RC Components "Stingray" Section:

I've been searching the net the past couple of months for a wheel setup that would make my VTX1800 Retro standout. I found a ton of wheel manufacturers but most of them did not support my bike. Out of the available choices, I was fortunate that RC Components did make wheels for the VTX1800R. They actually have a large selection of polished and chromed versions. I chose chrome.

One known fact about RC Components, if you order a set of wheels. Your going to have to wait a while for them. The typical lead time is 3-5 weeks. I was closer to 4 weeks. I ordered everything from Viking Motorcycles in SoCal. I can't recommend these guys enough, specical thanks to Andy and George for making it happen and the technical support I would soon need.

Just a side note, I had called up Brian and Chris at RC Components too, verifying part numbers and to answer questions. These guys also have their customer support down. They give you the feeling that your the only one calling and not being rushed. That was cool. Also gave some insight as to wheels in general.

What I ended up getting...

Stingray Rear Rim & Hub 18" - 5.5"
Stingray Front Rim and Hub 18" - 3.5"
Polished Front Rotors (2) and hardware
Metz's 200/50-18 (not installed, spare)
Metz's 150/70-18 (not installed, spare)
Avon 200/55-18
Avon 150/70-18

Note * I had several request on prices. Total price including CalVTXRiders discount 5% came to $2970 (tax included)

Update:
Check out the Buff Page. The work performed really enhances the RC Component Wheel setup.

June 7, 2005
I had been tracking my order once I knew RC Components had actually shipped the wheels. According to UPS, I would be receiving 3 boxes. I figured 2 with rims and one for the rotors. That's exactly what shipped to me.

The problem was the rear wheel, it didn't have anything in the middle. A gigantic chromed donut!

Since I didn't know any better I started thinking I was supposed to take parts from my original cast wheel and somehow get it mounted on the new Stingray. No way, the center was hole diameter was larger than any part of the original wheel. Did some calling to Viking, they told me I should have gotten another box with the rear wheel rotor. I did the very next day...

June 8, 2005
This is what you should expect 4 boxes like the ones below.

I didn't buy the polished rear rotor so I borrowed a co-workers buffer and decided to try and clean up the original rear brake rotor. It was really dull and dirty. It was aweful looking at it next to the chrome wheel.

I really didn't know jack about buffing or polishing. I just knew what my co-worker had told me. I asked the guys at CaliforniaVTXRiders web forum and got some really good advice. I'd consider them experts at what they do. I really didn't know what to expect. Just went for it.

The buffing went good. I just followed the advise that was given worked through the rotor. All in all I happy with the end result. I probably spent a couple of hours on it. Definitely got rid of the black darkened areas and gave it a cleaner look. Maybe in the winter I'll pull it out and actually do the process that was recomended. The edge of the rotor came out super shiny and smooth.

The first thing to do was remove a few of the original parts from the stock cast rear rim.

Rubber Dampers
Final Driven Flange B
Snap Ring
Final Driven Flange A
Bearing (6905 RS)
O-Ring
Nuts 88m (5each)

Remove the Final Drive Flange A (5 Bolts holding it in place)

Remove the Final Driven Flange B

Remove the Snap ring, I just used a couple of pairs of needle nosed pliers.

Once the Snap Ring is removed you can lift out Final Driven B from the hub.

Now I put all the removed parts into the new RC wheel hub.

First parts to go in are the Rubber Dampers

The rubber pieces were still in good shape, I just cleaned them up a bit and installed them.

Next I installed the Driven Flange "B". The large C-Snap ring hold it in place.

Other side of hub...

Note the model number stamped on the hub. If you have a VTX1800R (2003) this the number you should be seeing (1563)

All was going well until it was time to install Driven Flange "A". I could not get the bottom section to go over the spacer. I went as far as using a rubber mallet. I would have kept on pounding on it but thought I'd better call Viking and RC Components in the morning.

I took the whole hub to work the next day and used a pair of calipers to measure the diameter of both the spacer and Flange "A" opening. Just as I thought, the spacer was 0.0025 larger than the opening of the Flange. I would have never been able to pound it in, if I did. It would never come back out.

I called RC Components and Viking Motorcycle, they both confirmed that the chroming process was the cause for it. Both recommended removing the excess chrome on the side of spacer.

I taped up the spacer and bearing prevent fallen shavings.

