kevvyd
Active member
OK....so there's this thing. Its kinda a vintage Honda thing, but it still persists occasionally on the red HRC machines.
That thing is GOLD Excel rims on a red Honda.
I've always been a fan, lusted machines set up this way during all of my formative years.
So here I am with a truly Red Honda. Not a Flo-Red, or "kinda orange" Honda......but a real deal RED one.
The seed is planted.
I go about trying to make this dream a reality.
First I tried and tried and tried to find the Takegawa Wide Wheel kit in Gold. That only led to me finding out that Takegawa ceased production of the Gold colorway pretty much sold out before my '22 was ever even built.
Next I ordered some "eBay Thailand" gold rims in 17x1.60 that I thought would work. I'm well rehearsed behind the truing stand and figured I'd build em up. Unfortunately, 1.60" must have meant 1.40" in Thai and a refund was issued for the moped sized rims.
After that, it was a volley of emails and phone calls RK/Excel USA, Buchanan Wheels, KSR, Treatland.......There was a lot of helpfulness, but not a lot of bona-fide leads.
The lust waned for a while as the holidays passed. Until a riding buddy reignited the flame after asking me to tell him "everything I knew about getting GOLD rims for one of his CRF150's" (which we still have not accomplished)
That's when I discovered a proxy buying service that facilitates delivery of "Indonesian" goods to buyers in the USA and Worldwide. I began placing orders.
Most of the orders would get cancelled due to "vendor not having sufficient stock"......
This went on time and time again for weeks until once again.....the flame diminished.
All this time I was aware that @dmonkey outlined a successful purchase of BARTubeless wheels from RK/Excel Malaysia. But I really didn't want to get involved in "all that"......International wire transfers, foreign language barriers, SHIPPING!............ None the less, I fired off one email to the point of contact @dmonkey suggested: jsheng@excel-rim.com
I got a reply right away, and was then introduced to Yong Kah Yee (kyyong@excel-rim.com)
Yong was excellent, very fluent and proficient!
I asked for BOTH of my BARTubeless wheels to be built in the same dimensions. 17-1.85" and for them to be GOLD.
Yong drafted up the "PROFORMA INVOICE" and I signed it, sent my first ever International Wire Transfer. My bank branch walked me through this for a $45 fee. There are ways to lessen the fee---but I chose EASY over any of those.
Once the order was paid Yong told me it'd be about a week for production, then I would get a message containing the "Final Invoice"
During that time I began messing around on that Proxy buying site, this time attempting to get some very exclusive tyres. Tubeless ones, wider than stock, and NOT pure street tread. I became fixated on buying Swallow SB-117 tubeless 90/90-17 "Street Enduro" dual sport tyres. Again there were a couple cancellations......and then success. I received a notification of shipment from DHL and the tyres arrived a few days later! (Note: THIS WAS DUMB EXPENSIVE)
Shortly after that I heard from Yong @ RK Malaysia with news that my BARTubeless wheels were complete! He gave me the package dimensions and an address for a Courier or "Reverse Courier" to pickup, or for me to arrange shipping. I thought I had made it abundantly clear that the wheels were going to need to be shipped to the USA at my initial contact, and again at the time of wire transfer payment......but this seemed to slip through the cracks. Not a problem or deterrent at all for Yong, he almost immediately came up with a quote for FEDEX to USA for my wheels. $200, well $245 really since now I had to pay the wire transfer fee at my bank AGAIN. I wasn't happy with this, but lust knows no boundaries and really----it's a first world problem. Also--when I used my own FEDEX account to quote the pickup and delivery from Penang----it was almost 3x the fee that BARTubeless quoted, so felt like a good bargain!
(Note: I tried to dodge the $45 bank fee by doing the 2nd Wire myself on the bank website in Malaysian Ringgit currency, figuring since it was sent once it'd be easy for me to DIY do it this time. Long story short, this got royally messy and my money was "missing" for a few weeks. Once I had it "sorted" I gladly returned to the bank branch and paid the $45 fee!)
