► Wheel sizes - 21in, 19in, 17in, alloys/wire

[bingbong]

Could be a solution...

I'm in the process of doing exactly this. I started wanting the 17" allround but decided it didn't look quite right and I still wanted to ride a few dirt roads so a 19 suited me better. Central wheel components will rebuild the original hubs with excell rims in whatever size you want for around £500. I didn't go along this route as I wanted to keep the original wheels for possible resale. BMW wont sell just the hubs so that I could build second set. So I have now been talking to woody's wheel works in the states, he has measured a 800 and is working on a solution for hubs and rims. I hope to get tubeless excell rims but we'll see whats available when the hubs are ready. This is not going to be a cheap solution but I want a right solution so I'm prepared to wait and pay, within reason.
Now ABS, I'm working on the assumption that the new hubs will take the original disks which carry the ABS ring so there shouldn't be an issue. The manual warns against fitting different size wheels with ABS as the programing is set up for 21x17 and will need "reprogramming". So my guess is that if I have an issue with the ABS operation, (which I don't expect to) it can be fixed. The ABS ring from a 650 won't work as the sensor is mounted in a diffent position due to different forks and is a different size too which would cause more problems IMHO.
As soon as I hear from Woody's wheels I'll post and let you know. (I have no interest in promoting any of these companies by the way)
Hope this helps some

 

[Marty Hill]

I sent Woody a hub off a wrecked 800GS. Now have a beautiful excel 19" wheel. All parts fit well tho I haven't mounted on the bike as yet.

Cheers.

 

[lloyd]

A dealer?

Or the online parts fiche: http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/MainDiagrams.asp?mospid=50777


Tim

Excellent Tim, much appreciated. The ABS ring is the same so I think a 19" front and wider rear will be in order

The F800GS's I've ridden had very snatchy throttles. I found it really horrible, especially off road.

Have you ridden an 800???

Ahh, there's the spanner in the works. I sold my KTM 990 because of the horrible snatchy throttle ( caused by a combination of a euro3 compliant map and KTM seeming to be clueless on how to put an FI system on a big twin)
I am planning on a testride at Southport superbikes in a week but if the bike is snatchy I won't buy .

As for all big twins are snatchy sir.... im sorry but I just dont buy that crap. I have had numerous big twins, in fact I really dislike IL4's and the only bad twin I have owned has been the KTM, my old 1200gs was excellent, my multistrada and monster were perfect. Even the Aprilias were excellent ( although i did ride an early yammy fazer that was horrible but Yamaha sorted the issue in the second model year)
I think the fanboy's come up with this excuse instead of blaming the manufacturer. The KTM forums are half full of people with 990's having the problem, the other half just insult them by saying it must be their riding style/ the bike wasn't warmed up right/ it wasn't facing the KTM factory when started etc etc.


Thanks for your responses so far. If the purchase goes ahead, the wheel conversion will be done very shortly afterwards.


One last thing, with the KTM, you could have the ECU flashed with a none-EU compliant map that made the bike alot better but also increased the fuel consumption, it didn't cut the fuel off on a closed throttle so the pickup was smoother .It was supplied for aftermarket exhaust users to increase the richness but worked great for the "snatch" Do BMW offer this remapping?

 

[Martin]

Lean angle using 21" front wheel

I've had the 800GS for a week, and covered 600 very happy miles. First service on Wednesday. I've read somewhere, that having a 21" front wheel, compromises road holding and cornering ability. I've had no "moments" when cornering, and nothing seems to touch down when cranked over. Looking over the bike yesterday, the back tyre doesn't have any "chicken strips" . Will the pegs touch down before the front lets go? Has anybody found out?

 

[Timpo]

99% of the hype about bikes is BS.
Your bike ain't no GP machine, so just get on it and ride it like it is intended.
There will be gyroscopic forces a 21" wheel has when turning at speed, hence one of the reason off-roady type bikes have them, so diversion changes are slowed when sudden impacts occur.

