17" wheels on a Commando / Feathrbed

Our local race club is suffering from a lack of members & needs to get more bikes on the track.
Vintage racing has nearly died. I have raced a Commando engine in a featherbed frame for years & don't want to change to anything newer.
The new rules would allow me to race it in a later period class, which makes me wonder...
Has anybody fitted 17" alloy wheels [tubeless tires] from a period Japanese bike (for cheapness) to a featherbed frame?
When did they start fitting radial tires to motorcycles? mid 80's?

that sure is a big step down to 17", fitting wide tyres will more than likely make the handling worse, its been said many times that the wide tires on Featherbeds is not the answer to beter handling, they handle superbly on the 19"s
I've built quite a few Featherbeds using 18" rims, to the extent that I have a stock of 18" alloy flanged rims and SS spokes for featherbeds, certainly a better range of tires in 18"
standard 1.85" WM2 width, although many request the 2.15" for the rear.
sorry for not really answering your questions, just some input.

Hehe silly rabbit just fitting 17" rims don't mean it can fit balloon tires too, maybe
120 rear and 110 front is tops w/o altering chain path and fender width. These can be found as front tires in catalogs but just flip rotation arrow for rear works fines. Its easier to find 150 mph rated in 17". There's dozens of examples out there just none displayed here yet.

pouchy750 said:

Our local race club is suffering from a lack of members & needs to get more bikes on the track.
Vintage racing has nearly died. I have raced a Commando engine in a featherbed frame for years & don't want to change to anything newer.
The new rules would allow me to race it in a later period class, which makes me wonder...
Has anybody fitted 17" alloy wheels [tubeless tires] from a period Japanese bike (for cheapness) to a featherbed frame?
When did they start fitting radial tires to motorcycles? mid 80's?

Click to expand...

I race with 18" wheels and Avon race tyres on my '85 GSXR750.....AM22 (110/80)/AM23 (150/70)....I don't think I am seriously disadvantaged to those with 17" rims, sure 17" supersport tyres offer a lot of grip...on bikes designed to use them.....use 110/80 front and rear...(I will on a Rickman Norton this year as many others do)...110 is a little big on the front, but it will brake good and the rear 110 will turn quicker than the bigger tyre...get a 130 in if you can but you will be trimming the edge off to avoid the chain, so why?...and of course very few of those 17" rims will be narrow enough, most being designed for 120/180 set ups, 5.5" rear, almost none for less than 160 rear....4.5"

Some guys are going back to 19" on featherbeds because Avon is now doing a good AM26 based tyre in 90/90 and 100/90, and of course the bike handles better on what is was designed for...

Some of those guys in the later class won't have your experience and probably won't have your corner speed! Likely you will enjoy yourself anyway, with a whole lot less stress....

my meager impression is soft aired balloon tires have better grip if above 45' lean angle for freeway like turns but more than that in scary turns - I'll take hard aired skinny tires thankyou very much. But I always encourage experimentation by others for my entertainment and education. If ya lace the rear rim or space cast wheel hub over to the RH some a 130 tire can be squeezed in to clear chain. Unless ya go with exotic materials the modern wheels are heaiver than a good skinny spoked wheel, especially if sealed for tubeless airing. Many many cycles don't have both tire centers in line and its a non issue to detect in handling.