Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums banner

Spoked or Cast Wheels?

3K views 33 replies 25 participants last post by  John_S 
#1 ·
Given two bikes, identical in all respects except for one having spoked wheels and the other cast wheels, which would you choose and why?
Are spokes a deal-breaker for many of you, or are they just 'part of the experience'? :D

I love the look of spoked wheels but I rather dread the thought of having to pack tire tools and a spare tube every day. Or is it simply standard procedure these days to just have the bike picked up for repair at home or at a shop instead of effecting a roadside repair?

I very rarely see any bike of any kind pulled over for any reason, and I'm thinking we either have extraordinarily clean local roads or the bikes are getting picked up and whisked away quickly!
 
#2 · (Edited)
Spokes for looks, cast for better handling.
When I bought my 09, I test rode both the cast wheeled and spoked versions of the Bonnie. I chose the cast wheeled Bonnie because of my first sentence. The 17in cast wheels handle and feel better. You also have a better choice for sportier rubber, albeit in small size on the rear.
 
#3 ·
With the present tech advances which allow spoked wheels to be tubeless, I have a hard time understanding why there need to be inner tube tires anymore. My BMW GS machine is from 1988, and it has spoked wheels with tubeless tires. Why can't 2016 Triumphs use such pieces? But even the modern BMW RnineT bikes have reverted to tubed tires on their spoked wheels. This makes NO sense to me at all.
 
#8 ·
My BMW GS machine is from 1988, and it has spoked wheels with tubeless tires. Why can't 2016 Triumphs use such pieces? But even the modern BMW RnineT bikes have reverted to tubed tires on their spoked wheels. This makes NO sense to me at all.
Probably the difference in the lacing pattern which is thought to be unattractive.
 
#4 ·
It's pretty much an aesthetic choice IMO. The bonnie I bought in 07 you didn't have that choice. I had a small problem with a leak (fixed by screwing in the valve stem). I'm an old fart and in all my years riding I've had two tires go flat on me, both because of road debris.

Proper air inflation is the key. There's fixes (if you're paranoid) you can do with spoked wheels to make them air tight so you can run tubeless..... I think, but I don't worry about that.

There's more tire selections if you run mags for sure though, but I like the look of my spokes.
 
#5 ·
whatever

I think the advantages of a cast wheel are roadside repair. I have had three flats in more than 30 years of touring. Twice on cast wheels that I repaired with plugs on the side of the road and once with a spoked tubed wheel. I was stranded and called for a tow on the spoked wheel. I don't have a preference for either. I ride spoked wheels now and try not to think about flats, it ruins the experience.
 
#6 ·
I asked much the same question on one of the HD forums I follow, and the sampling of answers I got there were mostly concerned with the cleaning and maintenance of spokes as opposed to the issues of dealing with a tube flat on the roadside. Interestingly, no one said anything about the handling of cast over spoked wheels! For me, it's not so much an issue of maintenance (hey, if you've got spokes it's just something else to check, no biggie) but rather my misgivings about the frequency of flats on a motorcycle these days. I suppose with the greater availability of motorcycle towing it's not such a big deal; I just loathe the thought of having to pack a spare tube and tire tools as 'everyday carry' :D
 
#15 ·
...I just loathe the thought of having to pack a spare tube and tire tools as 'everyday carry' :D
Then don't, just buy yourself a can of that gunk stuff that you spray into the tube. It seals the hole and inflates the tyre - easier and quicker than plugging a hole in a tubeless. I carry two on long trips.

Of course if the tube is totally shredded then it's not going to work, but that's a one in a million chance I reckon. It's mainly screws or pieces of metal that make a small hole in the tube - easily fixed.
 
#7 ·
I chose spokes for looks. I remember debating this with someone a year or so ago and they mentioned that tubed tires suffer explosive blowouts much less than tubeless tires do. I was trusting his four beer statistics on that one so who knows
 
#11 ·
I remember talking about this with rider friends back the day, too- the issue being a slow flat with a tube tire versus a catastrophic blowout with a tubeless tire. Granted, you can have a catastrophic fail with both, but my own observation (and probably flawed logic) says tubes won't self-destruct nearly as often as tubeless tires. Even if a tube does get punctured, your air still has to get out of the tube AND out of the tire, giving you at least a tiny bit of reaction time.

But, it's been a long time since I've been in the saddle, so perhaps tire and tube quality isn't as haphazard as it used to be!
 
#10 ·
I like spokes on my classic, cast on my super sport. Plus, more piece of mind on a trip with tubeless if I get a flat.
 
#12 ·
I love spokes but cast is what I ride. Sure the wheel weights are ugly but try and find someone qualified to true the spoked wheel. Truing the wheel is an art that very few people really know how to do well and it is very expensive to have done as I found out with my old MG. Cast are easier and less time consuming to clean. Plus add everything else said previously to the list.:YellowWink
 
#16 · (Edited)
LOL I used to drive a MG Midget- great car, horrible to maintain! Mine had cast wheels, though; I probably wouldn't have bought it if it had spoked ones as I wasn't the most mechanically-inclined person at the time. (If I had know what I was in for PERIOD I probably wouldn't have bought it!) I think the most often said phrase from passengers was, 'Hey, what's that smell?'- and that was usually about ten seconds before the wiring abomination provided buy Lucas would fail :D
 
#14 ·
when I was looking at the commander and the LT I wanted the cast wheels on the commander and the single head light set up- on the LT. I thought I could swap the wheels from a commander but they are not the same offset so that wont work. I bought the LT because I like the classic look but I am afraid to ride it too far because of fear of a blow out. I wish I could switch out the wheels someday to cast wheels. this is harder then I thought, nobody makes a wheel yet.
 
