Cb550f2 spoked rear wheel

[JustcallmeMrT]

Hi all,
My bike came with comstars and the original front spoked wheel.  Looking to put the originals back on, so looking for a spoked hub for the rear.  Seen a few on ebay for around £50 from the US, but shipping and import are killers and bring the price up to around £130. One in the UK but asking £120. 
Question is, am I going to find better prices than that, or do I bite the bullet and pay?
Any advice welcome.

[AshimotoK0]

Try DK . They may have one from an import bike. One on there at the moment but unusually expensive for them.

Cheers ..Ash

[Bitsa (Ralph Wright - RIP)]

I paid 300 euro for one for 750 but it came complete with new rim and spokes ready to fit.You have to shop around.Now doing front wheel new rim and spokes in Germany cheaper with post than DS
All the best
Bitsa

[matthewmosse]

Lurk on ebay and a bargin might pop up. I find they tend to go high, higher than I am willing to go anyways. The rear liners tend to crack wich can give rise to strong damand. Price to fix a rear liner was £45 or so, not sure on cost of spokes and rim, I expect over £100. Doing the rebuild of a wheel took me 3 or 4 hrs first time around. Buy used and the rim and spokes may be cosmetically flawed. Beware of painted spokes, I bought one where the paint was filling bad pitting on the spokes, wheel collapsed in service which was annoying, but I was lucky enough to have a spare on the shelf at home so only cost me the time waiting for a spare to come from home and a phonecall. Overall it would seem the odds are it is cheaper to buy a complete serviceable wheel off ebay /  a breakers, but you may get a better looking wheel by buying a hub and building it up. Of the 6 or so spoked wheels I have had on cb500 /550 2 x developed cracked linners within my ownership and another had already been re lined but I do buy at the bottom of the market. A cracked liner gives a pulsing pedal when you brake, and I would be looking hard for a fix or replacement once that happens.

[JustcallmeMrT]

I'm planning to rebuild the wheel anyways, so I'll keep my eyes open for an eBay bargain.  Anyone know of a good bike breaker in the slough area?

[matthewmosse]

In the past I had good prices off 'on all fours' and 'california connection' aka 'Ap motorcycle spares' If they still exist, been a long time sincd I actually bought anything other than pads and shoes etc.
 Once it is decided that the wheel is to be rebuilt anyway I would personally think that getting a cracked drum one re lined would in many ways be prefereable, a new liner is almost certainly going to be thicker than the original and thefore I think far less likely to suffer future issues. The guy who does them can fit a whole wheel in his lathe so at least you won't have to do a rebuild on a wheel just to deal with the drum brake unless you are determined to do things the hard way like me and do the re lining at home.

[mickwinf]

I have a drum that needs a new liner if you want to go that way.

[Bryanj]

If you take the complete wheel with brakeplate and spacers a 500 four will fit and, dare i say it, a 500 twin

[JustcallmeMrT]

Sent you a PM mickwinf.

[JustcallmeMrT]

Do you have any contacts or prices for anyone who would do the relining?

[matthewmosse]

Good point Brian, as a whole assembly with the backplate the 500 does swap right over, best to keep the backplate with the correct wheel as I found on my 550k3's that a rear wheel supposedly off a 550f wouldn't transfer across due to differet backplates. Being in need of the bike I did find carefully removing some of the diameter of my old backplate with a grindstone. These days it is easier to just look up differences and buy the right bit. Since the cb650 comstar backplate takes the same shoes, I suspect buying a random 500 or 550 wheel would give a 50% chance of being able to use that backplate.

[matthewmosse]

Search the forum I put up his details a few years ago, Paul Jackson I think the name is. Huddersfield. I have not used him myself but there are a lot of very good reports. It is a job I have done diy on my bikes, but as I am no engineer and this guy does them so cheap I would definitely be the place I would recommend.

[JustcallmeMrT]

This may be the moment bwhen I feel like an idiot, but the PO gave me a rear wheel with the bike that he said he thought was from some dirt bike he'd had in the past, and I thought I might flog it on ebay.  Never paid any more attention to it, but dug it up today and I think it might actually be the rear!  Is there any way to make a positive ID?

[JustcallmeMrT]

[Green1]

Looks like a Honda 550k1 drum&wheel to me

Mick