Has anyone tried the Marchesini wheels????

Jocke_D · Sep 17, 2004

I fell in love with these wheels so bad that I have to ask a little bit about them.
Has anyone here had any experience with them??
Are they really designed to withstand the beating that REAL supermoto racing means (I'm obviously thinking about the jumps)??
The KTM application must fit my Berg, right?
Do the rear wheel come with rubber dampers??

Motostrano website

HUSABOMBER · Sep 17, 2004

Hi Jocke_d,

So what do they cost? Isn't it kinda like putting 50 cent wheels on a 20 cent bike???

husabutt · Sep 17, 2004

Very trick looking!!!!

I wonder how they would work for general off road riding.

Whole lotta bling if nothing else 8)

Supermototeam · Sep 17, 2004

Jocke_D said:
Has anyone here had any experience with them??

Are they really designed to withstand the beating that REAL supermoto racing means (I'm obviously thinking about the jumps)??

I have tested them on a pavement course with no dirt section, and they were exceptional. Several top pros, including most of the factory KTM team (the US team, not S1/S2) have tried them, and they do not use them. Mainly for two reasons - one, they transmit an extraordinary amount of vibration to the pilot, and two, their durability is suspect. A good friend of mine, Alex Thiebault, who rides the Terra Modena bike in S2, also tried them, and does not use them.

Cost ? Here in the US, they are cheap. About the same as a Talon/Excel set.

Weight is a very positive factor, obviously.

Here in the US - no warranty.

What else can I tell you ? If you are riding on a very smooth track with a mild dirt section, and you are not a top-level pro, I'd say give them a try. Personally, I liked them. If I rode on the street, I'd put them on my bike in a heartbeat.

Oh, one other thing - the rear is a strange width, about 5.6 inches, if I remember correctly. Check carefully for clearance

Best regards,

Brett Saunders

Simon · Sep 18, 2004

Hello Brett,

Thanks for your honest feedback on these wheels, which is interesting to say the least.

Having not had the opportunity to try these wheels yet, I'm personally not hugely surprised by the transfer of vibration issue when used on dirt, it'll likely be a very different feel.

I am surprised by the issue of durability - is this due to the riders not trusting them or have failures actually accured during testing? I wonder because I understood they are aluminium wheels and thus have similarities to some of the spun aluminium wheels used in dirt track (thus assume pretty sturdy).

Here in europe they have been testing some carbon fibre supermoto wheels - I think they are available retail now (at huge cost) but again the issue seems to be the belief riders have in their strength. This is despite testing in the euro championship.

Cheers,
Simon

LINEAWEAVER · Sep 18, 2004

Simon said:
spun aluminium wheels used in dirt track (thus assume pretty sturdy).
Simon

Hi Simon,
As a result of high lateral wheel forces applied via dirttrack spun Aluminum wheels (ie PM) have proven troublesome.

Road racers often get away with such wheels as a high load percentage is delivered through a vertical axis as opposed to lateral displacement.

Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Dale

Simon · Sep 18, 2004

Thanks Dale,

That pretty much explains it for me.

I have even experienced trouble with certain spokes on a 5" rear rim with constant snapping under the forces generated from backing in.

Cheers,
Simon

Supermototeam · Sep 18, 2004

Durability - Suspect ?

Simon said:
I am surprised by the issue of durability - is this due to the riders not trusting them or have failures actually accured during testing?

By "suspect", I meant that the racers "suspected" that the would bend or flat spot :lol: Not that they actually had - I spoke with Joe from Motostrano about the wheels as soon as he started retailing them, and he said that Brembo (the US importer of the Supermoto sets) assured him that they (the wheels) could tolerate the rigors of landing from Supermoto-sized jumps. However, as I noted above, there is no warranty

My guess is that the vibration issue sealed the deal for the pros who tested them. I know that Doug Chandler ran the rear Marchesini on his KTM prior to switching to Husq, and I'm assuming that he had a front too, but chose not to run it. That's what Thiebault told me about the Terra Modena too - the ultra-rigid chassis along with the stiff Marchesini wheels made the bike ride like a jackhammer.

:rr:

Brett Saunders

Has anyone tried the Marchesini wheels????

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