V-Strom spoked wheels or caste?

[vstroman]

Cast wheels without a doubt is the best option, I rarely clean anything on the bike apart from the headlights etc, one good clean then acf50 that does me for long enough.I couldn't be bothered with rusty spokes.

[Graham62]

Cast wheels.

[old git]

I remember when cast wheels were new technology and expensive. Now the manufacturers sell inferior quality spoked wheels for a premium and people still buy them. It really is beyond me why🤔

[Mr Nick]

Yup, that's the real issue with spokes on mainstream bikes: it's all about form that hasn't a hope of lasting as they're spec'd by accountants yet sold by marketeers as a plus.
I suspect the spokes on my 10 year old KTM are probably in better nick than 6 month old Suzuki, but even they had a recall on that model. I know the TS ones will be as they were rebuilt with proper stainless rims & spokes,

[Jamieboy]

I have a 2015 xt with spoked wheels. Spokes on the front are good. Rear have a light dusting of surface corrosion here and there. Only had the bike for a year but the chap before me used year around.

If given the choice I'd go with cast wheels but this was a bike near me with the extras I wanted at a price I could afford. It wasn't a deal breaker for me that it had spoked wheels.

I cover the brake disks and spray the spokes with scottoiker fs365 pretty regularly and I don't ride year around but still get the impression corrosion will get them eventually.

If you're going to be commuting year around potentially on salty roads then I'd say the spokes could become an issue fairly quickly.

I do prefer the look of spokes.

[Nelson]

I've owned two with cast wheels and the current with spokes - cast wheels get my vote very time, but then again I don't mind the "beak" so what do I know! (light the blue touch paper and take a step back)

[Fat Rat]

If you like the beak, I suggest your next steps are to get some therapy.

[Keith60]

 

[Brockett]

What I hate most about the "beak" is that it is  style without function on a bike that was originally sold as a functional object. It is the 'functional form' that was most appealing. They fitted a beak before they fixed the brakes, before they waterproofed the electrics, before they fitted less ugly mirrors, before they toughened up the finish on their corrosion attracting fixings.

[kwackboy]

I've not ridden the newer Veek with the beak but does it help with airflow as this mabe a function ..?

I know from personal experience the old Vee had terrible aerodynamics , it got very light at higher speeds.

As for wheels, for the road, cast wheels all day long however, purely because I was forced to have spokes, they are on my BMW.

To be fair they are mainly stainless steel and clean up real well and for 5 years old they are holding up pretty good . 

[tallpaul]

No option for cast wheels on my bike. :(

[Brockett]

I feel sure that, if the beak assisted stability, Suzuki would have shouted it from the rooftops.

[p47]

definitley cast for me it was on the list of 'haves' when I bought mine. I've even changed wheels to cast on one of my rxs's.

[kwackboy]

I'm going to take a guess that your cast wheels and front end are off a YBR125..?

[p47]

sure are , it actually stops now when you pull the lever !

[kwackboy]

Great upgrade, looks good .

[Rusty Nuts]

I like the look of those, but the blue one looks really good with those wheels. How old are the Yams?

[p47]

the white one 1986 . the blue one 1991

[Rusty Nuts]

 

[oslin]

Spoke wheels are supposed to be stronger for heavy off road use but who does heavy off road use in general,l I would go for cast every time and I use my strom on and off road, I have had no problems at all.