Thin web wheels tubeless conversion

[78jotadave]

I know the tubeless conversion issue has come up on the Forum before. I did the tubeless conversion on the thick-web wheels on my 78 Jota more than 20 years ago and never had a problem; it was a simple task. My question is: has anyone done the same modification to the thin-web wheels? Any issues? I am about to get new tires fitted to my 78 1200 (thin-web wheels) and was thinking this would be the perfect time to convert the rims before sticking tubes in them.

 

[martymoose]

Conversion process would be the same, however, I personally do not trust thin web wheels. There is a reason the factory changed the design, and I have seen accidents caused by thin web wheels failure. This is the reason my 75 3cl has gsxr wheels for the last 20 years.

 

[Dellortoman]

I agree with Marty. Thin web Laverda wheels are best avoided for road use.

My Jota originally came with thin web wheels. The previous owner replaced them with thick webs after he ran over a possum that bent both front and rear thin webs.

A Laverda forum member was after a set of thin webs for a period race bike (Laverda Barcelona replica), so I got them straightened for him. The wheel guy that did them said he wasn't surprised that they bent because they were as soft as butter. He couldn't tell how much pressure was required in his hydraulic rig to straighten them because the needle on the pressure gauge didn't get off the stop, so it was below the minimum gauge reading - something he'd never seen before in all his years of wheel repair.

He was actually reluctant to return the wheels to me because he thought them too flimsy for road use and that he had a duty of care to his customers not to supply wheels that were unfit for purpose. He didn't want to be held liable or end up in Coroner's court if someone hit a pothole and the wheel collapsed. He phoned me to tell me there would be no charge for straightening them if I agreed to let him cut them up and sell them as scrap metal. He only relented and returned the straightened wheels to me when I said they were only ever going to be used on the race track. Race tracks tend to be much smoother than general roads so the risk of deforming a wheel was much less. Also, race teams knowingly push the limits of lightness and reliability.

 

[iis_iis]

Following on from Cam hands on. Thin web casting metal was not the same for all thin webs, had a few here and you could tell instantly what metal the rims were cast with, by simply finger nail pinging the unmounted rim. I did straighten a few here, of the soft variant, even mounting a tyre could distort a rim flange. Fabricated load spreaders for that process.

Had a rear monty wheel i used as a front wheel in restoration here on a 3c, had a cracked and repair welded spar, bit of a worry, though has held some 30 years now. HTH j.