Are Carbon Fiber Wheels Worth it for Motorcycles?

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Are carbon fiber wheels the best way to make your bike faster...or just unnecessary bling? Watch to find out!
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CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:36 Unsprung Weight
1:10 Modern Street Wheels
2:48 Racing Wheels
4:00 Carbon Disadvantages
4:44 Weight Advantage
6:09 Race Restrictions
7:46 Final Verdict

[@yammienoob]

Want to win my BMW S1000RR? Head over to yammienoob.co - become a member and start earning entries! (Entries NEVER expire! Collect them for future giveaways...)

[@Frank_Torre]

Dedicated track bike on a smooth track: YES but on crap pothole filled roads: Absolutely NOT.

[@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347]

whats the consensus on mag alloy for street?, same I assume?, due to mag being a softer metal?

[@damienmcmurray9786]

Why? Supposedly the new ones flex better than aluminum

[@ardencassie5150]

Cries in Australian roads

[@13xBlackSun]

Mags get old and crack, cf is flexy in elastic area but has no tolerance for plastic deformation. Hard forged Al for me, thank you.

[@douglasalexander4348]

Except team FHO (2023 TT winners) pulled out of the Irish road race Northwest 200 (bumpy and narrow and going faster than you ever will) because they COULDN’T use carbon wheels. Mmm. Maybe they don’t know f all, but you do ?

[@andrewdavid5504]

I work for a BMW dealer and the amount of S1000rr’s that come back to the shop with damaged carbon fiber wheels from normal street use is concerning.

[@yammienoob]

Look... Who among us hasn't jumped an S1000RR with carbon wheels?

[@kebabaluba]

Are they damaged by riders or just can`t withstand the abuse?

[@kirkporras1576]

@@kebabaluba I would have to guess both. pot holes are brutal even with forged alloy wheels. only advantage of alloys is that they can bend instead of crack/delaminate.

[@andrewdavid5504]

@@yammienoob only after I get Manscaped ™️

[@viktorskarlatov8227]

The V4S doesn't come stock with magnesium wheels. They're forged aluminum. The mag wheels are an option that costs about $5K.

[@andrewpiercy1023]

To add: Base V4 - cast aluminum, V4S & V4R - forged aluminum. V4 SL & SP - Carbon fiber Panigale 1199 & 1299 base - cast aluminum Panigale 1199S, 1299S, R models - forged aluminum Panigale 1199 SL forged magnesium Panigale 1299 SL carbon fiber

[@mugurmarinescu3225]

Hey there, I've been using BST carbon fiber wheels on my Gixxer-1000, '06 as a track day rider and times to times as a club racer too, since 2008. 1st thing 1st: absolutely no issues at all of any kind. 2nd: the feeling I had when I used the carbon fiber wheels was like I ran my whole life with military boots and suddenly I swapped them with running shoes. I just cannot forget that feeling so I am pretty happy to share it with anyone interested. I definitely respect Yammie Noob and I like his very well documented video, based on his racing expertise too, but I honestly won't change carbon fiber wheels for Magnesium. I had Mg on an R1 too and I can tell they were awesome, but Mg has a disadvantage: it is not happy in contact with the air, if some gravel hit the rims and chip their powder coat. An easy fix with some touch up paint, but they always require a lot of attention do not let the Mg exposed to the atmosphere.

[@memphysmoto2649]

I have a Panigale V4 and a ZX10R street bikes on BST Wheels, here in Miami after few years with both bikes, no issues with the carbon wheels 🫡

[@trashblast3512]

I liked this style of informative video, thanks for doing the research and presenting it well!

[@frankwehowsky5058]

Wow yammie your videos 📹 are awesome 👌 and thanks so much 🙏 for real informative posts 👍👍👍👍

[@tedmarakas2626]

Street riding and track use is perfectly fine for forged aluminum. $1500-2500 gets you a nice set. Carbon looks good but way too expensive and mounting tires is risky business. I'm perfectly fine with my forged OZ racing wheels.

[@raymondmateri3440]

Awesome thanks Yam! , I have been wondering about the carbon fiber rims.

[@robynmolle5842]

Good info 👍🏻

[@ardijanuar2036]

One more thing that prevents carbon wheels on racing are the resin used in building carbon fiber usually doesn't cope to well with heat. You can see on cars carbon wheels inner are usually covered with heat protection material, you cant do that easily on bikes and if you do it just adding extra weight and defeat the purpose of using carbon as wheels material.

[@DWoyster12]

Jup, one more important reason. Also can happen when the brakes get to hot. Have seen a horror story where the rear brake was badly adjusted and was being put on slightly while riding (rider didn't notice). The brake became so hot that it transfered the heat into the carbon wheel causing it literally to explode. Rider got lucky that he was not severly injured.

[@hellfire08]

you should get a Cbr600rr for a giveaway, and then install carbon wheels to compare how it feels with standard cast wheels vs carbon wheels

[@nightmaresdaydream5766]

I would like to see that because I ride a 600rr and kind of want carbon wheels but not sure

[@DLewisMoto]

My Streetfighter V4SP2 has the Carbon Wheel package, the performance improvement isn't really quantifiable but the it sure handles like a dream and they look cool as hell with the single sided swing arm. I cringe every time I hit a small pot hole too though.

[@user-iy5cz7ic1p]

tremendous hoodie choice

[@jackjean7199]

Yam with the death grips hoody let's goo

[@listenhereyoulittleshit389]

Carbon fiber has something known as high notch sensitivity. This means that if you slightly nick the wheel, it looses a lot of its strength. Whith the neccesity for fast tire changes in racing, nicking the wheel will be inevidable

[@Patriot-Logic]

Ok that Rossi thing is funny!

