Tire 240mm ....

[TPEHAK]

Hello guys.

I've got my rim back from the powdercoat shop and I'd like to share my experience with the 240 mm tire installation. This is my first experience in motorcycle tire installation.

Here is my rim just from the powdercoat shop.

I installed these bearings http://www.ebay.com/itm/331162465238?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT with this bearing spacer http://americansportbike.com/newdir...ef=17320&sid=05cv7v23234f505b3jgl35pdwg0d3l9c (for 03-09 XB/1125 Series).

I cooled the bearings in my refrigerator, slightly heated the bearing hole in the rim from brake disk side, apply thin layer of the antiseize lubricant http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KPVMZA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and install the bearing. I used socket 1-5/8 http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J5552...&qid=1412920778&sr=1-43&keywords=socket+1-5/8 and carefully tapped through the socket by a hammer. Then I installed the spacer and the second bearing. Don't forget that sign on bearings should be outside, constantly correct spacer between bearings while installation.

Then I installed the tire. DO NOT USE TIRE LEVERS FOR TIRE INSTALLATION. This is wrong way to install 240 mm tire, it is impossible to install 240 mm tire with tire levers. You will damage your rim and rim protectors will not work. I tried to install the 240 tire with tire levers and plastic rim protectors and all I've got a few deep scratches inside the rim (right under the tire sealant) and on the rim lip. I hope this damage will not affect on ability of the tire to keep air. This is really annoying me [sad]:

I threw away these freaking levers and I took a bunch 48 inch Heavy Duty Ties http://www.amazon.com/Serious-Ties-...21562&sr=1-2&keywords=48+inch+Heavy+Duty+Ties and I was done with the tire in 10 minuted without any tools! Don't forget use soapy water. Don't forget about turning direction of the wheel and locate the lightest part of tire near the nipple. The lightest part of tire should be shown on the tire:

Here is an example how in works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6WPzRRJLpA

Then applied about 30-35 PSI to finalize installation, here is the result:

I've ordered this touch up paint to mask these skraches http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JC7FG60/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[TPEHAK]

OK, I've fixed the scratches with dark blue metallic dupli-color and clear coat and taken actual size of the wheel. The wheel width is 235 mm under 35 PSI pressure.

Here are the custom sprockets and the foot peg spacer drawings for this tire I've finished. Gap between the chain and the tire is 3 mm, I hope it is enough.

Please let me know if you know a good sprocket manufacturer who can produce sprockets like on the drawings.

 

[TPEHAK]

It looks like these guys http://www.3guyz.com can make custom sprockets. They say that they can manufacture a custom transmission sprocket. Typically it takes 6-7 weeks from time of order and payment to complete, and they charge $395.00 plus shipping. The rear sprocket can also be manufactured in a custom design, within limits. They typically take 4 weeks to produce a custom rear, and the cost is $325.00 plus shipping. I sent them my drawings and now I am waiting his answer.

 

[onelogue]

Very Impressive! Keep up the good work. Hope that company can make you the offest sprockets. You will love your bike even more when this is done. [cool]

I know i do

 

[EricZ]

Cool project! Some suggestions if I may: Why dont you use a PBI sprocket with a spacer? It would be much cheaper. The tooling required to cut the splines on the front sprocket are specific to the spline design and I would be surprised if many shops had the tooling on hand. Also, the rear sprocket would be much stronger -and- easier/cheaper to make if it was flat and used a spacer on the wheel. Keep up the good work!

 

[TPEHAK]

Also, the rear sprocket would be much stronger -and- easier/cheaper to make if it was flat and used a spacer on the wheel.

As I know spacer for rear sprocket have an issue, it breaks the screws and damages the threaded holes in the wheel. Screws are bending under load because they have long arm. So I am going to try sprocket with offset.

 

[EricZ]

The screws only fail when they do not provide the proper clamp load on the joint. The factory design is no different than one with a spacer and longer bolts. The spacer needs to fit the wheel properly and the bolts need to be the proper grade and tightened to a sufficient torque.