Everything now paid in full, I received the finalized Product invoice, which I will say is very affordable (the shipping fee was almost as much as the product price!) A day later a shipping notification. That was on a Friday, my wheels arrived the following Monday! I seem to have learned that "once your item goes on a jet from Asia, they take really, really good care of expediting it!" Holds true for my Webike orders as well.
I wasted no time mounting and installing the parts. The RK/BARTubeless wheels were supremely nice! The quality and craftsmanship was obvious immediately. As stated earlier---I've spent thousands of hours behind a truing stand, am a qualified and unbiased judge.
The Swallow rubber was also quite nice, and I was almost able to mount the tyres with just bare hands. They beaded up quickly with a shot of air and the wheel/tyre combo has good balance. No auxiliary wheel balance weight required.
Here are some data points before the money shots.
---The BARTubeless wheels as delivered (no axles, Cush drive, rotors, spacers, etc) ie: bare wheels: Front weight: 7lb 5oz. Rear Weight: 8lb 3oz
---There was a 3 or 4 oz discrepancy between the Swallow SB-117 tyres. One was 7lb 10oz, the other was like 7lb 6.5oz (so I put the heavy one on the rear rim!)
---The combined weight of the BARTubeless rim with bigger tubeless tire is almost identical to the weight of the stock rims wearing OEM tyres and inner tubes.
---The 1.85 Takasago Excel Asia rim is about 91mm at the tire bead on the exterior. Compared to 80mm of the stock rims
---The depth overall (spoke bed to tire bead) on the Takasago Excel is about 69mm vs 57 on the stock rim
---The "taper" of the rim sidewall (V shape profile) on the Takasago begins at apx. 57mm and increases to 67mm whereas the stock rim taper begins at apx. 60mm and only increases to about 63mm
Here is another painful data point. I've probably wasted 60+ hours of my life making this dream come true. Between failed attempts, research, bank trips, phone calls, emails, tears, failed DIY attempts, installation, returns, translations, more tears....... etc.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. I'm enamored even more with my Cindy and the ride quality is fantastic!
Am I glad "it's over"? Absolutely.
I'd suggest you just cut straight to the chase and email Yong. Make sure you pay the shipping cost at the SAME TIME you pay the Wire for the first invoice. Demand that!
There's more......but first I'll field some questions?
That thing is GOLD Excel rims on a red Honda.
I've always been a fan, lusted machines set up this way during all of my formative years.
So here I am with a truly Red Honda. Not a Flo-Red, or "kinda orange" Honda......but a real deal RED one.
The seed is planted.
I go about trying to make this dream a reality.
First I tried and tried and tried to find the Takegawa Wide Wheel kit in Gold. That only led to me finding out that Takegawa ceased production of the Gold colorway pretty much sold out before my '22 was ever even built.
Next I ordered some "eBay Thailand" gold rims in 17x1.60 that I thought would work. I'm well rehearsed behind the truing stand and figured I'd build em up. Unfortunately, 1.60" must have meant 1.40" in Thai and a refund was issued for the moped sized rims.
After that, it was a volley of emails and phone calls RK/Excel USA, Buchanan Wheels, KSR, Treatland.......There was a lot of helpfulness, but not a lot of bona-fide leads.
The lust waned for a while as the holidays passed. Until a riding buddy reignited the flame after asking me to tell him "everything I knew about getting GOLD rims for one of his CRF150's" (which we still have not accomplished)
That's when I discovered a proxy buying service that facilitates delivery of "Indonesian" goods to buyers in the USA and Worldwide. I began placing orders.
Most of the orders would get cancelled due to "vendor not having sufficient stock"......
This went on time and time again for weeks until once again.....the flame diminished.
All this time I was aware that @dmonkey outlined a successful purchase of BARTubeless wheels from RK/Excel Malaysia. But I really didn't want to get involved in "all that"......International wire transfers, foreign language barriers, SHIPPING!............ None the less, I fired off one email to the point of contact @dmonkey suggested: jsheng@excel-rim.com
I got a reply right away, and was then introduced to Yong Kah Yee (kyyong@excel-rim.com)
Yong was excellent, very fluent and proficient!
I asked for BOTH of my BARTubeless wheels to be built in the same dimensions. 17-1.85" and for them to be GOLD.
