[makenzie71]

I'll be starting a GL500 in a couple months but this 2002 Shadow 750 is what I'm in the middle of now...I like the idea of calling it a "cafe" bike but that's not really exactly what I'm going for with it.

You can, if you'd like, catch up from the beginning here: customfighters.com/threads/honda-shadow-750.138579/


Okay so I finally had time to go and mess around with this and see how far off I'm going to be....and I hate it. That fat 190mm tire was exactly what I had in mind from the beginning, but getting it to line up and clear everything doesn't look like it's in the cards. I'm roughly 9±1 mm difference between the sprockets and even if I decided to go ham and just shift the wheel to the right to sort it out the tire hits the frame. A 180 on this 6" wheel would probably give me the clearance to run offset, but it's not "right".

Wheel centered...

Wheel pushed all the way right...

My options are:

1. Swap it out for a 5.0 or 5.5 rear wheel and run a 170 or 180. Both will look fine and honestly the 170 is a little more suited for the engine. So I will be on the prowl for an R6/FZ6 rear wheel assembly...or maybe even an Enkei/Honda 6-spoker from an F3 or a 900RR.

2. Offset front sprocket...if I can even find one. The retaining clip means I'll probably have to have a sprocket custom made...which I don't care much for. Sprockets are wear items and I want to be able to buy replacements. Not only that, but the way the shift shaft is positioned...which makes me think Honda really didn't have this kind of build in mind when they designed this bike...means that if I actually can find an offset sprocket it'll be very close to the shift assembly. I think the wheel is the better place to resolve the issue.

There is a crazy third option, though, that I picked up today...

Now, I am crazy partial to single side swingarms...and normally I'd be all over this idea...but I'm not 100% certain here that it's the best fit for my Shadow. First, I would either have to mill the middle out of the pivot tube on this one and get crazy with reinforcing itand who knows how the hell I'd get a shock on it (pro-link would not be an option unfortunately), or I would have to find a 650GT swingarm...which isn't impossible and would itself fit the project wonderfully AND it's shock mount would not only allow me to run a more conventional rear suspension..but it'd likely force me to do it.

I'm mulling this over for a while...I think the single side swingarm can solve some of my issues but introduces a few others and the added effort and expense probably means pushing the shadow back late spring and building my GL500 instead (which will be a more traditional build that will be sold). We'll see.

I do want to say, though, that this VFR is easily one of my favorite finds EVER. I go around and buy no title/no key/doesn't run beaters cheap because everyone thinks they're stolen...and I get a lot of interesting bikes and interesting stories. This one is literally at the top of my "nah it wasn't wrecked" list and comes with the explanation that it "only needs a battery and the carburetors cleaned" to run. Yeah you bet lol

...the adventure continues...

 

[jlbutler81]

SEB over there at custom fighters actually had the solution to one of my turbo wheel/CBR954 front end issues.

How can you run offset if the chain is already into the swingarm? Or would you be redoing the swingarm too? Smaller tires seems to be the way to go. I might just be seeing this wrong. I'd think the clearance here gets worse if someone is sitting on it as well?

 

[makenzie71]

There’s actually a lot of clearance around the brace it’s a bad angle, but it’s something i might end up having to redo anyway.

sebspeed is crazy helpful and insightful. He’s been an asset to more than one project of mine!

 

[jlbutler81]

can you inset the rear sprocket?

 

[jlbutler81]

I mean mill the face of the hub the gear bolts to inwards (can't find an image w/o the gear on it). I didn't know how much inward you needed, or if the hub could tolerate it. Or find a rear sprocket that bolts in that's already offset from a different model?

 

[makenzie71]

Possibly with a narrower tire.

 

[jlbutler81]

Ya'll got studs on that hub...I don't think milling would work easily anyway.

It doesn't solve your issue, but I"m just now learning Harley's run upwards of 1/2" offcenter on their rear tires. I accidentally found a Honda sprocket for a harley wheel...apparently it's a thing to run Harley wheels on Hondas, so these guys made a sprocket for it:

Chain and Sprocket Page

 

[makenzie71]

I don't know how well that'd work on the rear but I see they have a 3/8" offset front sprocket and that very well might...except it's 18t and I don't think 18t will clear the shift shaft :/

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

CX/GL rear wheels run off-center, too. At least the 16"x2.50 Reverse Comstars do. It was necessary to fit the wider wheel and tire without rubbing the drive shaft housing.

