Tubeless back rim for KZ650D

Looking at the wheels on my '81 KZ750E2 last night and noticed the front is tubeless from the factory, says "tubeless" cast into one of the spokes, yet there is NO tubeless "ridge".

Judge how you see fit, but apparently Kawasaki didn't think these ridges are critical for use of tubeless tires. Not sure why we should scoff at the prospect of running tubeless on a wheel previously using a tube. As long as it doesn't leak air, it can't be any worse than using wheels like my bike has.

If that rim still has no tire on it, can you post a pic of the profile of the rim? It would be interesting to see how it compares to the one martin_csr posted. Thanks. Ed

650ed wrote: If that rim still has no tire on it, can you post a pic of the profile of the rim? It would be interesting to see how it compares to the one martin_csr posted. Thanks. Ed

I can post photos later tonight, but trust me, the photo is identical to that one Patton posted earlier.

I believe you. I just think it would be interesting to see the variety of tubeless rim profiles. It kind of makes one wonder if Kawasaki couldn't decide what was needed. I wonder if they went from ridges on earlier tubeless to no ridges on later tubeless or the other way around, or if they used some of each in the same year. Ed

I suspect adding the ribs costs money to modify or make a new casting tool, so Kawasaki went forward to tubeless with the old profile and caught up with the new profile at a later date.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationNo eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationListed as a 1982 KZ750-R1. Tubeless is cast into one of the spokes & it does not have the ridges.

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1981 KZ750H Ltd. This should be a tubeless wheel, but he has obscured the spoke where Tubeless should be cast into it & this wheel does not have the ridges.

Very interesting! Ed

Here you go, order your own copy of the Tire and Rim Specs Yearbook (DOT source).
www.us-tra.org/publications.html

By the way, every pic of a rim posted has the ridge, you need to look closer.

If it does not have the ridge and is marked as tubeless in can not be sold or used on any new vehicle in the US (other countries also).

Nessism wrote: I suspect adding the ribs costs money to modify or make a new casting tool, so Kawasaki went forward to tubeless with the old profile and caught up with the new profile at a later date.

No, totally illegal with huge fines and ban on importation if caught.

Nessism wrote: Looking at the wheels on my '81 KZ750E2 last night and noticed the front is tubeless from the factory, says "tubeless" cast into one of the spokes, yet there is NO tubeless "ridge".

Judge how you see fit, but apparently Kawasaki didn't think these ridges are critical for use of tubeless tires. Not sure why we should scoff at the prospect of running tubeless on a wheel previously using a tube. As long as it doesn't leak air, it can't be any worse than using wheels like my bike has.

If you search maybe you will find the post by a member that was running tires tubeless on tube type rims and had one edge of the front tire slip off causing an immediate flat tire.

Perhaps you're not seeing the ridges because you don't know what you're looking for, run a straight edge across the beads inside the rim lip. Notice how the pics that Patton posted are shot at an angle and not straight on? That's because it's hard to see the ridges when looking straight at the wheel.

If the pics that Patton posted are the ones that I took and posted years ago (they look like it), then the rim with no edges is a KZ650D front wheel, and the one with ridges is a 83 GPz750 wheel.