Bringing out the charm of the SR400: Y’S GEAR cast wheels

• category top
• Featured
• PICK UP
• SR400
• SR500

• Share:

• 
• 
• 

In 2021 it was announced that the production of the SR400 would be halted for the Japanese market, and the Final Edition would be the last model produced. Many riders fought desperately to get their hands on the Limited model in particular. The SR is a classic bike that has ingrained itself in motorcycle culture, but it is also very popular for customization. It has been customized into various styles, such as café racers, choppers, bobbers, and some people even use it for racing. You might also come across one that looks like the stock bike but has been customized to look like an earlier model, or has various upgraded parts. There's so much you can do with an SR.

We highly recommend Y'S GEAR cast wheels

Y'S GEAR's cast wheel kit is an homage to the wheels used on the SR400SP (1979). Those wheels are commonly called "Daihachi cast" in Japan because they look like the wheels of a "Daihachi" cart, which is a type of old-fashioned wheelbarrow. Cast wheels were originally designed to enhance the sportiness of a bike, but back in the day they were very heavy and unpopular with riders who wanted a traditional style, so they reverted back to wire spoke wheels in just a few years. It's hard to get these cast wheels now because even though they have more than 40 years of history, the wheels themselves were actually only available for a few years. You could compare it to how front brakes changed from the early type (disc brakes) to the middle type (drum brakes). The cast wheel kit made by Y'S GEAR is a reissue of these rare Daihachi cast wheels, which has succeeded in drastically reducing weight while maintaining the original appearance!

Made by ENKEI for safety and reliability

The wheels are manufactured by Enkei, which boasts the world's top share in car and motorcycle aluminum wheels. They are most famous for producing aftermarket wheels for automobiles, but they actually also make many OEM wheels for motorcycles, and are used by Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki. Yamaha makes many of its own wheels, but Y'S GEAR has had lineups of Enkei wheels for the YZF-R1, R6, and XJR1300, so they do have a close relationship. Although it is partly cut off in the photo, you can see that "Y'S GEAR" is also stamped on the wheel!

A lot of time and effort went into these machined parts

When I took a look at the real thing I was surprised to see that the rear hub, front disc adapter, and front hub caps are all made of machined aluminum. For early model bikes with disc brakes, wheels had disc mounting holes on both sides of the hubs, and those are also included on this cast wheel kit. The hub caps to cover unused holes used to be plastic, but in this kit, they are now made of high-quality machined aluminum and can be properly bolted (previously, they were simply inserted). Incidentally, there are disc mounting holes on both sides and holes for caliper mounts on the fork side.

18-inch front and rear, tubeless tire compatible

Since these are 18-inch wheels, the same size that has been used since middle type models with drum brakes, there is almost no need to worry about tire selection. In addition, cast wheels are compatible with tubeless tires, so high-grip tires can also be used. The ability to go tubeless means not only ease of tire selection, but also a decrease in flat tire trouble on the road. If your tire gets punctured, a tube tire will lose all its air at once, making it impossible to ride, but a tubeless tire will lose air gradually (depending on the severity of the puncture), so in many cases it is possible to ride for a little while. In fact, tubeless tires are a strong ally for touring because you can usually fix a flat on your own while on the road.

Two color options

The lineup includes gold with a custom look and chic machined black. The gold version is painted in a single color and is popular among Webike users. The black version has machined edges on the rim and spokes, creating a beautiful contrast between the black and silver parts. Which color would you choose, the classic-style machined black or the gold with a custom look?

You'll get attached to the great texture

We know it's hard to choose between light stock spoke wheels and cast wheels. Also, depending on the direction you are going with your customization, you might go out of your way to look for SP stock 19-inch wheels, or even consider wide rim conversion without changing the spoke wheels. The Y'S GEAR cast wheel sets introduced here are not an inexpensive purchase, but if you look at the contents, you will surely see that they are a great value for the money! We'd love if you'd add them to your list of customization ideas.