#18 ·
Doesn't really matter to me, as long as I enjoy the ride.

Kind of like choosing to go in the front door or the back door.

Most times it's the front door, but every once in a while I say screw it, and go in the back door.
 
#19 ·
Performance wise, mag wheels all the way. Lighter and sized for performance tires.

However, there's a plus for spoked wheels that hasn't really been discussed. For those of us who live in areas with crappy roads, a bent steel spoked wheel can usually be fixed with a few well placed hits with a dead blow hammer.

Hit a bad enough pothole with a mag wheel and you're looking at expensive repairs or replacement.
 
#23 ·
As I'm no speed demon or canyon-carver I suspect the handling advantage of cast wheels would be lost on me- I've always been a rather leisurely rider with no particular place to go and no particular time to get there! My daily riding will be a commute of 30-40 minutes, and I imagine I'll be able to break out for some day trips on the odd weekend here and there. Given the advice and commentary so far, I'm thinking that it's a wash between wheel types- my primary concern is dealing with flats on the road, but as it appears it's not as bad as some would have it (I always used to get the 'I rode a bike until I had a blowout and it tossed me fifty yards down the highway, now I don't ride no more cuz it's too dangerous' stories) I'll soldier on and get the best deal on what's available (and what I can afford!), wheel type notwithstanding. (Truth be known, I really am Jonesing for a T100 Black :D)

Good arguments pro and con- just what I was looking for. Thanks to all for the replies!
 
#24 ·
You've been kickin the tires around here long enough Jon and I think it's time to go ahead and pull the trigger on that black T-100. :wink2:

And nobody bothers with a tube and tools for "every day carry" anymore. Flats are rare and if they happen within reasonable distance of civilization, that's what cel phones and credit cards are for.

However I did convert to tubeless over the winter because I do sometimes wind up far from civilization. Plus I tend to do things to my bike that are more trouble and money than they're worth, just to show my love. :x

'Nother thing, tubed tires more often than tubeless can lose pressure with a puncture in an unsettling, rapid fashion.

As far as performance, I'll ride the twisties against any of you guys with your mag wheels and let's see who gets gapped. C'mon, let's step outside and do this, right now! :FlyingPig
 
#27 ·
You've been kickin the tires around here long enough Jon and I think it's time to go ahead and pull the trigger on that black T-100. :wink2:
LOL Believe me, if I could go TODAY and ride home I'd have called off work already! I do kick a lot of tires and ask a lot of questions, though- information is power and I'm not about to drop a chunk of cash being a total noob about it. (Besides, getting that 'chunk of cash' up is an uphill battle for me these days- you'd think these darned kids of mine would be happy they ate LAST week. Sheesh!)

Now, if anyone is willing to donate to the 'Shut John Up and get him a Ride' fund I'll be more than happy to inscribe donor's names on the inside of a side panel with a Sharpie!
 
#25 ·
I've got cast wheels on the Bonnie but my previous bike had spokes....cleaning a spoked wheel is much more involved in comparison to the cast wheel.
And on both bikes I've got OKO tyre sealant in the tyres. Should a puncture occur this stuff seals it immediately and you're good to go again!!!
No need for any other repair afterwards. I once had a nail in the rear tyre... just pulled it out....and that was it!!!
And this happened three years ago!!!
 
#26 ·
I like spokes for the retro look and the Thruxton has alloy rims so they are a little lighter. I have broken a few spokes (about 6) in the 5 years that I have had the bike - mainly rear.

I have had 2 flats in that time both required a tow but I only had a slow leak so nothing dangerous.

I like my spokes :) but I never clean them either. >:)
 
#28 ·
The new Thruxton R comes to mind for this topic. They use the wire wheels because of the vintage appeal which goes with the vintage design motif they used on the engine. But, how can Big Piston USD forks with monobloc calipers coincide with the classic look? Makes no sense to me. Sure, look at the Norton which is all high tech and has the wire wheels as well. I would prefer Ohlins RSU forks with Brembro axial brakes and the wire wheels. Otherwise, modern mags all the way. And, get rid of the stupid track inspired piss cup for a reservoir.
 
#33 ·
Back in the day when I worked for a car company, we usually found that cast aluminum wheels handled better than stamped steel wheels because the cast wheels were stiffer. Not necessarily stronger but stiffer and stiff wheels are a good thing. I had a Jaguar sedan with spoked wheels, knock off hubs. It was a thing of beauty…..when the wheels were clean. Cleaning the wheels was a weekend-long job and I soon tired of it.

I have two Triumphs with spoked wheels but my head spins from trying to figure out which tires are really compatible with tubes. The sort of jerry-rigged spoked wheel sealers look mighty suspicious to me and I won't go there. I'm about to sit down on a seat creeper and start cleaning the spokes and rims on my '14 T100. I'd really rather not. I wish there had been a cast wheel option for the T100.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top