WHEEL SIZE

Has anyone tried to go to larger wheels on the mini wing or are we restricted to the 14"-13" combination that is stock for this unit?

My first question is WHY?? Just looking at front fender, looks to me like nothing bigger would fit, rear there would be clearance problems, too----wheels would be expensive and I do not see investing any money on bike that is no longer made and used maxi scooters are at all time low in price.

Want big wheels try a motorcycle. My 80,000 miles of SilverWing use, wheel size has been fine....maybe tire life could be improved.

Thanks for the reply. Was just interested in possibly reducing the wheel RPM at speed and extending the life of the tire. As far as a motorcycle I have a Yamaha V-Star 950 tour but am looking at a local Silverwing for a lighter around town and commuter bike. There is also a Bergman 400 for sale but I prefer the looks and the engine of the Honda. Been riding 45 years and this will be my first scooter and my first rig under 650cc.

Here is a link to an Asian site which seems to suggest that a T-Max wheel can be adapted to fit the a Silverwing. Dunno anyone who has done it though.

http://silverwing.xrea.jp/bbs_syasinkan/read.cgi?no=12

I'm always bemused when I read posts on here from prospective or new Silver Wing owners wanting to change things before they've collected or barely turned a wheel on one. They've no idea of what the Silver Wing or indeed maxi scooters generally are about and want to change it to something it's not. That's usually back to the motorcycle that they're more familiar with.

What's changing wheel size to extend tyre life all about, who does that? You could buy a few sets of replacement tyres for the price of of a set of larger alloy wheels, which may or may not fit correctly and then you'd have the added expense of fitting new tyres to them once you'd sourced a set. Then it could upset  the general balance of the scooter, and I don't know about the US but over here more than likely invalidate your insurance cover.

Extended tyre life is one of the main excuses used by The Children of The Damned! sorry Darksiders   for levering on their obscure car tyres.  


Y'all have a nice day now.

The only thing I've added to my 08 SWing is a Ram Ball between the handlebars for mounting my GPS. Other than that it's stock. I also put two speakers on the Monokey box. Gotta have music.

Dale N. wrote:

The only thing I've added to my 08 SWing is a Ram Ball between the handlebars for mounting my GPS. Other than that it's stock. I also put two speakers on the Monokey box. Gotta have music.

What, Dale, no Dr Pulleys?

Tim

Increasing the wheel diameter will throw off the speedometer and odometer, reduce brake effectiveness, and reduce acceleration. Clutch wear will increase slightly as will the CVT belt. It's all because the larger wheel will effectively reduce the reduction ratio of the rear drive. You could counter some of that a bit by changing the variator to one with lighter rollers. However the loss of performance and cost would more than negate a slight increase in tire life.
Best bet: Ride the bike as is and don't worry about saving a couple bucks. The bike as designed is a very good compromise between speed and acceleration. Good around town and still suitable on the freeway, it  performs those duties well.

BTW, my BMW C650GT maxi scooter has 15" wheels on front and back. The tires don't last any longer than those on my previous SWs. In fact I don't think they last as long.

And the smaller tires seem to be cheaper.

One other reason for taller wheels would be comfort when navigating pot holes. Or should I say NOT navigating around the pot holes.
Yet I agree with the previous comments. Keep wheels stock. You would have to change everything back to stock if you should want to sell it. Here in Hawaii, that change would require a reconstruction permit. To obtain a permit, you would have to provide receipts, and pass safety inspection. I do not think any motorcycle shop would pass such a change. But that is my 2¢.

In the freer state of Oregon you can modify to your heart's content. At least in this part of the state vehicles aren't inspected except four wheelers registered in Portland area and here in Medford which are smog checked. They don't smog check bikes.

Here in Hawaii they are so strict that dune buggy fab'ed from VW bug is illegal and will not pass reconstruction inspection. If you install aftermarket wheels, you need to provide receipts. Anyway engine mod needs receipts also. Yearly safety inspection. Very strict here.
Oh, just heard in the news that there is talk about lane splitting in the future. The problem I see is that the state has added lanes by reducing lane width and removed both highway shoulders. Not much room to share or split. Within the city they are adding bicycle lanes, taking away from other lanes and removing street side parking.

They know they have you under control. Hawaii is as socialistic as CA. In the other states you can cross a state line to get a break from foolishness of one type or another.

exavid wrote:

They know they have you under control. Hawaii is as socialistic as CA. In the other states you can cross a state line to get a break from foolishness of one type or another.

Exavid,
The way I see it, "the grass is always greener on the other side". All year riding weather, green landscape, friendly people. I can go fishing, boating, flying my drone, work on my lifetime rebuild of my 64 GTO. Yea, we give up some things, but we get back other things. I wish the island was larger where I could do a road trip, but I have to accept that I live on an island.