When the assembly is tightened, the friction between the surface of the sprocket and the spacer prevents rotation and it is just the same as between the spacer and the wheel. The screws are only in tension and not in shear. If the clamp load is insufficient, the friction between the parts can not resist rotation relative to each other and will put the screws in shear, causing the issue you describe.

 

[EricZ]

This describes the type of joint design at the sprocket-wheel interface and sprocket-spacer-wheel interfaces. Bolt Calc is used in many engineering industries for bolted joint calculations. Read up here:

Here is the link to the page:Bolt Science

 

[mrlogix]

EricZ- nice link

 

[TPEHAK]

OK, it looks like these guys http://www.3guyz.com can't produce the rear sprocket with offset. So I've created the simplified rear sprocket drawing and these guys http://www.rebelgears.com are ready to make this rear sprocket for me:

In addition I've created the drawing for the spacer for the standard rear sprocket and already ordered it in the local machine shop. So I will have the sprocket with offset and the spacer for standard sprockets. The issue is that the rear sprocket bolts will interact with the swingarm it I will use the rear wheel spacer. Grade 5 bolt without washer has about 2 mm interaction, grade 8 bolt without washers has about 3.5 mm interaction, grade 9 bolt without washer has 4.4 mm interaction with the swingarm.

There is the hole with the bolt near the rear wheel axis.

I am not sure that this is a good idea to make a notch for rear wheel bolts in the swingarm in that hole. So I am confused. Maybe it makes sense to wait the custom rear sprocket.


I've ordered the custom front sprocket from these guys http://www.superiorsprockets.com/sprocket_custom.html . They say that it will take a few weeks and will cost about 75 dollars. It is even cheaper than standard front sprocket!

But I can't wait anymore and in addition I've ordered the standard 23 teeth PBI front sprocket with offset 1.06 inches (PBI 288-23) which is for 530 chain http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GTWYWM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then I gave this sprocket to the local grinding shop and asked to grind down the outside sprocket face up to 6 mm thickness to match the 520 chain. Here is the front sprocket after grinding:

Here is the modified front sprocket with 520 chain:

So you can use standard PBI sprockets for 530 chain and grind outside face down to match 520 chain, it works.

Tomorrow I am going to pickup from local machine shop my pars for Free Spirit Idler modification and the spacer for the standard rear sprocket.

 

[TPEHAK]

Let the game begin!
Today I've took my parts from the local machine shop.

Here is the rear wheel spacer

Here is the footpeg spacer

Her are the parts for Free Spirit Idler modification to get the offset:

Here is the Free Spirit Idler before modification

and after

Here is the spacer on the wheel

Here are the spacer and the sprocket together

Here is the rear sprocket offset

Here are the bolts I can use for the rear sprocket: grade 9, grade 8 and grade 5. Which one of them would be better to use? The problem with the swingarm and the bolts interaction I've described in the previous post. But at the same time I don't want to get the problem like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Nmngz9SgA

And finally, here is my home made 240 kit

 

[TPEHAK]

Finally I've done! A half year of investigations, measurements, orderings, waiting and two days for assembly.

Here is the process of the installation. Use the Buell service manual for all assembling and disassembling processes.

Unmount the rear wheel, the belt and the sprocket. I highly recommend to use pneumatic impact gun and 150 PSI pressure compressor like I did to unscrew the front sprocket nut.

Install the footpeg spacer

Here is the cardboard circle for marking rear sprocket bolts trace

3.5 mm notch marking by tape for the sprocket bolts. Don't forget to cover rear wheel axle holes by tape to prevent metal dust in the holes.

The bolt's notch are ready

Temporary 240 mm wheel installation for marking the chain trace

6 mm notch marking by tape for the chain trace. Don't forget to cover rear wheel axle holes by tape to prevent metal dust in the holes.

