Free Sample
The Complete Handbook of Motorcycle Rims & Wheels
The complete practical reference for selecting, installing, maintaining, and profiting from motorcycle rims and wheels
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Motorcycle Rims & Wheels
A motorcycle wheel is not just a round piece of metal with some spokes and a tire on it. In engineering terms, it is a complex load-bearing structure that serves as the critical interface between the motorcycle's mass and the road surface. Every action you take on the handlebars, every throttle input, and every brake application is translated into force through the contact patch of the tire, and ultimately through the rim and wheel assembly. If this assembly is wrong for the application, or if it is compromised in any way, the motorcycle will not handle predictably, tires will wear prematurely, and the risk of a catastrophic failure increases dramatically. This chapter is about understanding the fundamentals of that assembly.
To grasp how a wheel works, you need to think about what it actually does. It must accomplish several distinct jobs simultaneously. First, it supports the static weight of the motorcycle and the rider. Second, it transmits acceleration forces from the engine to the road. Third, it transmits braking forces from the brake calipers to the road. Fourth, it must manage lateral forces during cornering that can be several times greater than the static weight of the entire machine. Fifth, and critically, it must isolate the rider from road irregularities to a degree, providing a controlled and stable platform for the tire. All of this must be done with rotating mass that is unsprung. This last point is a concept every serious rider