I used a Dremel tool with the Drum Sander bit (60 grit) I worked around the spacer as evenly as I could. I kept on checking to see if the Flange "A" would fit over the spacer. Once it did I just cleaned it up with the Drum Sander (120 grit).

I proceeded to grind around the spacer until I could fit the Driven Flange "A" over the spacer with minimum effort.

Next came mounting the rear hub to the rim and the two new front rotors for the front.

I taped and wrote the direction of rotation for the front rim so the inside design matched the rears. I heard of guys installing their front rims first then realizing when they put on the rears they didn't match.

Wheels ready for the new set of Metz's that were scheduled to arrive on June 10, 2005.

June 10, 2005
I checked my UPS tracking on the Metz's tires. They updated the status from delivery on Friday to Monday of the next week. Since I had plans to go for a ride this weekend I decided to see what tires I could get locally. It wasn't easy but I was able located from two different retailers a set of Avon tires.

I took my rims and tires to a chopper shop located in Lodi, CA. (VTwin Choppers) nice place with great customer service. The mechanic went as far as removing the all the bolts on the rim and adding red loctite. Something I didn't even think about doing when I got the rotors and center hub. I'll be going back to these guys when I'm ready to swap out the Avons for the Metz's set I have on standby.

I've removed and mounted both tires in the past for various reasons. I'd have to say installing the rear tire this time was the most difficult. I use a Craftsman motorcycle jack to lift my bike off the ground. It seemed like I couldn't get the bike high enough for me to get the rear wheel under the fender. Once i did get the wheel under, it seemed to be too wide to fit inside.

After working it and finding the optimum angles I was able to get the wheel installed without scratching anything up. Use towels EVERYWHERE! This probably added more stress to the install since your already nervous about messing something up. One note, I let the air out of the tire thinking it would be easier to install, didn't seem to make a difference to me.

One other note, the rear tire is real heavy. It made it a lot easier for a second person to shove the shaft in at the right time while I positioned the wheel hub. I also cleaned out the rear wheel hub and Driven Flange "A" making sure nothing abrassive was stuck in there. I then applied Moly Paste.

For whatever reason the front disc pads were a pain to get back in. Between loosening and tightening the brake caliper bolts I was finally able to get them installed. I never had this problem in the past. Tight fit due to rotor chroming? I'll have to figure that one out still.

I like the way the Stingrays came out. These pictures don't do it any justice. I'll have to shoot some later with a better angle. They do stand out!

I removed the fender guard I had been using for the last couple of years. Seemed to take away from the chrome rims. If I ever get the time and energy, I'd like to polish the final drive. I've seen what other guys have done with theirs and it looks great. Maybe in the winter.

June 11, 2005
I took the bike for a 300 mile run today. This was through many different road conditions. Here's my initial cut on it...

If your looking for a smoother ride, don't get a taller rim with low profile tires. You can definitely tell the difference in the ride. Especially if you land on a unseen pothole. It has a more abrupt feel to it. I was more worried about damaging the sides of the rim since It's closer to the ground.

Part of my ride today was between Watsonville and Highway 101. The two lane road 152 is super twisty. Just knowing the sides of the rims were closer to the ground kept me from rolling side to side like normal. I decided to take it easy the first time out them. I don't think this setup will out perform the stock cast rims with the standard 150's and 180's using Avon's or Metz's. I'll post more feedback when I get more miles on the wheels under different road conditions.

So my opinion is that the bike looks way better with the RC Component Rims & Low Profile Avon's but I'll have to give up some performance and comfort. That's a good trade off for me.

June 13, 2005
Metz's tires came in this morning. I'll update this site once the Avon's wear out.

June 29, 2005
I've put approx. 1000 miles on this new wheel setup. After riding up the coast and mountains I'm completely used to them. I was more aggressive this time riding the coastal curves. The problem with any Retro is scraping on the mountain switchbacks. Those sharp turns will get you everytime. This bike was just not made to be a sportsbike and I don't want it to be. Bottom line, I've sold my original cast rims. I'll never go back...

July, 2005
I went and had some work done by BIGLRY & BONES (my buff page). While Larry worked on the rear wheel he noticed their was no Dust Seal on the right side axle. I guess I was supposed to install a new one since removing the old one from my cast wheels would have damaged it and become unusable. I ordered one and installed it. Make sure you get a dust seal before you do this mod.