Carrozzeria
Wheels - Details and Specifications
Forged
rims have many advantages over stock
or aftermarket cast wheels
Carrozzeria
Forged Rims are made from wrought
6151-T6 which has an inherently
better “grain” structure
and is not only stronger then cast
wheels, but more uniform and consistent
in quality. To illustrate I have
compared the strength of the material
used in Carrozzeria forged rims
with the strongest casting alloys
listed in an engineering text. As
I do not know what material is used
in stock or aftermarket cast wheels
I listed the highest strength cast
alloys listed. In reality the difference
may actually be greater than shown.
Also cast wheels are much more likely
to have internal defects which will
reduce the properties even more.
Material
Tensile Strength Yield Strength
Elongation Product
6151-T6 44 ksi 37 ksi 10% Carrozzeria
Rims
A356-T6 41 ksi 30 ksi 10% Hi-Strength
aluminum casting alloy
355-T6 42 ksi 27 ksi 4% Typical
aluminum casting alloy
ZK61A-T6 45 ksi 28 ksi 10% Strongest
magnesium casting alloy listed
Source:
Metals Handbook Desk Edition Published
by American Society for Metals
Carrozzeria
rims will not crack like cast magnesium
wheels and will provide superior
durability to the stock wheel.
Carrozzeria
Forged Rims are 20–40% lighter
than stock, depending on model.
Reducing weight on a motorcycle
will always make it accelerate,
corner and brake better, but some
weight reductions are much more
valuable then others. Motorcycle
weight can be classified in two
ways; sprung or unsprung and rotating
or non-rotating. Wheel weight is
both rotating and unsprung, which
as you will read is the most significant
weight to remove.
Sprung
weight is everything that suspension
holds up, unsprung weight is the
wheel, sprocket, caliper, disks,
axle and a percentage of the shock
and swing arm. Unsprung weight is
the nemesis of the suspension in
the war to maintain tire contact
with the tarmac. The less unsprung
weight the more effectively the
suspension and ultimately the tires
can do their jobs. To explain this
lets pretend you had a job in which
you had to raise and lower a hammer
as moving obstacles came by on some
sort of moving conveyor belt. First
you had a hammer with a 1 pound
head. As the conveyor belt moved
faster at some point it would become
impossible to move quickly enough
and the hammer would be hit be an
obstacle. If you used a hammer with
a ½ pound head you would
be able to negotiate the moving
obstacles at a greater speed. Now
imagine the hammerhead is the wheel,
your wrist is the suspension system
and the moving conveyor with obstacles
is the bumpy tarmac. This is why
most cars have independent suspensions.
Reducing unsprung weight will improve
the traction especially in bumpy
corners.
Rotating
weight on a motorcycle counts twice
every time you accelerate or brake.
The reason for this is the engine
must increase both the wheels’
linear velocity as well as their
rotational velocity. It is a little
more complicated in reality, but
each pound you remove from the wheels
is equal to approximately 2 or more
pounds removed from the chassis.
Reducing the weight of you wheels
will allow your bike to not only
accelerate faster, but brake better
as well.
An
additional benefit to reducing rotating
weight it the reduction in gyro
effect of the wheels. The easiest
way to understand this is to conduct
an experiment at home. Get the front
wheel off your bicycle. Hold the
axle with your hands and have a
partner spin the wheel at a moderate
speed. As the wheel spins pretend
you are the forks and “turn”
the wheel. You now have a feel for
gyroscopic forces. Now imagine what
a motorcycle wheel with much greater
weight and speed goes through when
you attempt to change directions
quickly in a in a series of turns.
Carrozzeria
rims enhance acceleration, braking
and handling making them dollar-for-dollar
one of the best performance modifications
you can make without the jetting,
noise and reliability problems associated
with engine modifications.
Carrozzeria
Forged rims are JWL, the Japanese
equivalent to DOT, approved for
use on street vehicles, so you can
be sure the wheels are safe for
street use. Many other aftermarket
rims are not approved for street
use.
Carrozzeria
rims are either anodized or Hi Gloss
Polish for a durable long lasting
finish, especially when compared
to the stock painted wheel. Carrozzeria
rims will look good for a long time.
Carrozzeria
rims are stylish. Give your bike
a distinctive look.
Rear
wheels use Kawasaki Bolt Pattern
sprockets
520 = ZX-6R (2003 to Current)
525 = ZX-10R (2003 to Current)
530 = ZX-12R (2002 to 2006)
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