WHEELS AND TIRES

[OLDMTNCARVER]

Hey Flip,
I'm cleaning my 20" blade stone saw frame with Jasco Metal etch!
Why not spokes!
Highest Regards,
Rob (the slower one)

[MSW]

After you get some practice at swapping the wheels,

Hey MSW-
How long to do the swap from street-to-dirt or vice versa?

Hey Flip. How's it going? After you've swapped rims a couple of times, it only takes about 45 mins to 1 hr to do the whole thing (given the average novice tool kit and mechanical ability - could be a lot shorter if you have pro tools, lift, mad skilz, etc.). Actually, it takes me more than an hour, but that's because I like to go slow when the procedure I'm doing could kill me if I screw it up. The first couple of times, it takes a couple of hours just to figure it all out.

BTW, the "kit" from MZ comes with a different caliper bracket for the front wheel, a different speedo drive, and a longer kickstand. Someone on the board who did his own D/S wheels said that you could get by without all of that other stuff. I've always used all of the kit parts - esp. the supplied D/S caliper bracket - but honestly, it looks to have about the same dimensions as the SM wheel caliper bracket, so maybe you can get by with just the wheels. That is, as long as the short kickstand and an inaccurate speedo don't bother you (or you have an aftermarket programmable speedo and carry a hunk of 2x4 with you).

On your rust issue, there seems to be a lot of controversy about that. Not oil thread or tire thread level controversy, mind you, but lots of disagreement. Some say that stainless spokes are the way to go for ease of maintenance/cleaning; however, others say that the stainless steel is too weak when in the form of a little threaded spoke, which could lead to catastrophic failure (or at least frequent monitoring and replacement). Some of the vintage guys just give them a good clean and polish and then coat with clear VHT Polyurethane Wheel Paint. Apparently, it stands up well to chemicals and doesn't have the yellowing effect of some clear paints over time. Another option is cadmium plating, which, I believe, is rust proof. However, I also understand that cadmium plating is highly toxic, and therefore, there aren't many local shops that will do cad plating on a small-job basis.

And, of course, there's the elbow grease option, which is what I've chosen so far. I just try to keep them clean and then give them a once-over with steel wool every year or so. Also, when cleaning, I'll go over the spokes with some Mothers (if I have time, which is not very frequently), which is supposed to protect them from rust between polishings. Seems to do just that, in my decidedly non-scientific opinion.

Probably too much info, but hey, you asked. Cheers!

[AtomicSpew]

Never too much info from you; thanks as always for the great advice. I think I'll spend some time with the steel wool and spoke wrench this weekend and just get 'em good and clean and properly adjusted as a starting point. Also, good to know on the wheel swap. I'm dealing with mountain living, which means no garage, and a sloping, dirt driveway. However, I do have a wide entrance on the ground floor of the house which opens to a nice, wide hallway--PERFECT for wheeling a bike into and doing a little midnight maintenance indoors...

I've got a line on the whole set--kickstand, caliper bracket and all. Actually, the parts are coming off a factory Enduro Baggy, so the "kit" is complete. This is where the dilemma kicks in of, do I spend about $750 on a used kit (and he's going to throw in a collection of spare parts), another couple hundred for new knobbies and probably a different sprocket set-up, and I deal with doing the swap on my own when I'm feeling the need for whatever the bike ISN'T set up for, vs. do I spend $2-3K on a 2001 XR400 and never worry about the swap, but add to my insurance bill with the additional bike, etc.?

I've always thought it would be a huge selling point to have the 2 different wheel set-ups for the Baggy (if I ever sell the bike), though I realize I'd never fully get my money out of it. I'm pretty sure my mechanical abilities could handle it, and especially as you point out, considering how critical it is to get it right! I think I just talked myself into getting the kit...if I find it too much of a hassle to swap out the wheels, then I've got myself a complete Baggy, with both sets of wheels and some spare parts and that'll be nice to have regardless. I can always justify adding an XR to the stable...

Thanks brother-
Flip