Winter project

[dallas95]

So, now as the weather is grim and my enthusiasm for riding is only appearing on the better days, I have decided to add more Rally Raid upgrades to the CB500x so it will be ready for next years trips. This week I took delivery of:

Level 2 suspension kit, spoked wheels and Pirelli scorpion tyres. Also have some Barkbusters coming and folding levers.

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Should keep me busy for a few hours. Wondering whether to fit the tyres myself or take them to a fitter. Never fitted m/c tyres but I have levers and blocks of wood to sit the rims on. Would need to buy some tyre soap. Anyone got any advice on this?

Going to keep the OE tyres on the cast wheels so I can swap them over for road touring trips.

[Taipan]

Nice upgrades! I've fitted my won tyres for years, but I'd not fit them to brand new rims and you inevitably leave some marks. Dont forget the before and after pics!

[demographic]

What hubs are they?

[Skub]

You'll still need some gear to balance the wheels,for all it costs icba doing it myself anymore.

Nice looking trick bits.

[dallas95]

This is how it looks right now.



I'll post the after photo once done. That's a good point about not making my first attempt at tyre fitting on new wheels. I'll save the trial for the cast wheels when it's time to replace the dunlops.

@demographic, the hubs are machined by Rally Raid and then laced to the rims. They send the wheels to Bartubeless in Italy to get them made tubeless and then ship them to you. It takes 4-6 weeks from placing an order to receiving the wheels.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I've changed tubes by the side of a trail with a couple of 8" tyre levers, but why you'd choose to do this if you don't have to is beyond me.

[Newey]

Any idea on what they do to make them tubeless?

[KungFooBob]

The DIY method involves a special tape that 3M make stuck over the spoke holes.

The problem is most rims designed for spokes don't have a the ridge/groove for the safety bead on tubeless tyres, so in a case of rapid deflation there's a risk of the tyre coming off the rim.

Most DIY'ers only do the rears for safety reasons, which usually isn't an problem because 90% of punctures are in the rear.

[Horse]

Any idea on what they do to make them tubeless?

Design them properly in the first place?

As said, the rim needs to be shaped correctly, then have spokes that don't pierce the rim.

BMW have been doing it for years. Others too:

https://www.bikehps.com/kineo/

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Tubeless rims are completely different, don't do it, why would you do it, tubes aren't a problem

[dallas95]

These wheels were designed to be tubeless, which I prefer to tubes. This is the info' from Rally Raid.

We have designed, developed and manufactured our own heavy-duty, tubeless spoked wheels for the new Honda CB500X, based on our rally & adventure experiences.
These are an improvement over the tubed versions, as we prefer to run tubeless tyres on an adventure motorcycle of this size, as repairing punctures can be much easier than those with inner tubes fitted.
Both our wheels use stainless steel heavy duty spokes and plated brass nipples.
Both front and rear hubs are manufactured from 6082T6 billet aluminium alloy, and black anodised for a durable finish.

Benefits of our wheel kit:

• Rear hub is designed to work with the OEM cush drive and rubbers.
• Our rear hub/rim is 36 spoke pattern, much stronger and resistant to flex.
• Hubs supplied with bearings & seals.
• Both front & rear hubs designed to work with OEM discs, rear ABS ring and OEM screws.
• High-tensile "Bulldog" spokes are 33% larger cross section, and consequently 60% stronger tensile strength than the OEM plated mild steel spokes, plus they are corrosion-proof.
• Nipples are nickel-plated brass, again, corrosion-proof, maintenance free.

Both wheels are professionally sealed with a tubeless conversion by Bartubeless, with a 4 year warranty on each wheel.
Both rims are high-grade aluminium alloy, with tubeless "bump" for correct sealing.

Had the tyres fitted and looking good.

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[dallas95]

Made a start on the mods today. Thought I'd start with the easy stuff so fitted some Renthal fatbars and the Barkbusters. Took a couple of hours including lots of alignment adjustments and moving controls/mirrors etc.






Next weekend is suspension swap. Figure one day for front and the rear but we'll see.

[dallas95]

Yesterday was suspension swap over. Very straightforward as it turned out. I started with the forks and removed the legs to drain the oil and get the internals out. The instructions from Rally Raid are clear and easy to follow and if you have the tools needed it is an easy diy job. There is a big difference between the OE suspension and the RR parts. RR includes a longer two stage damper and a longer spring to replace the plastic spacer in the OE stuff. You can choose from two spring rates to suit your weight.



After re-installing everything and fitting the front wheel it had taken about 2 1/2 hours. The removal of the rear shock was an easy process. The top mount is fairly well buried in the frame with cables and components surrounding it. To get at the allen bolt you need long allen wrenches. I use these socket type and ratchet so I can get enough force to remove tight bolts.



With an extender bar and socket on the other side it is a fiddly but fairly easy job to get the top mount removed. I have the bike on a scissor lift so the access to the bottom linkage was good and the removal quick and easy. The OE shock looks very basic next to the new Tractive unit.



Installation was easy enough once the top mount was done. You are working a little bit blind and rely on touch to a degree but with a bit of patience it is done. Time to swap the rear was about two hours but I was taking my time (and photos). RR supply new linkage and dog bones with the shock and once assembled there is 20mm more travel over stock. The shock has a remote reservoir that mounts to the frame between the rider and passenger footrests on the right.







The new shock has adjustments for preload, rebound and low & high compression and the OE is just five stage preload. I got out for a 45 mile test run and initial thoughts are the front end didn't feel a lot different but the rear is night and day. The back wheel just stays in contact so much better and keeps the bike under control with no drama at all. The OE shock would very quickly start po-going over uneven road surfaces. The roads yesterday afternoon were pretty damp so I wasn't pushing to the max but the speeds were quick enough to show that the upgrades make a difference. After getting home I can't wait for a dry day and a longer ride. Next time I want to get on some trails too to see how the performance is improved when things get proper bumpy.

[Taipan]

Great job. Love threads like this.

[dallas95]

Thanks Taipan
I forgot one detail. RR provide a new side stand that is longer to compensate for the extra travel.



Easy swap but a spring puller is recommended as the spring tension only just let me attach it after pulling it with both hands using some needle nose pliers.

[Luddite]

Thanks Taipan
I forgot one detail. RR provide a new side stand that is longer to compensate for the extra travel.

Easy swap but a spring puller is recommended as the spring tension only just let me attach it after pulling it with both hands using some needle nose pliers.

That's a really nice touch from Rally Raid - it's good when an upgrade has been properly thought out and the supplier provides everything you need.

For stand springs, this is a useful tip for future reference:

[dallas95]

I parked this project over the winter as I only had the wheels to fit and didn't see the point in fitting them during the bad weather. As things have turned spring like, it was time to finish what I started. So today was wheel swap day.
A straight forward job to fit the rally raid wheels in place of the OEM wheels and I'm very happy with the result.

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Just need lockdown to end now so I can get out exploring.