only one rear wheel on each bike and I am only concerned with that one wheel.

Again, thank you for your comment.

 

Now I understand.
Certainly sounds like you know what to do AND how to do it.
Sincerely, Don

BTW I made a mistake on "Which wheel ARE the lightest?"

Should have been Which WHEEL(S) ARE the lightest?
Guess I was in too much of a hurry.

 

Thanks, I just need to find the right part to fit up... that I can afford.

 

you pretty much guessed right. the 3rd 5th and 6th all weigh just about the same, (due to their all being 5.5 inch wide) while the 4th gen wheel comes in a little lighter (due to it being a 1/2 inch narrower). i forgot the exact #s, but they are on here some where.
ps factor in a 170 tire vs a 180 and you probably save even more weight.

i dont think the look vs weight savings is worth it. im gonna stick to my polished 5 spoke. (i removed maybe a ounce or two of powder coat and metal... lol)












but i would like to do a 520 conversion. which can save 2-3 pounds!

 

Ohh, that's nice, might have to get me one of those

Is the 5th gen any different than the 6th? I've never looked at them side by side, but they look the same to my untrained ignorant eye.

 

same rim just different colors.