Hi everybody,
I just got a very clean 2007 model and aside from all the standard mods I will be doing, I would like to have a set of supermoto wheels/tires to swap when I want to do some serious street riding. I searched the marketplace and did not see anything for the 2007 model. Does anyone know of any wheel sets that would work for the 2007 model? Any advice will be appreciated.

 

It is easier to do a set of OEM hubs for the 2007 since most any pre-2009 KLX250/300/650 have the same front hubs and only the KLX650C has a different rear hub. They should all be bolt on with only the KLX650C cush hub being different. In addition the KDX200/220 are bolt on too from what I've researched. They have the same speedo drive set up in the front hub. This means you can build a set of wheels if you want to. Rims are not cheap, but still likely under $400 total, plus spoke sets at around $90 a wheel. One way around it is to use the narrower 17 or 18" rear rim that may come with the hub and just lace up a 19" front rim (which could be possibly a rear rim off one of the MX bikes). it all depends on how technical you want to get - pure supermoto with wide 17s or a good street set up with 17,18, or 19" narrower rims running higher profile tires.

The pre-2009 speedo drive hubs should be much easier and less expensive to source than the 2009 and up electronic speedo drive hubs. Makes it a fair deal to build a set of wheels than normal.

I did a lot of research when I was looking to build wheels for my KLX650C. I actually have a 4.25 wide rim I haven't used that is new. It would work with a 140-150 tire. I was going to use the rear 17 on the front and run sensible size tires, 140 rear and 110 front. Just haven't gotten around to it yet. For me it was trying to have two sets, but now having the 250 I can do the 650 pretty much full on street with a set of 17s.

 

You make some good points. I am not married to the supermoto setup so I think I will explore the options you mentioned. I am thinking that a 19 inch front and 17 (or even an 18) inch rear may be nice. Thanks for the advice!

 

Only reason I bring up the 18 & 19 is cost. Look up the cost of the rims and spokes, maybe contact Woody's Wheel Works and see what the cost is. I know you can get used 18" and 19" rims from old MX bikes through ebay and maybe locally if you do some digging in your area about people who may have a lot of old junk off roaders. Maybe check Facebook market or craigslist. Nice part about alloy rims, they don't rust like steel and may be still decent even if the bike is junk.

 

Thanks again. I found some decent wheels from a 2001 KLX300 so they are on the way. Now, I just have to figure what 19 inch rim will work and then get some spokes.

 

Make sure of spoke count. I believe the KLX is 36 spoke, some wheels may be 40 or 32, so be aware. I'd recommend a rear rim from one of the motocrossers that use a 1.85"-19 They've been using 19s on the back of motorcrossers for quite some time. Or find another KLX rear wheel to get an 18.

 

I respoked the front wheel with an 18 inch rear rim to make my 2005 Serow into a "supermoto".



It's actually not that hard to spoke a wheel. I used the rear wheel as a pattern. I got a stock rear rim from Yamaha. And Buchannan's Spokes was a great help in sizing the spokes. They fit perfectly. Buchannan's has been in business since 1958 and they really know their stuff.

Buchannan's Spokes

You'll need to rig up some fixed point of reference to true up the rim. I rigged up a makeshift stand so I could reverse the wheel to get it centered both ways. Make sure to get a spoke wrench that exactly fits the nipples, as it makes the job a lot easier.

 

Buchanan's and Woody's are the two main well known companies for doing wheels of all sorts. Woody has been a participant in the ADVrider forum helping out with things at times. I've been in contact and they're very nice to talk with. When we were talking supermoto rims he mentioned having some used rims and that might work for my front wheel as they were KLR rear 17" rims. I'd go with the closest to me or any other company of reasonable repute if in some other country.

If going with 18s I think I did mention virtually all the R and S model KLX250/300 had 18" rear rims.

 

Thanks guys. The KLX wheels were delivered and they are in very nice shape. I will use them for dirt duty and the originals for street duty. I will probably only ride about 1500 miles a year on the road and some of that will be dirt/gravel so I may just put something like Kenda K 761 dual sport 80/20 tires on the original wheels and see how that setup works out. The KLX wheels were a pretty good deal at around $500 for both.