CB160 Racer

Eric,
Actually the stock CB160 front brake is pretty good. Should be fine for a basically stock 160 engine...depending on your weight...if you are up around 200 lbs you might want to consider something larger. The CB160 brake is BETTER than a CB350 stock brake. Bear in mind your 160 will be around 150 lbs lighter than your street 350. Weight effects brake performance as much as it does speed.

My suggestion would be like this:

Stage 1
CB200 or CB350 front end, CB160 front brake (at least Ferodo shoes)

Stage 2
Go to a 305/450 brake

Stage 3 (for very aggressive, suicidal riding ..my style)
CB550/4 front end, Suz T500 brake

For reference...Zack ran something like a 1:32+ at NHIS on my wife's bike with CB200 forks and a 305 brake. Yes...that's like a front pack LWSV lap time. He's about 200 lbs in leathers. That bike has a CB160/CL175 frame.

I forget...but I think the CB200 forks are 31mm....maybe 33 the same as a CB350...but I don't think so. So....the moral is...you don't need the killer stage 3 setup I have ( I run it because it gives me confidence and get's me out of trouble sometimes) because the Stage 2 type setup probably holds the lap record for 200gp at Loudon.

Short yourself on anything but NOT THE BRAKES. Great brakes are safer, quicker and can really get you out of trouble sometimes. I do almost all my passing on the brakes.
JohnnyB

PS. All of the brakes above are of course fitted with race compound shoes.



Edited by - jbranson on Dec 13 2006 12:37:06 AM

Hate to tell you...but I lace every wheel I've ever done one spoke at a time, and I've laced and trued dozens. No reason to scratch the rim, nothing should have to be forced into place.
Usually you can just eyeball the rim hole and where it's pointed and hook it up to the right hub hole...and the wrong (over/under) spokes won't go in the wrong place (without forcing them) so that's not a problem. And each over spoke and under spoke is spaced with three holes between it and the spoke of the same type on the same side.

Anyway you look at it, nice job...I still feel pround when I spoke a rim, it's cool taking all the parts and making a wheel. And..best advice is to spoke them whatever way you are most comfortable with...assuming it gets done right....or else confusion will ensue.

I start by installing four spokes...two crosses (one set of over/under) on sides 180 degrees apart...thats enough to hold the rim and hub in place while you do the rest. I do one whole side of the wheel then the other....although I do always end up removing about 9 spokes to get the last 9 spokes in....hard to explain...but it's because I don't install them in the proper sequence...and since I'm "comfortable" with my method that's what I stick with even though it takes ten minutes longer.

Truing is easy...buy or build a stand with four little bearings that support the axle...get a dial indicator and go to town. Start by getting it very close to true perpendicular to the axle "up and down" by of course tightening spokes on hump...loosening on the valleys. When that's done (spokes shouldn't be tight at this point)...the work with the side to side true....if it wobbles right...tighten the spokes on the left at that spot...and vice versa if it wobbles left.

Kind of fun really, takes me an hour or so but I can usually get a good rim down to .010 - .015" of runout. Has to be a quality rim though, I've done a few of the Chinese knock-offs...they suck, crappy welds, stress cracks at the spoke holes, inferior grade of aluminum etc. Lucky to get one of those within .050".
JohnnyB

Hate to tell you...but I lace every wheel I've ever done one spoke at a time, and I've laced and trued dozens. No reason to scratch the rim, nothing should have to be forced into place.
Usually you can just eyeball the rim hole and where it's pointed and hook it up to the right hub hole...and the wrong (over/under) spokes won't go in the wrong place (without forcing them) so that's not a problem. And each over spoke and under spoke is spaced with three holes between it and the spoke of the same type on the same side.

Anyway you look at it, nice job...I still feel pround when I spoke a rim, it's cool taking all the parts and making a wheel. And..best advice is to spoke them whatever way you are most comfortable with...assuming it gets done right....or else confusion will ensue.

I start by installing four spokes...two crosses (one set of over/under) on sides 180 degrees apart...thats enough to hold the rim and hub in place while you do the rest. I do one whole side of the wheel then the other....although I do always end up removing about 9 spokes to get the last 9 spokes in....hard to explain...but it's because I don't install them in the proper sequence...and since I'm "comfortable" with my method that's what I stick with even though it takes ten minutes longer.

Truing is easy...buy or build a stand with four little bearings that support the axle...get a dial indicator and go to town. Start by getting it very close to true perpendicular to the axle "up and down" by of course tightening spokes on hump...loosening on the valleys. When that's done (spokes shouldn't be tight at this point)...the work with the side to side true....if it wobbles right...tighten the spokes on the left at that spot...and vice versa if it wobbles left.

Kind of fun really, takes me an hour or so but I can usually get a good rim down to .010 - .015" of runout. Has to be a quality rim though, I've done a few of the Chinese knock-offs...they suck, crappy welds, stress cracks at the spoke holes, inferior grade of aluminum etc. Lucky to get one of those within .050".
JohnnyB