Timpo.

 

[John Armstrong]

Bet you have Battlewings on the bike

 

[sijohnston]

I've had the 800GS for a week, and covered 600 very happy miles. First service on Wednesday. I've read somewhere, that having a 21" front wheel, compromises road holding and cornering ability. I've had no "moments" when cornering, and nothing seems to touch down when cranked over. Looking over the bike yesterday, the back tyre doesn't have any "chicken strips" . Will the pegs touch down before the front lets go? Has anybody found out?

you'll get the pegs down. 21" front wheel won't hold you back at all in turns, just a bit more weavy at top end speeds, particularly with TKC's!

 

[Martin]

Yes, the bike's got battlewings. Seem to stick to the road like sh*t to a blanket.

 

[Flipfly]

On my Single cylinder the pegs go down (along way over) then very (and I mean VERY) soon after the panniers touch when fully extended, then the back lets go, then the front, you get a fairly strong smell of Poo, and then it sorts itself out and you carry on as normal

You'll find the limit.............when you get there

 

[John Armstrong]

Yes, the bike's got battlewings. Seem to stick to the road like sh*t to a blanket.

Thought you had, running my 650 twin with almost no lean angle meant no chicken strips with the battle wings

I don't think most of us can tell the difference between a 21 and 19 inch wheel on the road, it's more to do with how much we trust it. I do know that on the 650 single I had, the 21 inch wheel with Tourances liked to follow white lines, banding etc much more than those on the GSA I had. The 650 twin doesn't exhibit this behaviour either. Not sure if it's a 21 inch thing or tyre thing though.

 

[adv_gs800]

On my Single cylinder the pegs go down (along way over) then very (and I mean VERY) soon after the panniers touch when fully extended, then the back lets go, then the front, you get a fairly strong smell of Poo, and then it sorts itself out and you carry on as normal

You'll find the limit.............when you get there

I have had the pannier scrape- then the smell of poo before!!

LOL

 

[Micky]

Had the center stand kiss the tarmac at der Nürburgring last year

 

[(RIP) ugg]

nearly had the back pegs down on this


Slightly modified XT 600 tenere supermoto

17" aprilly wheels

ugg

 

[chrisjk]

18 inch rims?

I am contemplating getting my F800 GS's rear wheel laced with an 18 inch rim to improve tyre choice. This will affect the ABS ( which I use on the road). The owners handbook implies that a change in wheel size might be catered for by re-programming the ABS computer but makes no promises - anyone else done this?

 

[xlv]

Wheelsize-ABS question

Hello!
i orderd a new f650gs yesterday and this bike is mostly going to see pavement so i would like to put a set of 17" supermoto wheels on it.
the question is what happens to the ABS brake system if i change the wheels, anyone have any know-how about this stuff? I have seen it done on a f800gs but i dont know if it was a ABS model.

I live in Sweden and bmw:s comes with ABS brakes if you like it or not.

Thank´s

Mike

 

[lank45]

What size spokes and where to get spoke weights?

Just had my new tyres fitted by a friend and he's balanced the wheels but he couldn't get the wheel weights to stick to the rims so has zip tied some to the spokes as a short term fix.

Does anyone know where I can get spoke weights from and what size spokes are on the 800GS?

 

[TheJoker]

My (sticky) weights attach just fine onto the rims. I've done 4 of the F800GS wheels. Just clean the surface well before sticking them on. There's different size (and shape) weights on eBay, you might want to have a look there for something suitable.

I've never heard of spoke weights... Am I too young?

 

[argee]

just fit the tyres with the coloured dot on the valve....

 

[Dean]

My (sticky) I've done 4 of the F800GS wheels.

Cool a F800 GS Quad awesome

 

[shaunj]

I've never heard of spoke weights... Am I too young?

Spoke weights are basically just a cylinder of soft metal with a slot in it which you put over the spoke and crush so they stay on my 08 KLE uses them