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900 With a spoked 21"

14K views 15 replies 9 participants last post by  Cardsin2005 
#1 · (Edited)
I finally got my front wheel swapped over to a 21" spoked rim. I wanted something to slim up the front end of my bike. This is the front rim from a 800A. The wheel bearings need to be replaced with the bearings from a 800 Classic wheel. The axle spacers and bearing spacer form a 800 Classic also need to be used. other then that it is a direct swap. The opening for the bearing spacer needs to be enlarged to accept the new spacer form a 800 Classic/900 wheel. The hardest part of all this was finding a used rim that was not bent or damaged. A 800 brake rotor and bolts is also needed. I am happy with the way it turned out. I trued and balanced the wheel myself as well as mounted the tire. The nice thing about the 800 wheel is that the hub is polished aluminum rather then the silver powder coat Kawasaki puts on the 900 Classic hubs. Let me know what you guys think. This bike is really coming along. I am planing on doing some custom 60s/70s chopper paint on the tank and fender this winter. I tested my technique on an old helmet to see if this was something I could even attempt and was happy with the result.














 
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#3 ·
I wish Kawasaki would go back to the spoked wheel, I personally don't like the mag wheel on the 900 custom, so I have a classic. Your's looks really cool!!! Are you leaving the fender mounts? My buddy ground his off on his shadow & it looks a lot more old school.
 
#6 ·
Thanks! I agree the black to chrome ratio is perfect. But I do like the old school look of polished aluminum. I Plasti-Dipped the headlight bucket, speedo binnacle,lower forks, coil cover, side covers, coolant tank cover, changed the bars out for black ones and replaced the turn signals with black Harley bullet signals. Looking back at pictures of the stock bike it is crazy how different it looks now.
 
#9 ·
Thanks! I found an amazing metal polish that is designed to clean cadmium plated spokes. Its called Collinite Metal Wax no. 850. Helps keep them clean too. My rear wheel is always dirty because it is such a pain in the ass to clean.

Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Tapatalk
 
#10 ·
Where did you get that seat and fender? Those both look killer awsome.
 
#11 ·
Hey thanks for the compliment. The fender is a custom fender blank that I cut to the shape I wanted. I ordered it from Phat Performance Parts.

Custom Chrome "Roll Your Own" Custom Blank Steel Fenders With 15 3/4" Radius - CCI-RYOBLANK-FENDERLG - Phat Performance Parts

The seat is a custom as well I molded the seat pan to the new fender and frame with fiberglass and relocated the seat latch to above the battery. I then put the seat foam on the pan and shaped it. Then I had a local upholstery shop cover it. That was definitely worth the money. The seat itself is very low slung into the frame of the bike compared to other aftermarket seats. If you look at the side profile you sit very low in the bike.

I did a full write up on the fender and seat on this thread. http://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/49-vulcan-900/209921-custom-steel-rear-fender.html

If you looking for a similar fender in a bolt on kit so all you have to do it paint the fender. Then MeanCycles has a a few fenders and seats here. MeanCycles | FAT TIRE KITS / 240 FAT TIRE KIT You can find a few different fenders that look a lot like mine. Most have the rounded top on the fender. I wanted a more old school look so I cut my own. If you choose to get a custom fender kit make sure you read all the info for each one. Some only work with certain seats and might need extra parts not included in the price.
 
#13 ·
Thanks! The rear is a stock Bridgestone Exedra G702 180/70-15. The front is a Dunlop D402 MH90-21. I would have gotten a matching Bridgestone for the front but they do not make a 21" in a whitewall. When I replace the rear tire I will go for the matching Dunlop whitewall. They handle good, I have not had a chance to go on any long rides since I put the new wheel up front but It does handle nice. Before the new wheel I had a Bridgestone G703J Exedra 150/80-16 on the front and it stuck to the road very well.
 
#16 ·
Sharp looking machine you have there
Hey Thanks!

Looks great. I like the idea of a polished front end or maybe you can come across a springer fork. Your painting is great too. Clean lines and nice fades. Keep us posted. I'm interested to see your results
Funny you say that, I would love to put a springer on, if I could find one that would fit. Polishing the fork lowers is my backup plan. The paint on the helmet was my first attempt at airbrushing and stripes. My plan is to do something similar on the tank and fenders this winter.
 
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