BTW, what's that long bumpy thing that appears in your first couple photos? I'm not sure that belongs on a motorcycle.

 

[makenzie71]

I'm going to go grab a burnt up 180 tomorrow morning and swap them around...if I can get the sprockets lined up and be +/-<10mm off center it won't hurt my feelings. If that doesn't work then, as it turns out, a 900RR will slip right in there and I can use the Shadow's axle and sprocket carrier too!

 

[bahn88]

Reminded me those early Shadows were chain....at first i thought it was part of your conversion.....😄

 

[jlbutler81]

@makenzie71 I have to sell my 929 3 spoke rear wheel, I'm assuming that's of no interest?

 

[makenzie71]

nah I need the rear to be 5 or 6 spokes

 

[ChopperCharles]

I liked my 2002 Shadow Ace 750. Got 60+ mpg no matter how hard I rode it, was reasonably comfortable, easy to load up with luggage for a trip, and reliable. It was just under powered and the foot-forward position meant when I started riding it hard my foot would be ripped off the peg by the heel and that was surprising and painful every time. Always thought it'd be better with mid controls, like the 80s Shadows.

Charles.

 

[makenzie71]

So I swapped the tire out for a 180 and made an incredible difference. It doesn't look as awesome with that fat tire back there but:

...the wheel now centers with the frame neatly...

...the sprockets now actually line up really nice. The driven is actually about 3mm outboard of the drive but I can have that milled off the carrier...

...there's now a HUGE amount of room to play with all around the brace...

...

...the tire still looks plenty fat but I can't believe there's that big a difference between a 180 and a 190! I absolutely cannot believe how much of a paint in the ass it was to remove the tire, though. I have been manually changing tires for 25 years and have never once had one be this hard to pull off the tire. We're talking even tires that have been on wheels out in the sun for 40 years have not fought me this much. And I can't believe how much difference the 180 made physically. Because...oh....

....ohhhhh....

 

[jlbutler81]

lol Didn't I say use a harley wheel? you were halfway there and didn't even know it...

Also explains the extreme difference between the two, I was looking at the first photo thinking wow that's a huge difference for 10 width.

So would a 190 be good or do you feel like you need to play it safe with taking that 3mm off, your chain would be right there on it, judging by the photo which of course I"m not good at

 

[jlbutler81]

Or did I misunderstand? I thought you were saying what you thought was a 190 was actually the 200?

 

[makenzie71]

Yeah i just assumed it was a 190 because that’s the “correct” size lol i did a dummy and never actually looked at it

 

[jlbutler81]

@makenzie71

I looked at your hub again, and it would be less than easy to machine this:

not impossible, just a good bit of effort in manual machining. I could see turning inside and outside the bolt on lathe (red arrows) if you could get tooling in between the bolt and hub and then manually milling forward and after of the bolt (green)

3mm, not sure if that would endanger the strength of the bolt in the carrier. I'd trust it for myself, but couldn't tell someone else to do it. I'd feel better if I could cut one open and see how deep they sit.

If you were paying for these machining services, one might consider a custom sprocket from CognitoMoto maybe for equal cost.

They make an offset 17 tooth sprocket for the KZ, which I think has the same 12 teeth your Honda has but I am too lazy to find out if they're the same size, they list the kz as:

spline major / minor diameter are 24mmX28.7mm or 0.945in. X 1.13in. with 12 tooth spline

You could go measure yours btu I'm guessing they aren't the same

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/product.sc?productId=487

Same place sells some other neat sprockets, like this:

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/product.sc?productId=80&categoryId=20

The conversion ones look like the teeth are just as centered like your stock one though.

They have an assortment of Dirt bike ones as well, on the off chance one of them fits:

https://shop.pbisprockets.com/category.sc?categoryId=12

 

[makenzie71]

I'll probably just offset the wheel a little, but why do you think it wouldn't machine? Because there's a stud? It'll just turn out, it's threaded in a little deeper than it is tall.