Wheel Upgrade - is it worth it

[Campagman]

My 2008 Stelvio has the 5.5" rear rim which limits the tyres available to road going one, currently RoadSmarts

I'd like to be able to do some light trails off road.

I can get a pair of rim damaged wheels for around £400 on to which I can the get a 4.25" rim laced and even get the front re-rimmed so I could have spare set of wheels.

Apart from the off road ability of a narrower rim what would I gain on road from this change? Is it worth it?

 

[ARVENO]

Hello !
I think ( may be wrong ) you won't gain anything on the road,i think the bike will be a bit sharper on tight cornering...?

I don't own a stelvio but i have a bit of experience on off road.... if i wanted to use my stelvio off road i will get 21 front and 18 rear wheel rims ! ( as a spare set just for off road use )
Why ? you will have a lot of more tires options, and off road the front 21 and rear 18 are "almost" a must .

I did few rides in Tunisia and Maroc with my old BMW G/S and saw a few "hard core " off road 1150 and 1200 bmw gs with the 21 front wheel ( with traditional forks , without telelever ) and 18 rear and the owners of those bikes told me the off road drive-ability of their bikes improved a lot...

But again , it depends what kind of off road you are willing to do... i mean, for a week end warrior the 19 and 17 will be fine...

ciao !

 

[UKstridey]

Jonathan

If its of any interest a pair of brand new genuine cast ally rims are avaiable on ebay under this link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-ST ... 25d87e0dsh
for £399.00 plus shipping and tyres ofcourse. These would be ok for light off roading.

cheers
Mark

 

[boxermoose]

If you ride road only -it's just that the 150 section tires can had be a bit cheaper then the 180 section. the 180 section may also wear a bit faster as they are typically a bit sportier - but how many tire changes does it take to recoup?

180 section should handle a bit better on road

 

[Forseti]

I changed the rear on my 09 Stelvio and would not consider going back.

Turn in is sharper with no noticeable down side.

Much better tire selection available with longer lasting and/or more aggressive tread tires easily available for typically lower cost per tire.

Made a massive improvement in off pavement riding!

 

[Campagman]

Jonathan

If its of any interest a pair of brand new genuine cast ally rims are avaiable on ebay under this link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-ST ... 25d87e0dsh
for £399.00 plus shipping and tyres ofcourse. These would be ok for light off roading.

cheers
Mark

Yeah, thanks ,saw those but didn't consider suitable for off road, not as flexible as spoked rims. I may give them a call though.

 

[Campagman]

Hello !
I think ( may be wrong ) you won't gain anything on the road,i think the bike will be a bit sharper on tight cornering...?

I don't own a stelvio but i have a bit of experience on off road.... if i wanted to use my stelvio off road i will get 21 front and 18 rear wheel rims ! ( as a spare set just for off road use )
Why ? you will have a lot of more tires options, and off road the front 21 and rear 18 are "almost" a must .

I did few rides in Tunisia and Maroc with my old BMW G/S and saw a few "hard core " off road 1150 and 1200 bmw gs with the 21 front wheel ( with traditional forks , without telelever ) and 18 rear and the owners of those bikes told me the off road drive-ability of their bikes improved a lot...

But again , it depends what kind of off road you are willing to do... i mean, for a week end warrior the 19 and 17 will be fine...

ciao !

Cheers, 21 and 18 are a bit extreme, more the weekend warrior approach just considering the rear rim width. I've a KTM400 for 'real' off roading.

 

[Campagman]

Jonathan

If its of any interest a pair of brand new genuine cast ally rims are avaiable on ebay under this link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-ST ... 25d87e0dsh
for £399.00 plus shipping and tyres ofcourse. These would be ok for light off roading.

cheers
Mark

Yeah, thanks ,saw those but didn't consider suitable for off road, not as flexible as spoked rims. I may give them a call though.

Is this a correct assumption that you need spoked wheels for off road?

 

[UKstridey]

I believe light off roading will be ok with cast ally wheels. I assume you wont be doing too much heavy stuff on the stelvio after all? will you? :shock:

 

[Campagman]

Well, got myself and part exchange narrow section ex NTX rear wheel from Gutsibits. . Took some time off and went over to pick up. They have big old mill building full of s/h parts for all sorts of models - give them a look at http://www.gutsibits.co.uk

They took my full size wheel in part exchange, unfortunately not much value in a 5.5" wheel thought.

So, newish 4.25" ready to go on, needs a new tyre. So now the question is what tyres?

Time for a bit of searching I think.

 

[Forseti]

"So, newish 4.25" ready to go on, needs a new tyre. So now the question is what tyres?"

