Motorcyclist USA — September-October 2017

MOTORCYCLISTONLINE.COM | 45

Marchesini

M10RS Kompe Wheels

$2,349

Made in Pianoro, Italy

Forged aluminum

10-spoke design

Colors: Gloss Black, Matte Black, Gold

Kineo

Tubeless Wire-Spoked Wheels

$2,390

Made in Verona, Italy

Extruded aluminum rim, forged aluminum hub

32-/42-spoke design (front/rear)

Colors: Gloss Black, Matte Black, Matte White,

Dark Gray, Polished Silver

� IN THE 1960 S, nearly all bikes rolled on wire-spoked wheels. Then, in the ’70s, one-piece alloy wheels appeared,

and these days, the vast majority of motorcycles come equipped with cast-aluminum hoops.

Even if suspending the tires from steel wires is old technology, spoked wheels are still mandatory on moto-

cross bikes, dual-sports, and serious adventure machines because they are more durable. Spoked wheels handle

impacts better and are easily repairable, unlike alloy wheels. There’s also a style aspect. Many of today’s cruisers

and modern-retros run spoked wheels because they suit the aesthetics of those machines.

Aluminum-alloy wheels are what most manufacturers turn to, in part because they’re aff ordable to build en masse

but also because they are signifi cantly more rigid than wire-spoked wheels, and that has a lot of benefi ts for road riding.

Alloy wheels are also universally tubeless, simplifying tire changes and puncture repairs.

Kineo wheels, newly imported by Brock’s Performance, are as cutting edge (and premium) as spoked wheels come.

The company brings the latest technology to a classic design, off ering thoroughly modern wheels for a wide range of

machines. A forged hub supports a rim that’s sealed for use with tubeless tires, and the unique spoke design allows

individual parts to be replaced without disassembling the wheel or even removing the tire.

While most OE alloy wheels are cast from molten aluminum, Marchesini spares no expense when making its

aluminum and magnesium performance wheels, relying exclusively on forging processes. Forging yields a stronger

material so that the rim, spokes, and hub can be thinner and thus lighter. Exceptional strength coupled with lightness are

two reasons that Marchesinis are the wheels of choice for MotoGP and World Superbike teams. Street riders can purchase

the same stuff the factory teams use through T.A.W. Performance, headquartered in North Carolina. ÑAri Henning

VERSUS

WIRE-SPOKED VS. ALLOY WHEELS

It’s a question of durability or rigidity

JULIA LAPALME

M O T O R C Y C L I S T O N L I N E.C O M

MCY1017_VERSUS.indd 45 7/25/17 1:48 PM