Topic: My mysterious wheels

[relative q]

Anyone recognize these wheels?  They came on my 77 550F, and I've never seen them on any other bike.  The reason this concerns me is that upon reassembling my rear end, I've noticed that it looks like the rear wheel is a bit off center, despite the fact that the sprockets line up, as if it were supposed to be dished a little but isn't.  What's going on here?

[Triffecpa]

I think that those are Astralite wheels.  They made aftermarket wheels in the 70's along with Lester.  I thing that they might bave been made for a variety of bikes.  Not sure if they were adapted to each with just different spacers of if the casting were different.  Also not sure if they were aluminum or magnesium.  I've heard some not so great things about how magnesium wheels get brittle as they age.  But I've got no particular proof of problems. 

Then again, I could be wrong about all of the above... 

Tracy

[relative q]

So if they were adapted only with spacers, my wheel will be a little off-center?

[relative q]

Also, if it helps in identifying them, the only markings on them say "JAPAN INDUSTRY".

[mazingerzeca]

This is the bike of a friend, I think it has the same wheels. The bike was prepared by a french workshop called "Blaynac". In fact, the bike's documentation doesn't say Honda as brand; it says Blaynac, and the engine is 900 cc. I've found information about other brands like Japauto, Dresda, Rickman, but nothing about Blaynac. Any information about this?

[mazingerzeca]

The picture

[paulyp]

Yes they look like wheels I have, mine have HA industries cast into them.

Cheers
Paul

[CrisPDuk]

They are exactly the same as the wheels on a Kwak Z650 featured in Classic Bike magazine a couple of months ago. I've just had a look, but it doesn't tell you in the article what make they are


Not a very helpful post then really

Except to say, if they are magnesium alloy, get them checked very carefully before using. I had a mag wheel suffer from age related disintegration on one of my cars once Not an experience I'd fancy repeating on a motorbike to be honest

[relative q]

They do in fact look like those Henry Abe wheels.  However, I really need to know about this spacer issue.  It's really weirding me out that my rear wheel is off-center.

Also, how could I tell if these are magnesium or not?  They look like aluminum to me, but I'm no metallurgist. 

[Triffecpa]

the centering alignment problem might be something as simple as having the rear wheel spacers put on the wrong side.  If you look, I would guess that the outside spacers on either side are a different width.  Someone might have installed them on the wrong side at some point.

TR

[Sam Green Racing]

Can't add anything apart from they are not Astralites.

Astralites were fabricated, not cast, sorta like Comstars.

Sam.

[relative q]

the centering alignment problem might be something as simple as having the rear wheel spacers put on the wrong side.  If you look, I would guess that the outside spacers on either side are a different width.  Someone might have installed them on the wrong side at some point.

TR

The spacers are on the sides that they should ostensibly be on, but they're the wrong size.  I guess I just need to find different spacers.