Custom Wheel Woes (Southern Motorcycle Works Review)
#1
Custom Wheel Woes (Southern Motorcycle Works Review)
earlier this year i put a Southern Motorcycle Works Black Sabbath Elite 21" front wheel
i was running a stock 18" off a 2011, so when i ordered the wheel i ordered a wheel for a 2011 since i already had the axel and spacers for a 20111 already in the bike.
when i got the wheel after 2 months it didnt fit. i had to send it back and they put a different hub in it, that took about 2 weeks..
get the wheel back and it fit, sweet... but i was out $60 to ship it back to them
they did however send me matching rotors for free to compensate for the mistake, which i no longer use since i went to brembo brakes upfront.
after a while having a nice 21" wheel up front and a stock wheel out back got to me.
so i call them up to order a matching rear wheel
ordered a 18 x 4.25" rear wheel (thats what most of the guys on the forum run when going to a custom wheel)
stock on my bike is a 16 x 3.5" wheel. i discussed with him that i wanted to go to that wider wheel cause i wanted that wider wheel look, and the 150 70 18 would fit nicer on that wider wheel.
this time it only took 2 and a half weeks to get the wheel, which is pretty quick since they cut there wheels upon order.
mount my tire, throw it up on the bike and it just plain doesnt work.. pulley hits the swing arm, or if i move it over the other way rotor binds in the caliper.
call randy and ask him what the deal may be. he offered to swap me wheels out, send the 4.25" wide wheel back and he would send me a 18x 3.5"
i still wanted to keep the 4.25" wide wheel so..
at my wits end i take it to a local custom bike shop, maybe i was doing something wrong. they have the bike no more than and hour and give me a call. they say the hub on the pulley side is to big.
i call randy at Southern Motorcycle, he said that what he sent me should have worked for the application i was doing. i call the shop back and get measurements, etc. they told me i need a 3" hub and whats on there is a 3 1/4" hub which is making the pulley hit the swing arm. and the belt to tire clearance is over a half inch. so i got room to come in with the pulley.
call randy back and he agrees to send me the new hub. which is 2.91"
one way or another the hub that was sent in the wheel just wouldnt work for me
so instead of getting a set of wheels i could just bolt on, i get a freaking mess.
the shop is gonna charge me 2 hours which is about $150 plus parts.. which is custom spacers, new pulley bolts and rotor bolts (because Randy forgot to mention when i ordered, that i couldnt use the stock bolts, and didnt send any bolts with it either)
The wheels are very good quality, and i love the design, one of the biggest reason i ordered from them.
Randy has tried to help me out to get my situation straight, i guess i just wish that i could have ordered once and everything would have bolted up without issue.
i was running a stock 18" off a 2011, so when i ordered the wheel i ordered a wheel for a 2011 since i already had the axel and spacers for a 20111 already in the bike.
when i got the wheel after 2 months it didnt fit. i had to send it back and they put a different hub in it, that took about 2 weeks..
get the wheel back and it fit, sweet... but i was out $60 to ship it back to them
they did however send me matching rotors for free to compensate for the mistake, which i no longer use since i went to brembo brakes upfront.
after a while having a nice 21" wheel up front and a stock wheel out back got to me.
so i call them up to order a matching rear wheel
ordered a 18 x 4.25" rear wheel (thats what most of the guys on the forum run when going to a custom wheel)
stock on my bike is a 16 x 3.5" wheel. i discussed with him that i wanted to go to that wider wheel cause i wanted that wider wheel look, and the 150 70 18 would fit nicer on that wider wheel.
this time it only took 2 and a half weeks to get the wheel, which is pretty quick since they cut there wheels upon order.
mount my tire, throw it up on the bike and it just plain doesnt work.. pulley hits the swing arm, or if i move it over the other way rotor binds in the caliper.
call randy and ask him what the deal may be. he offered to swap me wheels out, send the 4.25" wide wheel back and he would send me a 18x 3.5"
i still wanted to keep the 4.25" wide wheel so..
at my wits end i take it to a local custom bike shop, maybe i was doing something wrong. they have the bike no more than and hour and give me a call. they say the hub on the pulley side is to big.
i call randy at Southern Motorcycle, he said that what he sent me should have worked for the application i was doing. i call the shop back and get measurements, etc. they told me i need a 3" hub and whats on there is a 3 1/4" hub which is making the pulley hit the swing arm. and the belt to tire clearance is over a half inch. so i got room to come in with the pulley.
call randy back and he agrees to send me the new hub. which is 2.91"
one way or another the hub that was sent in the wheel just wouldnt work for me
so instead of getting a set of wheels i could just bolt on, i get a freaking mess.
the shop is gonna charge me 2 hours which is about $150 plus parts.. which is custom spacers, new pulley bolts and rotor bolts (because Randy forgot to mention when i ordered, that i couldnt use the stock bolts, and didnt send any bolts with it either)
The wheels are very good quality, and i love the design, one of the biggest reason i ordered from them.
Randy has tried to help me out to get my situation straight, i guess i just wish that i could have ordered once and everything would have bolted up without issue.
Last edited by Hoblick; 10-21-2011 at 12:34 PM.
#3
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#5
must just be something with the older bikes and trying to go wider.. i dunno.
like i said i love the wheels, they look great, and are really great quality.
and Randy has tried to accomodate me some. but i just wish it was a bolt on and go deal like every other wheel manufacturer.
and i agree they do cater more in the chopper direction
#6
only cool thing out of the whole experience is the shop im dealing with.. sinners and saints choppers, are pretty damn good guys so far.
called me as soon as they found out what the deal was, and trying to help me as much as possible to get this wheel to fit. which is good , cause i really wanted the wider wheel in the back.
also im gonna have them paint my inner fairing here in a few months. only gonna charge me $200!!
they do some killer paint jobs
called me as soon as they found out what the deal was, and trying to help me as much as possible to get this wheel to fit. which is good , cause i really wanted the wider wheel in the back.
also im gonna have them paint my inner fairing here in a few months. only gonna charge me $200!!
they do some killer paint jobs
#7