Will the rims from a 98 S3 fit my 98 S1W??

What style of each wheel are you talking about?

-Chris

3 spoke Marchesi ?? not sure on spelling, sorry. I guess all options Buell offered, which include the PM wheels I guess

Was looking at these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4650238345&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4650241369&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

So you want Marchesini for your bike, and what do you have now? Same?

(p.s. I actually have a set of the bronze colored Marchesinis brand new in the box.... Not sure on the year - gotta check.)

--Chris

Have same on bike now but rear has a bite out of the outer part of the rim

Ah - just a replacement. I will look it up in a little bit. Sorry for the confusion.

--Chris

The S3 rear rim will fit. The rear axle is the same, the caliper is the same, the brake rotor is the same, and the wheel looks the same except for the color (white vs. bronze or grey.)

The inner fenders are different. Not sure if that matters. If you are going with the same style of rim and tire then it should not.

The PM wheel used a 170 tire, IIRC, and the Marchesini used the 180. Maybe it was the other way around. But one was one way, and one was the other. If you're going with a bigger tire, might make sense to check the clearance.

--Chris

Picked up a front and rear S3 rim on ebay with Dunlop Sportmax tires and the rear disc for less than what I would have paid for just a new rear rim and 1 tire.

They are grey but they'll do until I either paint the bike or powdercoat them white to match the bike.

My priority is to ride the bike right now, looks are secondary.

Nice find!

True - these are not Marchesini. These were built by the same company that builds HD wheels, in Australia (or Austria?), I think.

--chris

The real Marchesinis are made of magneium and are a bit lighter if I'm not mistaken

Quite a bit lighter. Magnesium vs. Aluminum. Hard to find and certainly not that cheap either.

--Chris

Did the Buells ever come with the true Marchesini's and how would you tell???

I have to check if they ever really did. I remember something about it, but the Buell guys would know better.

The real Marchesini wheels have a stylized M on them. The Buell copies have the word Buell cast into them. The other confusing thing is that the Buell copies have a motorcycle council logo of some sort on it, and it looks like an M too. I suppose you could weigh ones that have the Buell logo on them, and anything lighter would likely be Marchesini :)

I don't know a ton about Buells. Have you ever been to Bad Weather Bikers? All Buellers over there.

http://www.badweatherbikers.com/

--Chris

They are also in my favorites, good info there also. Reason I was asking is I was thinking about having my rear rim repaired and if it was magnesium I don't know if it is possible to do so.

Not enough welding info in my noggin...................Yet ;) ;)

Mine have a stylized "M" on them, it may be the motorcycle council logo, I'll have to do some internet info mining and see if I can find a pic of the Marchesini emblem to compare.

You can weld magnesium, but it's tricky because it likes to catch fire! (don't ask)

Post a pic of the logo on your wheel. Look also for the word "Buell" on it somewhere, with some DOT markings too. The Buell is the giveaway that it's a Buell aluminum wheel, not a Marchesini.

This is the Marchesini logo, IIRC.

http://www.chrishajer.com/bike/XLF/m.png

--Chris

OK - from the parts book.

1995 & 1996 S2 had Marchesini wheels:
rear: 43123-94Y (white) $596 retail from HD and still available
front: 41016-94Y (white) $452 retail, also still available

From HD, the country of origin for both those is Italy :) The country of origin for the stock Marchesini copies is Australia, but the new replacements are made in Canada? It just gets weirder and weirder.

PM wheels were also available for those 95/96 years. That's where the 170 or 180 tire thing came in (one used one tire, the other wheel used the other tire.)

--Chris

It says Buell on the wheel so it's aluminum, know any good companies that can repair it ??

These folks look like they can fix any wheel and they aren't very expensive either

http://www.framestraightsystem.com/Alloywheel.htm

That looks like a pretty good place. I'm saving that one.

Thanks,
Chris

Yep, S2's came with Marchesini's, or optionally PM's.

Later tubers came with Buell castalloys, essentially a copy of the Marchesini.

PM's were available as a factory option on all but the M2's. They may have made'em available on the later M2's as well, not sure on that.

The wheels can easily be moved from one model to another, any year tuber.

The factory fitted 170/60 rears on all the tubers. The PM rears are a half inch wider than the Marchesini's or castalloys. A 180/55 works well on them. Best to stay with the 170/60 on the other rims.

Thanks for the definitive answer. Now I know why people love the '95/'96 S2s, and why they were so much money!

--Chris

Thanks everyone for the input. Looks like I'll send my old rim to be repaired and run my new rims in the meantime. The wife got the new ones on ebay with tires and rotors on both for $530 delivered to the door for Fathers Day. The rear has a 180 tire on it, although that is not the optimal tire for it I don't think it will hurt to run it.

My next obstacle is which front and rear lift to get so I can work on the Buell. I've got the nice Craftsman lift for the Sportie, but it looks like I need the lifts for the front and back of the frame to work on the Buell. Any recommendations will be appreciated.

It's not so much "the optimal tire" and that it won't hurt to run it. You have to check the clearance to the inner fender and belt guard, if you have them. They've been known to rub. They rubbed more on the S2 model than the S1, but it's worth a look. If it physically fits, it's safe to run.

For lifts, it's all different that the XL (can't jack from the bottom.) If you have a way to hang it, like a come-a-long, A-Frame or cherry picker, that works fine with a sling or strap.

If you want to lift from the bottom, here's what I use:

K&L Front (http://www.chopperscycle.com/page/VTS/PROD/72-247/21913)

Pit Bull Rear (http://www.pit-bull.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=178&products_id=31&osCsid=0a9afc1a6ce794250f787846db6953da)

Pit Bull makes them for front and rear, but I happen to have the K&L front one. The front one has a pin that lifts from the bottom of the lower triple tree. Pins are interchangeable to lift various bikes.

--Chris

Thanks Chris, the pitbull is a little cheaper than the Woodcraft I was looking at.

Just one more question, Cubs or White Sox ????

Ha - I don't give a sh:censorit about baseball. I've got better things to do.

(Wife's a Cubs fan, son is a Sox fan.)

--Chris

Did she ground him when they won the Series ??? :roflblack :roflblack

Cubs fan myself, 40 years of suffering and counting :frownthre :frownthre :frownthre