[Tpatton14]

I’m currently riding a Mt09 and I’m thinking about getting carbon wheels for it. I’m wondering if carbon wheels will add horsepower the same way that a 520 chain does with the rotational mass and all that. I also love doing wheelies, I recently went to a 15t front sprocket and third gear wheelies so easy and consistent now, still trying to clutch it up in fourth but it’s pretty hard. (Sitting down at least). So will they make wheelies easier with the lighter front tire and a little bit more power from the rear??

 

[vito]

I lighter bike might be an easier and less costly change than buying carbon fiber wheels.

 

[Critter]

Nothing outside of engine work increases HP

 

[Unkle Krusty]

This is how I like to wheelie.
UK

 

[RonK]

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Lightning things up doesn't give you more outright horsepower, but it gives a better power to weight ratio.

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[SemiFast]

Lighter is faster but how much weight will carbon fiber wheels actually save?
It ain't like the wheels that came on the bike are made of solid steel....

S F

 

[RonK]

Lighter is faster but how much weight will carbon fiber wheels actually save?
It ain't like the wheels that came on the bike are made of solid steel....

S F

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Well if each wheel weighs 3# less, then you'd save 6# which on a 600# bike would be about 1%. Of course, if you took your boots off, you could get that weight saving up to 1.5%.

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[SemiFast]

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Well if each wheel weighs 3# less, then you'd save 6# which on a 600# bike would be about 1%. Of course, if you took your boots off, you could get that weight saving up to 1.5%.

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Maybe just buy a bike with more horsepower to start with.
Or take your boots off, riders choice.

S F

 

[RonK]

Maybe just buy a bike with more horsepower to start with.
Or take your boots off, riders choice.

S F

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Or you could buy a trike and have the 1.5% and leave your boots on!

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[Porky]

Or you could eat a lot of fiber and loose weight every morning like I do

Welcome to the forum!

We probably won't be hearing from you for long with the behavior you mentioned.

Sam

 

[Dr45701]

This mod racked me up about 7 extra horses.

 

[skant153]

nothing outside the engine system will add horsepower, as stated above. the output at the crankshaft won't change by changing sprockets, rims, chain or anything else. the HP at the wheel, however, can. your stock bike has ~15% less BHP then crank HP because of the inertial mass of the drivetrain. Lighter weight sprockets, lighter chain, lighter rims, etc will all reduce inertial mass and allow more of the engine power to be delivered to the pavement.

TL;DR no, lighter wheels won't increase HP, but they'll reduce it by less so your dyno will be higher

 

[NordicMan]

A lighter set of wheels will improve the bike's inertia. It will improve on acceleration but won't affect top speed, for example.
Would this change help in wheelies? I suppose if the front wheel were noticeably lighter that would help. I doubt a lighter back wheel will do much if anything.

 

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

From what I have read (I have no experience with this and I'm not an expert or a racer), lighter wheels, for example carbon fibre, reduce the rolling mass of the wheels, meaning the bike will flick from side to side faster and more easily (i.e. in corners).

You can test this effect for yourself by grabbing a bicycle wheel by the axle, spinning the wheel and then varying the angle of the wheel (much like a motorbike wheel would lean from left to right) to feel the kinds of stresses which are placed on the wheel when spinning. Less weight spinning will make this action easier and thus the motorbike will flick from one angle to the opposite more easily when cornering.

Changing to lighter wheels is usually quite an expensive modification but people like racers who need to compete will appreciate them. From what I know, it's more about handling, flick-ability and maybe to increase tyre choices.

For wheelies I don't think it will make any significant difference and chain and sprockets are a much more useful upgrade (or get a bike with a bigger engine). Also crash protection would be useful to avoid costly damage.

 

[aTahmission]

As Claud mentioned above, the biggest effect is on handling. Of course, a greater power-to-weight ratio will make the bike faster, but that's not really the same as adding horsepower. Reducing unsprung weight does absolutely have an effect on how well the bike will handle, however. Of course, typical street riding wouldn't be a great testing ground for what is, ultimately, an expensive and delicate solution. You'd be better off with magnesium wheels to replace the stock alloys.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

At one track there was a rise in the back straight, that slowly tapered down again. Going over the top at over 100 would cause the front to leave the ground by a few inches. At that speed it would be easy to get too much air under the front and get lift off. We were always tucked in and doing our best to keep the front wheel on the ground. Like the guy in the pic I posted above. Weight over the front. To the right hand side of this rise was a bump that we avoided. But sometimes some of the hot shoes would aim for it to induce a wheelie.
At the old track in WA, they put in a bus stop just before the entrance to the main straight. We were doing 140 150 back in the early seventies with under 100 hp. The new bikes were going too fast. the bus stop fixed that. Anyway, one rider after doing the stop and go, would always try and do a wheelie. One time two bikes passed him while he was screwing around.
UK

 

[Tobacco Road]

This is how I like to wheelie.
UK

And by far the coolist.....