Topic: Newbie building a wheel, help me figure out hub offsets

[zoogler]

Hey everyone,

I'm working on building wheels for my '77 cb400f project.  I've built/trued the front wheel, with a lot of help from the posts in this forum.

Now, for the rear wheel.  After re-reading some of the threads here, I've learned that the rear hub may not be centered over the rim.  Of course, I took the wheel apart before measuring any potential offset.  Oops.

A couple questions:

1) I've read a ton of posts about wheel building, but I don't see a consensus on if the offset should be created by adjusting for it in the truing process, or just centering the hub and then using spacers.  There are posts advocating for each method.  I'd prefer NOT to fiddle with the offset while truing -- dealing with the vertical/horizontal truing is difficult enough!  Can I just center the hub and use spacers?

2) If the answer is "no", does anyone know the correct offset with stock rims/hubs for a '77 cb400f? My frame is at the powdercoater, so I can't do the "straightedge" trick mentioned in other threads to measure it (centering the wheels first in the frame to find the offset)

thanks again for all the great info posted here.

[Powderman]

I just measured my 77 CB400f wheel and the hub is centered on the rim. Mount it on the bike and line up your sprockets and then decide what spacing you need. If you have all the proper stock parts everything should line up. If not, something is bent or you have the wrong spacers.

Can anyone name a model of bike where the rim is intentionally offset from the hub? I don't know of any Honda's built that way, or a reason it would be done.

[Duanob]

Usually no offset on these bikes although the 400F I'm not positive.

[Bodi]

I have built several 400F wheels and the hubs have zero offset.

[Powderman]

Usually no offset on these bikes although the 400F I'm not positive.

Mine is original and centered, not offset.

[zoogler]

Well, that's easy.

I did see a few posts about cb400fs where they mentioned the hubs being offset, which had me worried.  Ex: http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=38849.0

thanks!

[Powderman]

Well, that's easy.

I did see a few posts about cb400fs where they mentioned the hubs being offset, which had me worried.  Ex: http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=38849.0

thanks!

I would completely ignore that thread. That's guy who had issues with spoke length, not offset, after replacing new rims . His original didn't have any offset, and he didn't mention that it did afterwards.

[Jinglyjangly]

From what I've seen Japanese bikes are properly engineered and don't need the
Wheels offset, on the other hand all my British bikes do need offset.

[przjohn]

From what I've seen Japanese bikes are properly engineered and don't need the
Wheels offset, on the other hand all my British bikes do need offset.

Same here, bikes with conical hubs on vintage dirt bikes too. I did a 74 CanAm 250 restoration and the manual was pretty detailed on setting the offset of the conical hubs. The 400F I did last Winter had no offset.