My suggestion....

mitas E07

Scrape pegs on pavement and play in the dirt with confidence!

Sand was too soft to use the stand so I had to dig a hole so the bike would sit by itself...

 

[WayneOrwig]

Sand was too soft to use the stand so I had to dig a hole so the bike would sit by itself...

:lol:

 

[Campagman]

mitas E07

Scrape pegs on pavement and play in the dirt with confidence!

Shrike - I like the look of those

Any more info on their performance, I'll be main on road with excursions to off road.

 

[Forseti]

Well... lol

I'm expecting to get better than 20,000 Km out of them.... so better life than a TKC, Tourance, or Anekee.
Lots of notice when pushing the limits..... don't suddenly let go... more start to drift.
Speed has not been an issue for me.

I'm really liking them.

 

[gdp]

Hello !
I think ( may be wrong ) you won't gain anything on the road,i think the bike will be a bit sharper on tight cornering...?

I don't own a stelvio but i have a bit of experience on off road.... if i wanted to use my stelvio off road i will get 21 front and 18 rear wheel rims ! ( as a spare set just for off road use )
Why ? you will have a lot of more tires options, and off road the front 21 and rear 18 are "almost" a must .

I did few rides in Tunisia and Maroc with my old BMW G/S and saw a few "hard core " off road 1150 and 1200 bmw gs with the 21 front wheel ( with traditional forks , without telelever ) and 18 rear and the owners of those bikes told me the off road drive-ability of their bikes improved a lot...

But again , it depends what kind of off road you are willing to do... i mean, for a week end warrior the 19 and 17 will be fine...

ciao !

....I'm not aware of any 18inch rear wheels for Stelvio....Where might one find such an item? gdp

 

[Campagman]

Fitted the new narrower rear wheel, now shod with a new Metzeler Tourance (also on the front). I'll go for the knoblies at a later date.


Went out yesterday for a quick spin (not been ridden for 2 months, I use my Honda in the winter)........it was great, bit cautious with then new tyres, went down one trail, just to get some dirt applied.

This is what I was doing the previous day on the Honda, in prep for doing the same on the Stelvio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu0DRycRpdE
A friend on his GS with my other half on thge back!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgzk8G3Evcw

These trails were like rivers

 

[gdp]

Well, got myself and part exchange narrow section ex NTX rear wheel from Gutsibits. . Took some time off and went over to pick up. They have big old mill building full of s/h parts for all sorts of models - give them a look at http://www.gutsibits.co.uk

They took my full size wheel in part exchange, unfortunately not much value in a 5.5" wheel thought.

So, newish 4.25" ready to go on, needs a new tyre. So now the question is what tyres?

Time for a bit of searching I think.

....Though I was skeptical, I took a chance on Metzeler 880 marathon for rear tire....and?....excellent !....PLENTY of grip..(better than I expected,NO SLIPPAGE,EVER)....and can get 8000 miles from the rear tire...virtually double what I got on Michelin III's,Michelin II's,you name it, I've tried it........Strictly on road....I commute 50miles a day....and am sticking with Metz. rear.....to each his own........

 

[Campagman]

Finally got to ride today,tyres feel good and it does seem to change direction more readily.
Even tried a short green lane, bars feel a touch too low despite the new lower footpegs

 

[RaulNTX]

I went on the other direction... I got NTX my11 with 4,25" rim. My 99.9% riding is on road, so I dicide to buy second hand black 5,5" rim from the ones who prefer 4,25".

Now, I like to try new experiences and want to go little off road, so I bought TKC80 tires, back and front. The feelin on road with them is rubbish, you must disconnect ABS and noise coming up from 70mph is annoying. Vibration, I can handle it.

Today the weather is nice, so I will go again off road. I drive carefully off road, for now it scares me a little when I need to brake the 320kg on a dirt path.

On the good/bad side tkc80 won't last much on road...

 

[RaulNTX]

After the morning off road ride... I can say TKC80 are made for it.
http://db.tt/vwYItBc1
http://db.tt/GHMwxYYp

Unfortunately, as I was taking pictures, the bike moved forward and fell down :shock:
http://db.tt/IQhePn2v

After lifting 300kg, not a big thing thanks to protections and mud
http://db.tt/HCqFQ42A
http://db.tt/ke3c6fms

If you are not an expert I don't recommend any other trail types...avoid mud, sand or narrow trails, Stelvio is too heavy for that.

TKC80 are bad for high on road speed (70mph up) or wet pavement. Perfect for trails, grip is good on winding roads with nice weather.