Alternative rear wheels for shafties

This list is not a complete list, I presume, so please update if you have more to add or observe errors!

16in SPIRAL REAR WHEELS
I will start with the Gen 1 XV750/920/1000 Viragos (SE in some markets instead of Virago) shaft drive models. Its 16 in spiral wheel will interchange with all air cooled XJ shaft drive models. The 16in spiral wheels on the original Maxim 650 and 750 are the same as those fitted to the Viragos.

There is also a 16in rear wheel on the 1985/86 XJ700 Maxim and XJ750 Maxim (700s was for USA) with 5 straight spokes that bolt straight on to the first generation Viragos and hence all air cooled XJs with shaft drive. Will give a better visual match to those fitting modern front ends with 5-spoke 17in wheels, but will make no more technological sense. I mean, would you fit narrower, smaller diameter rear wheels compared to the front wheels on your muscle car?

All rims above are 3.00x16.

NOTE: the XV750 Virago/SE and XJ650 Maxim use a smaller rear brake (180 vs 200 mm) so make sure you have the correct brake shoe shield for the wheel you plan to use. You can use a complete wheel with the correct brake parts across all models.

18in SPIRAL REAR WHEELS
When we are talking spiral wheels, the XJ650 Seca and 750 Seca are the possible donors. Both have the big drum brake. Their rims are 2.15x18. These bolt up just like the 16in wheels above, and are again properly centered in the swingarms.

All models above share the same 1.85x19 spiral front wheel.

All these spiral wheels are designated TUBELESS, but unfortunately have tube type beads. That means it has the same cross-section profile as tube type rims, and hence also lack the little safety ridge that usually will prevent the tire from dropping off the bead. In addition, the cross-section of tube type tires differ from tubeless tires, so fit between a tubeless tire and these rims will not be perfect. FWIW, I have run tube type tires without tubes on the these rims with good results, but do not recommend it for legal reasons.

18in ALTERNATIVE REAR WHEELS

The XZ550 Vision also has a 2.15x18in wheel that will bolt straight on like the spiral wheels above, but it has a different design with four rectangular double-spokes. It has the small rear brake from the Virago 750 and 650 Maxim. but should fit fine on any of the bikes above as long as you have the correct brake parts.

The matching front wheel off the 550 has a smaller diameter of 18in, combined with the same narrow 1.85in width of the 19in spiral wheels. It should bolt on to the bikes above, but I cannot verify with absolute certainty that the spacers and brake disc will line up perfectly on all models. The DOHC XJ/XS400 also use the same front wheel as the XZ550 Vision.

The rear wheel off the XJ650 Turbo looks identical to that of the XZ550, but has the large rear brake. Otherwise, it is the same 2.15x18in and will fit Viragos and XJs with spriral original wheels.

Turbo front wheel has the same design to that of the XZ550, but is the same 1.85x19in as those on the spiral wheel bikes.

The wheels on the XJ400, XZ550 and Turbo have the same unfortunate bead design of the spiral wheels.

The final set of wheels that will bolt on to the shaft drive XJs with spiral wheels comes from the XJ900 Seca. Although only sold in USA in 1983, it was sold in Europe through 1994 as the XJ900N and XJ900F. There was also a 750F version between 1985 and, I believe, 1988 that used the same wheels. These are wider - 2.75x18 rear and 2.15x18 front. Note that the front is only 18in in diameter. These wheels also have the safety lip and proper tubeless shape of the beads. Also worth noting is that the rear wheel from these bikes is in the from of a disc, forcing a modification from the stock drum brake The front wheel use the same axle diameter, but I am unsure how it will line up inside the various forks of the smaller bikes; the discs may not be in the correct place, and spacers may not fit without modifications.

Some have also modified the wheels off the XS750/850/1100 to fit the XJs. Doing this does require a bit of machining, and a change of rear brake to disc, but is not overly difficult. Unsure what modifications that may be required to fit the front wheels. There are spiral wheels (XJ1100) but mostly 7 straight spokes. Fronts are 1.85x19 on all versions. Rear wheels come as 2.15x18, 2.50x17 and 3.00x16in. They come as TUBELESS and TUBE TYPE rims, but apart from some tube type rims being drilled for bead locks, there are no difference in their bead/rim design. Meaning they have tube type rim cross-sections.

