Replacing OEM wheels on GL1800 Motor Trike Razor

[buckflat6]

I would like to replace the OEM steel wheels with aluminum wheels on my GL1800 w/Razor kit. My tires are 225/60 R15 with 7" wide rims. The bolt hole pattern is 4-1/2"x5 holes. If someone has knows of an aluminum wheel that will work on my Razor, would you please send me the part number and manufacture so that I can start my search for replacement aluminum wheels.

Thanks for the help.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Another measurement you're gonna need is the offset.

[cjmitch]

Here are the MT rear wheel specs...

Wheel size: 15 x 7

Offset: 4 1/2

LUGS: 5 lug on 4 1/2 / 5x114mm

[buckflat6]

Thank you. I am hoping some one has purchased a set and could supply the part number and manufacture. The bore diameter of the back of the wheel is critical so that the wheel will not hit the brake caliper.

[trike tech]

My .02 on this.

Don't rely on information from someone else. Take one of your wheels off & take to a reputable tire/wheel company & have them spec it out for you.

Give me a moment to explain my "logic" on this. A customer (a year or so ago) called to get the basic wheel specs & backspacing for the standard wheels (which can vary from wheel to wheel based on type & spoke patterns). He took that information & had a one off custom set of rear wheels made & the maker didn't push him for any additional information. When he finally received his very expensive set of wheels he went & had tires mounted to them & when he went to install them on his trike they wouldn't fit. They hit the calipers and if memory serves me was also very close to hitting the outside edge of his fender as well. Because they were a custom set manufactured by the specs provided to the wheel company it was an "as is sale" & he was out the sizeable expense for them.

This is why when anyone calls our facility asking about custom wheels or looking to find their own we recommend they remove their wheel(s) & have them spec'd out (or if a tire shop will actually do it on the trike, take the entire trike in). Do people get upset for us telling them to do this & not having 100% of the wheel measurement information? Absolutely. Would they be even more upset if we provided it & the wheels they ordered had a different profile that created an issue? Oh yeah.... Also, as mentioned above wheel pattern & spacing does vary slightly. As an example, the basic standard torque thrust polished aluminum wheel we use fits our kits without issue, but the chromed version (by the same company) does not & requires a wheel spacer to prevent the spokes from making contact with the caliper; but they fit the kit & body lines the same.

[buckflat6]

Thank you Richard. Called once to talk to you about this and you were out. You have supplied the information that will enable me to make the right choice.

[cjmitch]

My .02 on this.

Don't rely on information from someone else. Take one of your wheels off & take to a reputable tire/wheel company & have them spec it out for you.

Excuse me...

Well here is my 4 cents... I got these specs from Motortrike, so i think they would know what you need...

No I dont THINK they are what you need, I know they are what you need.

Unless you think Ye olde' tire shop next to the mall, across from the Kwik lube may know better?

[trike tech]

Excuse me...

Well here is my 4 cents... I got these specs from Motortrike, so i think they would know what you need...

No I dont THINK they are what you need, I know they are what you need.

Unless you think Ye olde' tire shop next to the mall, across from the Kwik lube may know better?

Those are the basic specs of the wheel, but they don't give any insights on whether it's a positive or negative offset, what the spoke clearance is (for disc brake equipped vehicles this is a critical aspect). Additionally, not all wheels offered by MT carry the same offset, they can vary by almost 1" depending on wheel style. We will absolutely give someone the baseline wheel specs on the wheels they have on their unit (if we have them), however the great majority of the wheels used with conversions come from the manufacturer & typically carry a mfg part # instead of an "off the shelf" part number which makes it impossible for us to google the part information to provide full specs. I try to explain this to anyone who calls in & talks to me simply because with those specs alone a wheel may not fit our kit.

We had a customer several years ago who used the basic wheel specs provided to have a custom set of wheels made for his trike without having them spec'd out. His one off custom wheels would not fit his trike once finished because they did not realize their spokes weren't cut properly to allow clearance of the brake caliper & because the customer provided the specs to have the wheels made, they would not allow him to return for a refund. This is an example I use today if someone questions as to why we don't recommend shopping for wheels solely based on the baseline measurements alone.

I should add that the 4.5" backspacing is no longer used on our 15" wheels (hasn't been for quite some time) but I believe is used on a few of the 17" wheel options to allow for clearance.

[Papa Zook]

Those are the basic specs of the wheel, but they don't give any insights on whether it's a positive or negative offset, what the spoke clearance is (for disc brake equipped vehicles this is a critical aspect). Additionally, not all wheels offered by MT carry the same offset, they can vary by almost 1" depending on wheel style. We will absolutely give someone the baseline wheel specs on the wheels they have on their unit (if we have them), however the great majority of the wheels used with conversions come from the manufacturer & typically carry a mfg part # instead of an "off the shelf" part number which makes it impossible for us to google the part information to provide full specs. I try to explain this to anyone who calls in & talks to me simply because with those specs alone a wheel may not fit our kit.

We had a customer several years ago who used the basic wheel specs provided to have a custom set of wheels made for his trike without having them spec'd out. His one off custom wheels would not fit his trike once finished because they did not realize their spokes weren't cut properly to allow clearance of the brake caliper & because the customer provided the specs to have the wheels made, they would not allow him to return for a refund. This is an example I use today if someone questions as to why we don't recommend shopping for wheels solely based on the baseline measurements alone.

I should add that the 4.5" backspacing is no longer used on our 15" wheels (hasn't been for quite some time) but I believe is used on a few of the 17" wheel options to allow for clearance.

Thanks for your response Richard, I thought your earlier response sufficiently explained this. Having the original wheel as a guide for the replacement wheels is the only surefire way to spec a replacement set.

[cjmitch]

Thanks for your response Richard, I thought your earlier response sufficiently explained this. Having the original wheel as a guide for the replacement wheels is the only surefire way to spec a replacement set.

Zook et al,

Well these are the numbers from the original wheels that come on, and are installed on trikes FROM motortrike...(my model n particular).

Is that not having the ORIGINAL WHEEL A GUIDE.

additionally... MOTORTRIKE gave me these measurements, and said buy a wheel that meets these specs

When I asked them about offset, and the like they told me that this is what you need, an has worked well when I was shopping for wheels.

Im out...