16x3" rear wheel with drum. Max tire size?

I need some help.

I bought a 86 zx600 swingarm off of ebay for cheap and I need to find a drum rear wheel that will allow me to fit a 150 tire. This is all going on my 78' KZ650B2.

I really don't want to overcomplicate the project with converting over to a disc setup. THe only thing I've seen on ebay is an 89' EX500 wheel but I believe it's a 16" inch wheel and I haven't been able to find what kind of a tire would fit on it.
I'm sure losing 2 inches on the rear wheel will bring a whole new set of issues.

I'm planning on keeping the front stock for now as this bike is going to be an ongoing project for me and I'll just modify as time and money allow each winter.

Here's a pic of the bike and the swingarm




Post edited by: Voodoosoup, at: 2006/11/18 16:34

how about just lacing a wider rim on stock hub?

Do you know of a source where I could pick up a wider rim?
Sound like a very reasonable idea, thanks.

its probably got 40 spokes (i think thats what 900-1000 has anyway)you should be able to lace up one of those drop center 16" harley rims,you might even be able to find one already laced up to a 900 drum rear hub on classified section so you dont have to chase down spokes for it. send me a pm if you cant find one,ive been known to have things buried in corners ive forgotten about!

i have a 900 drum hub i want to get rid of.

hell, i even have a good set of buchanan's spokes for an 18" wheel.

if you want it, send me the hoop, and i we'll lace that sucker back up for you.

try buchanan's, or east coast wheels, or factoryproracing.com.

i have bought from buch's and factory pro. factory pro is less expensive. they are a wholesaler, so they have product in stock.

--r

a smaller diameter wheel will just lower the rear of the bike a bit, you can slide the forks up in the triples to match (level the bike), and it will gear it a bit lower, so you will need different sprocket(s) if you want it to rev/accelerate the same as stock

77KZ650 wrote:

a smaller diameter wheel will just lower the rear of the bike a bit, you can slide the forks up in the triples to match (level the bike), and it will gear it a bit lower, so you will need different sprocket(s) if you want it to rev/accelerate the same as stock

I was already planning on having to get an offset sprocket for the front and getting a new rear and 530 chain while I was at it.

you shouldnt need offset sprockets with that small of back tire,i dont think so anyway;)

So I doublechecked my wheel and it is 40 spokes.
I've found some new 16" drop center rims on ebay but they're all 3".
Can I fit a 150 tire on a 3" wheel or do I need to go up to a 4"?

Thanks for all the help guys!

we used to run those drop center 16" harley rims all the time with a 130 tire it would fill up a stock swingarm really good!

My bike currently has a 130 on the rear and it does fill out the stock swingarm nicely! But the donor swingarm is wider than the stock. I just think a little fatter tire would give the rear of the bike more aesthetic pleasure.

I'm trying to source some spokes to fit my stock hub to a 16"x3" HD rim.
This way I won't have to worry about axle size. The new swingarm has a 17mm axle which is the same as the 650.

I've e-mailed Buchanans to see if they have anything.