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18 inch wheel for 87' LeMans

M

Magnetoczar

Just got it firing!
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
3
I bought an 87' LeMans with the infamous 16 incher on the front. A friend of mine had a Mk3 wheel that he thought would work. Of course, it's just different enough where we'll have to make adapter plates to use the Mk4 floating rotors. Plus, it is a slightly different design. Has anyone else made the leap from a 16 to an 18, and if so, how did you do it?

What I'd really love would be wires on both ends.

thanks,
Dgy
 
16" wheel works fine on IV's. You will exert 10-20 hours (if you are a competent machinist) to adapt an 18" F wheel for no discernable benefit. Plus your two wheels will not match when you're done...if that matters to you.

Best bet if you're going to bother with wheel adaptations is 17" lace ups (120x17"F, 150x17" R) from Buchannans which allow modern radial tires. $500 each. Lace to T3/convert hubs. The results will amaze you.

Ed
 
Really! Now I'm confused as I've heard nothing but horror stories about the 16 inch wheel. Guess I'll try it both ways. Pete says he can machine a couple of adapter plates in a couple of hours. Yeah, it bugs me that the wheels won't match, but at least it's a start. I'll try it both ways and see if there is a difference. I don't know what my chances of finding a Mk4 18 inch front wheel are. Does anyone have the hubs for the wires wheels they'd like to sell?
 
" infamous " my arse :laugh: . You're reading to much instead of being out riding ;)
16" rims are hard on tyres, so fit a good tyre and put 40psi in it, make sure your steering damper is working properly, your steering head bearings are good and the forks have been serviced, and go and ride it. You won't even know that 16" wheel is on there.
 
Using a LMIII wheel you will have to space the rotors side to side, and move the calipers as the III had 300mm rotors, and the IV had 260 or 280mm rotors...

Thats a lot of spacers to fab.
 
Reading what has been posted & written in lots of places, pretty clear to mne that some of these bikes are just fine with 16" wheels & some are not. Guzzi modified the steering head after a while to address the complaints some had. No matter how your bike was originally, unless you know the complete history of this 22 year old bike, no telling what may or may not have been done over the years. The only sensible thing to do is ride it, see how it feels to you. Course, be sure about tire pressure & condition. Pretty clear that these bikes can be more sensitive to tire variables than other bikes. So if the tires are toast, no way to give a fair test other than to put new rubber on. You may love it, you may hate it. No way to tell without riding it.
 
Just a note about the 16'' Front wheel. I have a 1986 SPII 1000, I ride the p!ss out of it with the 16'' and I am no small feller (6'4'' 275lbs). Never had an issue besides changing the tire, I have trouble getting the bead to seat, but other than that just get a Metzler LazerTech 120/80 and it will last at least 9 to 12k.
Good luck and keep 'em running.
 
The horror stories about the 16 incher are the product of the pathetic minds of moto-journalists in the 1980's who were every bit as clueless and ignorant as the current crop.

Most of the "Dangerous" handling can be sheeted home to a couple of things NOT being addressed by the rider.

Tyre pressure is critical.

Decent, working, fork dampers, (Have you taken the forks apart and checked the daming? If not. Do!)

Tyres of the CORRECT profile as originally specified which MAY now be hard to get, although with the advent of Maxi Scooters this may no longer be an issue.

9 times out of 10 when I see a 'Rotten Handling' Mk IV they tyre profiles are wrong, the pressures can be anywhere and the entire chassis is usually a basket case. It's really, really easy to blame the wheel. You can fit an 18 incher and it'll still be a dog that handles like a pig on roller-skates if none of the other issues are addressed. The bloody bike is now 25 years, (A quarter of a century!) old. Have you any idea of its history? what maintenance has, or hasn't, been carried out?

Fuck the 18 inch wheel. If Mario used to race one and says that he could sit bolt upright at 200KPH and biff the bars with a balled fist and it would just nod? That's good enough for me. I've ridden several in excess of 160KPH for hours with no problems on some fairly dodgy roads.

Best bet would be Ed's suggestion and get some 17 inch lace-ups. Be spendy though. But DON'T fall into the trap of believing rumours promulgated by clueless fuctards or you might as well just go and buy an 'Onda.

Pete
 
Magneto, I kinda got into the 18inch wheel hype when I bought my second Guzzi an 87 Lemans SE about 14 years ago, too much walker. I ended up really liking the bike fine with the 16 inch wheel and by 87 MG had revised the triple clamps a bit due to complaints. A friend of mine also had an 87 and he updated his with an 18 inch and offered me a ride onit. I rode it around Palomar mountain and HATED it. The 18inch was too sluggish and a dog when combined with the factory upgraded triple trees. If it works for you as is, leave it alone. On the Mandello Meteor , my Land Speed Racer, which also is an 87 Lemans bike, I use a more aerodynamic wheel, a 3 spoke 17 incher from a Suzuki. I was surprised to measure it with a 120/70 17 tire and find it was noticeably " shorter " than the original 16 inch guzzi wheel tire combo! hmmm. My advice also, Keep some good pressure in your 16 incher as mentioned earlier, enjoy the ride and spend your money on suspension or go fast parts or beer or something! B)

I`m assuming you have been riding the bike, what`s your assessment? Bill
 
I would like to back about how you are doing with this GAWD AWFUL wheel combo. I mean how dare someone use a 16'' wheel on the front of thier motorcycle. In the last month I have only put about 4000 miles on mine with a 16'' front wheel. Really it should be OK to use the 16 unless you got money to piss away.
 
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