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Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:36 pm
by cha0s242
Hey everyone,
I have an opportunity to buy a Maxton 5.5" x 17" rear from an RC30. It comes with 1 and 2 mm spacers. Does anyone know if that will fit on my 1990 NC30 ?
Thanks !
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 2:59 pm
by CMSMJ1
not without some chain alignment fiddling - I do believe that mike Ruehl has 5.5 inch PVMs on his?
have a look for his thread - mruehl34
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2017 11:19 pm
by magg
The bigger issue is tyres. 180 is usually a minimum for such a wide rim and I doubt such a large tyre will fit within the confines of the NC30.
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 10:11 am
by Drunkn Munky
Mike also runs 180's on 5.5" rim, pretty sure theres no need to space the wheel over and running it off centre you just need to move the chain which is easily done
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2017 1:25 pm
by Yakama
I hope so Tony as that's what my HRC mag is that you have. From memory and the research I did before im sure its been done before and will fit
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 4:29 am
by Drunkn Munky
Yakama wrote:I hope so Tony as that's what my HRC mag is that you have. From memory and the research I did before im sure its been done before and will fit
Be fine, i have some big hammers

Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 7:48 am
by Yakama
Ah that's ok then

Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 3:26 pm
by RickOliver
The good news -
A 5.5" rim is a perfectly happy match for a 170/60-17 tyre - that combination is the OE fitment on the 1990-94 VFR750s.
The bad news -
Even that 170 tyre is a bit too wide to go on without fouling the swingarm so you will probably have to use those spacers. Be aware that by doing so you are compromising the engagement between the wheel and the drive flange - ideally you would want to fit new drive pins which are longer than stock by the thickness of your spacer plate - and also that you are putting your wheel alignment out.
The worse news -
An RC30 wheel doesn`t actually fit the NC30 axle - the centre bore, drive pin PCD and offset are all the same for both models but the NC30 wheel has cutouts in the drive face to clear the disc mounting bolts which the RC30 wheel doesn`t (the RC has smaller disc bolts, 6mm vs 8mm for the NC, and they are counterbored to sit flush with the disc face).
Having said that, some aftermarket RC wheels have the disc bolt clearance slots anyway to make them an either/or fitment but do check before you buy.
Rick
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 7:10 am
by magg
Given there are plenty of claims that anything wider than 150 rear tyre on an NC30 is sacrilege, 170/180 would be death surely. Combined with offsetting the wheel to clear swing arm and chain, the result sounds like could be an interesting handeling bike. There are 5" VFR750 wheels that appear better suited provided you can overlook their appearance.
Just curious, is the Metzeler Racetec RR 160/60ZR18 available in the UK. Appears to be a seriously sporty tyre for an NC30, soft compound, crap mileage and crap wet performance says Metzeler, dry track only I guess.
Re: Will 5.5 inch rear wheel from RC30 fit the NC30 ?
Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 9:55 pm
by Neosophist
No idea on that tyre but
I run Alpha 14s which Dunlop make specifically in a 400 class spec as well as a litre class spec, they only run 2-3000 miles like a bt90 but they are like riding on rails with the amount of grip they offer.
They feel like you could ride the bike at a 90 degree angle and still have full upright levels of grip, soon wore the stock footpegs off with them anyway