NEXT GENERATION REAR WHEELS
I am unsure about the Maxim X 700 or 750, whether its rear wheel is offset to the right 20 mm compared to the models mentioned above or not. In any case, you can fit all those rear wheels described below to all models mentioned above. However, potentially they will be offset to the left by about 20 mm, but looking at pictures I doubt it.

If the X-models have offset rear wheels to the right compared to the spiral wheel models, the wheels below will bolt straight on and be centered correctly. If, OTOH, the X has the same center-line as the spiral wheel models, you will either have to live with an offset wheel, or machine it to fit. There are youtube videos showing you how if you are interested.

All wheels below fit in the splines of the XJ shaft drive bikes.

Second generation Virago 700/750/1000/1000. These are 3.00x15 and have a 5-spoke design.

XJ900 Diversion, 1995 on. Interesting for cafe conversions, as these are 4.00x17in 3-spoke cast wheels that take radials. Ideal size is 140/70R17, but 150/70R17 will work OK, and 160/60 can be used if a wide rear is more important to you than handling. And can find room in your swingarm, of course. You must convert to disc brake, however, in order to use this rear wheel.

XVS1100, 1999 on. These are conventional wire wheels with 3.50x15in rims. Again, you must convert to disc brake.

XV700 wire wheel. Conventional hub and spokes that can be fitted with any rim size you care to fit, but it does not make sense to go above 4.50x17 and run a 160/60-17 radial. Again, if you can find room. Finding these wheels/hubs are difficult.

XV750/1100 tubeless wire wheel. These hubs does not work with traditional rims, at least not unless you get some spokes custom made. If you want a different rim, they are made by D.I.D. While there may be several models to choose from, I know of just a few; 2.50x17 from the Honda rear wheel of the XL600LM and XL600RM, the 2.15x18 from the front wheel of the Honda CMX450 Rebel, and the 4.00x17 from the rear wheel of the Yamaha XTZ1200 Super Tenere.

XV535 and XVS650. These require some mild modifications of the hub so that they will take the coupler for the final drive from the Gen II large Viragos, but that is fairly easily done. These are conventional wire wheels like those on the XV700. The 535 comes with a 3.00x15 rim, the 650 a 3.50x15 in stock form. Both use the large 200mm drum brake familiar on most XJs.

BT1100 Bulldog. This has a 5.00x17in cast wheel with a disc brake. As another member has discovered, this sits about 10mm further to the right, for a total offset of about 30mm from the spiral wheels. I cannot see any way to get this properly centered in an XJ other than the XJ900S Diversion.

I fully appreciate that all this is nerd stuff, but hopefully it will be of help to some looking into building their own special version of their older XJ.

 

Wow, that's a lot of research. Congratulations to you. Do you have any photos of conversions you've done?
I've done a modern type of conversion for my XJ 750 Maxim.
Cheers, 50gary

 

@Mezzmo put a 900 Diversion rear wheel on his XJ.

 

Personally, I have only done one conversion, putting a Seca spiral rear wheel on my first generation Virago. The rest I have picked up from magazines, forums and by comparing part numbers.

There is one more potential solution that should be able to work on all XJ and XV drum brake rear wheels, and that is the concept used by Lester wheels back in the day. A hollow center was welded to the appropriate hub. Meaning you could take the hub from your rear wheel and turn it down on a lathe to fit, and weld it in place. This could be adjusted for the appropriate spacing.

The same principle could be used for any type of wheel, of course, but getting a high enough volume would be difficult.

 

What's the biggest tire I can put on my xj1100 1982

 

I do not know. First, while the size designation should tell you how big a tire is, it doesn't. A 130/90 should be 130 mm wide and 117 mm tall, but can be anything from 125 to 138 mm wide (at least) and height could be anything from 80 to 93% of the tire width. These are extremes, but the size of a tire will vary not only from one manufacturer to the next, but also between tire models from the same manufacturer.

But if you can measure the width of your current tire exactly, then the smallest gap you can find between the tire and the swingarm, you know how much wider you can go. Let us say the gap is 7 mm. Personally, I want at least a 2 mm gap. So you can have a tire that is a maximum of 5 mm wider per side, a total of 10 mm. Meaning if your current tire is a 130/90 you should be able to fit a 140/90 instead. But things are not always that easy, since the wider tire will also be taller, meaning the narrowest gap will move a little forward in the swingarm.