The chain notch are ready

Install and tighten with Blue Loctite the 8 grade bolts in all rear sprocket holes

Prepare the rear wheel axle with antiseize lubricant

Balance the rear wheel assembly

Install the front sprocket. I used the 7/8 Hex bit socket and a piece of wood to lock the front sprocket for nut tightening

Brake the chain to appropriate size. Don't forget about chain slack.

Install the wheel, the chain and the idler. Here is the installed chain

Grind down the brace bolt which will go through the hole shown on the picture below 2 mm shorter, otherwise chain will touch it!

And here is the result

 

[TPEHAK]

Today I've installed the front sprocket cover with 13mm spacers and new longer bolts.

Fits perfect

I see no big difference with control, it feels almost the same like the standard 180mm rear wheel.

The only issues are a lot of noise from chain, 23 teeth front sprocket gives incorrect speedometer data (actual speed is about 3-4 mph more than speedometer shows) and causes less torque, more uses of clutch, minimum speed on first gear is 15 mph instead 10 mph, oil from chain everywhere around it. But now the motorcycle looks very organic.

Now I am thinking about Stone Guard installation under the chain to prevent collecting stones and other garbage from the road in the chain.

 

[twoguns]

how far have you ridden yet? as 3mm is not very much, and i found that as my klms travelled (chain wear) and as my speed increased and the chain slopped and moved, that it touched the tyre.

 

[TPEHAK]

I haven't ridden too much. I can't say if my chain touches the tire too. I see some oil marks on the chain side of the tire but I can't bend the chain up to the tire by my hand, it almost does not bend in horizontal direction. I have adjusted pretty small chain slack (15-20 mm), I hope it helps. I don't think that we need big chain slack because swingarm and idler geometry was designed for belt which has no slack.

 

[Catmostfeared]

awesome

 

[TPEHAK]

Hello guys. Finally I've got the custom sprocket with offset for 240 tire from Rebel Gears which was manufactured according my drawing. It looks great! No spacers needs, no swingarm notching, no special bolts, just ready to use as is with stock rear pulley bolts and 520 chain. But now I don't need it yet, I've already cuted my swingarm and use the flat steel sprocket with spacer and another bolts.

My Free Spirit flat sprocket with spacer and the custom sprocket with offset :

I still ride with the 23 tooth front sprocket and wait the new 21 teeth custom front sprocket.

By the way, after couple hundred miles I don't see any issues between the chain and the tire.

 

[TPEHAK]

Good news, today I've got my custom 21 teeth front sprocket with offset for 520 chain from Superior Sprockets . The sprocket was produced according my drawing and specifications. It looks awesome and costs only 75 dollars, even cheaper than stock sprockets! I spent more than 80$ for the stock PBI 23 teeth sprocket with offset for 530 chain and 200$ for grinding down the teeth width up to 520 chain in the local machine shop. So I highly recommend Superior Sprockets guys if you need a custom front sprocket. Next weekend I'm going to switch my 23 teeth front sprocket to the 21 teeth front sprocket.

The sprocket has pretty small inside diameter because it has only 21 teeth, so I have to cut off the lockplate corners a little bit

 

[TPEHAK]

Tonight, once I've switched to the 21 teeth front sprocket I've figured out that the chain has too big slack. And I can't eliminate this slack by eliminating one link, in this case the chain will be too short. At the same time idler adjustment is not enough to eliminate the chain slack. So the only way to use the 21 teeth front sprocket is using a rear sprocket with bigger amount of teeth (maybe 51 teeth rear sprocket would be enough to eliminate the slack). So I am going install the 23 teeth front sprocket back

Here is the chain slack with 21 teeth front sprocket. At the same time I can't cutoff one link because the chain will be too short.

 

[09BuellXB9SX]

Sir,

This has been an AWESOME thread to look at, you did an excellent job showing step by step what you were doing. Although i have (almost) no clue what your drawings mean it was a great read through haha. Post some more pics of the finished product! I think a integrated tail light would totally clean up the look and allow more focus to the read tire! just my .2