EricGorr
Super Power AssClown
- Aug 24, 2000
- 708
- 1
SERVICE HONDA 20” Front Wheel
When I was a motorcycle mechanic in the early 1970s the rage was to covert cheap Japanese street bikes into dirt bikes. Back then bikes had 19” front wheels and we used to lace-up 21” front wheels because the larger diameter wheel rolled over the bumps with less detrimental affects on the front forks. But back then the forks on a 500 was skinnier than the ones on a new KX65. And damping was controlled by a spring, a hole, and some aerated oil. Gee, the good old days. It’s amazing I’m still alive.
When Rich Rohrich bought a 20” front wheel from Service Honda and bolted it on his CR125 I thought maybe the fuel fumes were starting to get to him. So we set-up an A, B test at the OT National Track. Rich gave me a mumbojumbotechno explanation of how its supposed to work but I kept having 70s flashbacks to low-sides and endoes caused by too small of a front wheel.
My highly scientific test includes leaning the bike over in a sweeping turn and purposely washing out the front end, noting the lean angle and the distance of the washout until I crashed. At DRN, we moderators are willing to sacrifice ourselves to the potential backlash of a product so you don’t have to! Well the good thing is, a 20” front wheel resists washout and once the washout starts to occur, the counter action of the rider is more predictable and there’s less chance of high-siding from over-correction. I was able to do a feet-up purposeful washout of the front end and correct it by turning out of it. That made me feel a bit more Carmichaelish, and provided a big boost to my middle-aged ego. That in itself was worth the money!
Another interesting phenomenon that I noticed was the stability of the front end while riding through whoops one at a time, or landing on the front end on the downside of a jump.
Right now I wouldn’t recommend that you run out and buy a 20” front wheel until the tire manufacturers get on board and start making a variety of tire compounds. The front wheel I tested used a Bridgestone tire with a compound and tread pattern suited for dry hard-packed soil, which is where the front-end washout problem will be more prevalent. If you ride in a climate where its mostly dry and the soil is hard-packed clay, I think this 20” set up is a good product and worth buying.
Eric Gorr
When I was a motorcycle mechanic in the early 1970s the rage was to covert cheap Japanese street bikes into dirt bikes. Back then bikes had 19” front wheels and we used to lace-up 21” front wheels because the larger diameter wheel rolled over the bumps with less detrimental affects on the front forks. But back then the forks on a 500 was skinnier than the ones on a new KX65. And damping was controlled by a spring, a hole, and some aerated oil. Gee, the good old days. It’s amazing I’m still alive.
When Rich Rohrich bought a 20” front wheel from Service Honda and bolted it on his CR125 I thought maybe the fuel fumes were starting to get to him. So we set-up an A, B test at the OT National Track. Rich gave me a mumbojumbotechno explanation of how its supposed to work but I kept having 70s flashbacks to low-sides and endoes caused by too small of a front wheel.
My highly scientific test includes leaning the bike over in a sweeping turn and purposely washing out the front end, noting the lean angle and the distance of the washout until I crashed. At DRN, we moderators are willing to sacrifice ourselves to the potential backlash of a product so you don’t have to! Well the good thing is, a 20” front wheel resists washout and once the washout starts to occur, the counter action of the rider is more predictable and there’s less chance of high-siding from over-correction. I was able to do a feet-up purposeful washout of the front end and correct it by turning out of it. That made me feel a bit more Carmichaelish, and provided a big boost to my middle-aged ego. That in itself was worth the money!
Another interesting phenomenon that I noticed was the stability of the front end while riding through whoops one at a time, or landing on the front end on the downside of a jump.
Right now I wouldn’t recommend that you run out and buy a 20” front wheel until the tire manufacturers get on board and start making a variety of tire compounds. The front wheel I tested used a Bridgestone tire with a compound and tread pattern suited for dry hard-packed soil, which is where the front-end washout problem will be more prevalent. If you ride in a climate where its mostly dry and the soil is hard-packed clay, I think this 20” set up is a good product and worth buying.
Eric Gorr