The best answer would come from an owner that has actually found and fitted the widest tire that will fit. The rim itself work best with the 130/90, well with 140/90, acceptably with 150/90 and not very good with a 160/80, but will tolerate it.

 

I never saw that article.
This is my rear (and matching front) also my avatar photo. 3.50" x 17" 2001 R1. Tires are Pirelli. Rear wheel assembly is true and centered in the S/A. Rear also has a disc brake which is my design. These photos are early in the process no bearings or rotor bolts, front is of course dual R1 rotors, single shown in picture
I did all machine and welding work. Fun project.
Cheers, 50gary

 

It has been too long since I studied an XJ swingarm and wheel placement, but I believe the stock wheel sits closer to the LHS of the swingarm than to the RHS. That is definitely the case for the first generation Viragos. When fitting an XJ900S rear wheel, it will sit pretty nicely in the center of the swingarm, but not inside the frame. There are videos from both XJ and XV builds showing this on YouTube.

 

Venture Royale wheels swap as well.

 

Will front and rear bolt on without mods, other than changing to disc rear brake?

 

This is actually a very good answer. I'm faffing about trying to fit a 900s wheel to a 900f swingarm. It's a struggle. The original size tyre will go in, if you deflate it first. So I tried a 130, but struggled to inflate it onto the rim. I suspect the answer is a 140.
Then, to centre it in the frame, the engine and arm needs moving across, more faff.
Hats off to @50gary for his conversion. But the wheel to frame centre issue still exists...

 

The correct tire size for your 900S wheel is 140/70R17, Minimutly. Wider if you run diagonal tires, but I presume you want radial? Stock, the 900S came with a 120/70R17 on a 3.00x17 front rim and a150/70R17 on the 4.00x17 rear rim. The Kawasaki ZR750, and other bikes, have had the same combination. I tried that on my CB400SF, again using the same size wheels, and did not like how it handled with oversize tires, it was more stable AND more agile on the stock 110/70R17 and and 140/70R17 rubber.

Moving the engine over sounds like a big task. Much easier to machine down the wheel. Check out these videos




A slightly different approach


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0BTwx4AwaY

 

My rear wheel is centered, meaning that the center of the new wheel is where the center of the original wheel was. I would never have shown or ridden it if it were not correct.
Cheers, 50gary

 

I can only say what I see on my xj900f, getting the wheel centred is going to be a faff. Still, worth the effort though I think. Perhaps the 900 swingarm has some metal that isn't there on the smaller ones, it's pretty close to the 150 tyre thats for sure. From memory, last time I was at it, I needed 7mm more clearance from the tyre/arm to get it centred.

 

This is very interesting to me. Did you watch any of the videos I posted? Because the XJ900S and the Generation 2 Virago rear wheels are offset 20 mm to the right compared to the Seca and Generation 1 Viragos. Perhaps the Maxim was different to the Secas?

 

I know it is a bit of a faff, but it basically only have a visual importance. Many bikes came with the rear wheel offset from the factory, like several BMW bikes, the second generation Viragos, the ZRX1200 etc, with no real impact on handling. It may not be ideal for winning races, but for any kind of road riding, it will not be noticeable.

 

There is a detail error in my original post. The XZ550 share the front wheel with the XJ400 Seca (known as XS400 DOHC in most countries), wheres the XJ400 Maxim actually use the same 19in spiral front wheel of the early Maxims, Seca 650/750 and more.

 

nice work, I have Gen 1 XV750 and was thinking to change it for a more modern one with a disc brake but apparently most of them are different off set. What you guys can recommend for a conversion to put on to make it fit?

Is there any difference in off set bettwen xj600(chain) and xj900(diff) wheels?

 

What you mention in the videos has no bearing on my rear wheel as I made my own wheel from an R1 front rim and welded it to an XJ rear hub. I made sure it was true and centered in the swingarm then tac welded it, double checked it in the swingarm and then finished welded it. Modern caliper and rotor, Galfer S/S lines. Blasted it and powder coated to match my front wheel.

 

I've since had the bike painted so please excuse the ugliness of the tank fenders and side covers. I'm sorta out of commission for a bit, health issue.
Cheers, 50gary