I bought this unusual wheel some time ago, an 18x4.5" modded Y spoke. It was originally a standard 17x2.75" rear Y spoke for disc brake model K75 & K100 until Kosman Racing had a look at it. Luftmeister used to sell these as an "upgrade", painted white along with a K11 centre stand for added clearance. It was part number 950 in their catalogue and came with a 160/60ZR18 tyre already fitted, and a new standard 18" front wheel painted white. Remember, this was back in the day when no one was using the now-common 180/55ZR17, even 170/60ZR17 was rare, so a "phat" 160mm tyre was all the rage. I'm selling this one.

Kosman, a California-based company that had been modding wheels since before Lennon wore granny spectacles, sliced off the wheel rim edge and welded Akront 18 x 3.5" flanges on either side to make it a 4.5" width and accept an 18" tyre. The wheel spins straight and true.

I removed the ragged old Metzeler MEZ2 radial that had a build date of the 44th week of 2004, unscrewed the metal stem and chucked the wheel up onto my spin balancer. The bare wheel only took a single 5 gram weight! The welds are like the Werewolf of London's hair....Perfect! I'll have a piña colada, please.

PM me if interested. Or learn more on eBay US.

That wheel is lovely.

(Like the Zevon reference too - why is it that some lyrics just stand out and get remembered?)

GIMME THE WHEEL...

FOR MY K BIKE!

I have come across these wheels before, nice ones.

chris846 wrote:That wheel is lovely.

(Like the Zevon reference too - why is it that some lyrics just stand out and get remembered?)

Sadly, ol' Warren left us a coupla years ago, but he made One Last Record before he died that has more than a few gems on it. Whenever I'm rolling along through the high altitude, grassy plains of the eastern frontal range of Colorado I can't help but whistle along to Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead.

Does a 4.5 work with a mono swing arm?

(I put 3" 3 spokes on my monolevers because I figure they weigh less and will spin up faster.)

Sure, I have a 3 spoke set (K1100RS rear, K75S front) on my red RS in OZ and it's Monolever. Gotta remove the caliper and slide the exhaust leftward a bit to get the wheel n tyre out, but.

Spin up faster? I thought we were all about low revs, torque n comfort. Spin up faster is my K12R or 13GT.

Yeah, I know our old Ks aren't Busas by any means but every little bit helps, right?

From my perspective a lighter brick is a better brick. (Says the guy who likes to ride K1100s.)

duck wrote:Yeah, I know our old Ks aren't Busas by any means but every little bit helps, right?

From my perspective a lighter brick is a better brick. (Says the guy who likes to ride K1100s.)

Has anyone got a bare Y spoke rear wheel easily accessible to weigh? I'm curious what it weighs as compared to this Kosman, at 5.8 kilos (12.7Lbs).

It's true that weight reduction makes a Brick feel better, more 'flickable' on the road. I loved my long-gone K75C for the combination of reduced vibes, the perception that it revved up more easily than a K100, and was at least a few kilos lighter, on average.

Reduced weight can also bring issues one normally doesn't think too much about. When I was building Big Block, I was looking at the frame and the stack of parts on the garage floor that were not going to put back on the finished machine. I had a favour due, so Klaus @ EPM made me a Wilbers rear shockie to suit a K100 that would never carry a pillion, have 80+ Lbs removed, and yet be sporty enough for corner carving. When I received it I was gobsmacked at the size of the spring. It was a wee thing. So, I got out the spanner and adjusted the preload tension as I normally do, halfway or so - too stiff and jouncy. In the end, after much fiddling, I settled on leaving it down the bottom end of its range, with damping at <1/3 of adjustment from bottom, too. As for the Marzocchi forks I found lighter springs and use 5W oil - that combo feels very supple over ripples but planted. This bike has a 120/70ZR17 front, 170/60ZR17 K1200RS tyre/wheel combo, and it spins up out back right now.


It looks as though the sun's gunna burn off this late January morning fog so perhaps a ride on BB is the order of the day.

This fine wheel "will sell" on eBay. Someone gunna be happy.

Has this been claimed?  Im interested depending on price.

InkandBrush wrote:Has this been claimed?  Im interested depending on price.

The wheel's long gone, residing somewhere in the innards of New York City.

Two Wheels Better wrote:

InkandBrush wrote:Has this been claimed?  Im interested depending on price.

The wheel's long gone, residing somewhere in the innards of New York City.

Ah.  Well then...