Blackstone Tek Wheels
Blackstone Tek Wheels
CW EVALUATION
Carbon-fiber rim relief
POUND FOR POUND, NOTHING—REPEAT, nothing—you can bolt on a streetbike will improve its handling better than lightweight wheels. In simple terms, reducing unsprung mass and therefore rotating inertia lessens steering effort.
BlackStone Tek has developed a solid reputation for its beautifully finished carbon-fiber wheels. The South African company has patented its manufacturing process and is ISO 9001:2000-certified and audited by the TÜV, Germany’s DOT. So great is attention to detail that each wheel receives its own serial number.
Actually, only the feather-light rims and hollow spokes are carbon-fiber. The application-specific hubs are machined in-house from aluminum and attached to the wheels with high-strength aerospace-grade fasteners.
We installed a set of the five-spokers on our long-term 2006 Kawasaki ZX14 in the standard 3.5 x 17-inch front and 6.0 x 17 rear sizes. Without brake rotors, hardware and sprocket/carrier, the wheels weighed a total of 15 pounds; 6 for the front and 9 for the rear. The stock wheels tipped our certified scales at 28.5 pounds (12 front, 16.5 rear).
Any concerns over the roundness of the wheels and their ability to survive tire-mounting without damage were quickly assuaged. On the road, the BST wheels clearly made the bike feel lighter. The difference in steering response was remarkable, with initial turn-in requiring significantly less effort. Stability remained as good, if not better, than stock. As expected, we had to make some slight adjustments to the suspension settings to compensate for the dramatic loss in wheel weight.
But while the wheels’ effect on handling is significant, their impact on acceleration and deceleration is negligible. Improvements in these areas are just too small to be felt by the seat of the pants. And in the case of the Kawasaki, acceleration is electronically limited in the first four gears anyway. The true benefit is in handling and agility.
After 2300 miles of near-daily use on all types of paved roads, the wheels look as good as the day they arrived. There are no chips, cracks or dents-except the one they put in your wallet.
But as expensive as they are, the BST wheels do effect a serious performance improvement. They jack up your bike’s cool factor a couple of notches, as well. Only you can decide if that’s worth the buy-in.
DETAILS
MotoWheels 11306 Sunco Dr. #1 Rancho Cordova, CA 95742 916/369-2509 www.motowheels.com Price.. .$3916
Beautiful, durable, lightweight Wide range of applications, including Harley-Davidsons Standard fitment on Confederate F-i 31 Hellcat, Ecosse Heretic Ti Series and NCR New Blue/Millona
Downs More than twice the price of a titanium exhaust system Available only with clearcoat finish C-F wheels still have their detractors