Yong drafted up the "PROFORMA INVOICE" and I signed it, sent my first ever International Wire Transfer. My bank branch walked me through this for a $45 fee. There are ways to lessen the fee---but I chose EASY over any of those.
Once the order was paid Yong told me it'd be about a week for production, then I would get a message containing the "Final Invoice"
During that time I began messing around on that Proxy buying site, this time attempting to get some very exclusive tyres. Tubeless ones, wider than stock, and NOT pure street tread. I became fixated on buying Swallow SB-117 tubeless 90/90-17 "Street Enduro" dual sport tyres. Again there were a couple cancellations......and then success. I received a notification of shipment from DHL and the tyres arrived a few days later! (Note: THIS WAS DUMB EXPENSIVE)
Shortly after that I heard from Yong @ RK Malaysia with news that my BARTubeless wheels were complete! He gave me the package dimensions and an address for a Courier or "Reverse Courier" to pickup, or for me to arrange shipping. I thought I had made it abundantly clear that the wheels were going to need to be shipped to the USA at my initial contact, and again at the time of wire transfer payment......but this seemed to slip through the cracks. Not a problem or deterrent at all for Yong, he almost immediately came up with a quote for FEDEX to USA for my wheels. $200, well $245 really since now I had to pay the wire transfer fee at my bank AGAIN. I wasn't happy with this, but lust knows no boundaries and really----it's a first world problem. Also--when I used my own FEDEX account to quote the pickup and delivery from Penang----it was almost 3x the fee that BARTubeless quoted, so felt like a good bargain!
(Note: I tried to dodge the $45 bank fee by doing the 2nd Wire myself on the bank website in Malaysian Ringgit currency, figuring since it was sent once it'd be easy for me to DIY do it this time. Long story short, this got royally messy and my money was "missing" for a few weeks. Once I had it "sorted" I gladly returned to the bank branch and paid the $45 fee!)
Everything now paid in full, I received the finalized Product invoice, which I will say is very affordable (the shipping fee was almost as much as the product price!) A day later a shipping notification. That was on a Friday, my wheels arrived the following Monday! I seem to have learned that "once your item goes on a jet from Asia, they take really, really good care of expediting it!" Holds true for my Webike orders as well.
I wasted no time mounting and installing the parts. The RK/BARTubeless wheels were supremely nice! The quality and craftsmanship was obvious immediately. As stated earlier---I've spent thousands of hours behind a truing stand, am a qualified and unbiased judge.
The Swallow rubber was also quite nice, and I was almost able to mount the tyres with just bare hands. They beaded up quickly with a shot of air and the wheel/tyre combo has good balance. No auxiliary wheel balance weight required.
Here are some data points before the money shots.
---The BARTubeless wheels as delivered (no axles, Cush drive, rotors, spacers, etc) ie: bare wheels: Front weight: 7lb 5oz. Rear Weight: 8lb 3oz
---There was a 3 or 4 oz discrepancy between the Swallow SB-117 tyres. One was 7lb 10oz, the other was like 7lb 6.5oz (so I put the heavy one on the rear rim!)
---The combined weight of the BARTubeless rim with bigger tubeless tire is almost identical to the weight of the stock rims wearing OEM tyres and inner tubes.
---The 1.85 Takasago Excel Asia rim is about 91mm at the tire bead on the exterior. Compared to 80mm of the stock rims
---The depth overall (spoke bed to tire bead) on the Takasago Excel is about 69mm vs 57 on the stock rim
---The "taper" of the rim sidewall (V shape profile) on the Takasago begins at apx. 57mm and increases to 67mm whereas the stock rim taper begins at apx. 60mm and only increases to about 63mm
Here is another painful data point. I've probably wasted 60+ hours of my life making this dream come true. Between failed attempts, research, bank trips, phone calls, emails, tears, failed DIY attempts, installation, returns, translations, more tears....... etc.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. I'm enamored even more with my Cindy and the ride quality is fantastic!
Am I glad "it's over"? Absolutely.
I'd suggest you just cut straight to the chase and email Yong. Make sure you pay the shipping cost at the SAME TIME you pay the Wire for the first invoice. Demand that!
There's more......but first I'll field some questions?
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