[@lesthegreat]

I've had carbon fibre windsurfing masts as well as fishing rods and I've broken both.

[@Brayden_Broad]

I swear the outros just get weirder and weirder... I love it

[@MrKillervincent]

I used to work for hilltop Motorcycles, who work on a lot of bsb, bikes, a few wsb and tt bikes, and I was told 9:34 that CF isn't used as it simply just can't keep the heat in the tyres, makes a lot of sense so never questioned it as ik cf disperses heat a lot better than most other materials 👍

[@1gnasty]

None of those ducs you mention come with mag wheels l, they are forged aluminum fyi.

[@simonsmotocat2774]

I ride a gixer 750 with carbon fiber wheels. Of course it's not the only performance mod I put on this bike, I saved total over 20 lbs of wet weight. Definitely worth it. Bike did not just became quicker, but also more flickable at those speeds.

[@M3ANDER]

Yes ... I made exactely the same experience! Better handling, better acceleration and better braking.Weight reduction works best on rotating masses ... you even notice a difference when you change a 530-chain to a 520-chain.

[@peterepeat7066]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@John_Ridley]

They have similar problems with carbon fiber bicycle frames - if you get in a crash, there's no good/cheap way to know if the frame is still safe. It needs to be examined with ultrasound or xrays or similar and that could cost more than the part is worth.

[@cjjorge6636]

Carbon fiber is more likely to punctures and crack rather than dent. The smooth surface is epoxy & it's $$$$$$$ ! i will stick to aluminum on the road / track and i like steel rims for off road bikes.

[@Midnight_Rider96]

Aluminum rims are standard on motocross bikes, I'm only aware of small trail bikes having steel rims? What do you ride with steel rims?

[@cjjorge6636]

@@Midnight_Rider96 i have a few dirtbikes/duel all from the big 3 & i live in AZ all rock/sand with rocks and the steel has lots of flex / it's for give'n when smashed on big ass rocks and cheep to fix/replace over aluminum i have toss a few in the trash in the past ! yes i ride hard and i fix them when down i ride all year every weekend so i feel how mush this fun cost lol

[@Yoda8945]

Be very careful with carbon fiber. It has a limited lifespan. When it breaks, the results can be catastrophic. Bugatti uses carbon fiber wheels on their Veyron and Chiron. The wheels are replaced on the 4th tire change because the company does not believe that they are safe on a 250 mph car beyond that life. Carbon bicycle frames break without warning. I think carbon fiber wheels are mostly bragging rights farkle.

[@sriramsridhara2054]

Carbon fibre is a fibre ie it resists tension. So it's quite bad at taking heavy bumps. It would break easily I would think. It's good if the wheel is spinning at high speeds that creates a tension in the spokes.

[@akidafloof]

Carbon fiber wheels are good in tension and compression, but not in side to side bending. So they are ideal for applications where the wheels won't be turning sharply to pull the vehicle through a corner. So I see them as a really good application for Motorcycles, albeit as a hybrid between carbon and metal.

[@Dispariabooks]

Only slightly on-topic, but considering Yam is a cyclist too, I recall being on a team ride many years ago with one of our local pros. He was trying some new carbon wheels and had a flat. He tried to change the tubular tire, but the plastic tire lever snapped the carbon wheel and punctured all the way through the rim at the slightest touch. It was early carbon tech, but I distinctly remember thinking how much it would have sucked to be miles from civilization waiting for a ride as I stood over a sharttered carbon wheel. And then I imagined how unsafe it was riding the wheels at all :P

[@hangpilot1200]

Just sat on a S1000R w/ the carbon package. Work of art! But, not for me thank you. I'll have to 'settle' for the forged aluminum on my S1000XR ;-)

[@seanwoodyard6927]

I have carbon fiber wheels that came stock on my Motus MSTR. They are great for flexing at bike nights but I have to admit I have a panic attack every time I have new tires mounted. I'm worried about them getting scratched or worse cracked by someone being heavy handed on the tire machine. I do like them but I think but in my case they are not worth it...

[@KHIJAPAN]

Yamaha put together a procedure making aluminum wheels even lighter and yet strong enough for street use. I tested a 2023 Yamaha MT-10 wheels against bmw s1000r wheels, and they are lighter than the bmw. It really works

[@andrewpiercy1023]

I’ve heard from many old school riders that magnesium wheels are equally as dangerous as the carbon. With magnesium being reactive and brittle, wheel failure is quite probable with the wonderful roads we have today. Carbon, however has excellent resilience and a considerable amount of flex in comparison to Mg. Forged aluminum is going to be substantially stronger than both, cheaper too. Also bear in mind that whatever wheels you’re on are surrounded by the tire, which is technically an air bag.

[@mixnation79]

A lot of MotoGP bikes do use carbon fiber swingarms and front forks so their reason for not using carbon wheels is kinda silly at this point. Having your swingarm or front forks snap or delam is just as bad for the rider.

[@vincesimard]

Carbon fiber wheels on a klr650 video please yammie

[@reggylippens6259]

in the tt isle of man they forbidden because accidents happend in past....also they have jumps in the tt and sometimes the wheels break ....in the road movie joey dunlop alluminium after wheel brook off very bad and whas very luck he survived

[@raymocandler]

Sticking to forged on my s1000rr.

[@jeffreykneeream8013]

been seriously considering Rotobox for my 2021 Yamaha MT09 SP company sez cush drive is still✅ as is ABS✅crazy 💰 but looks Dope as 🔥🍒⚙️🤘🏻‼️😎

[@DarkOperationman]

I'm still waiting for yammie new adventure sports touring bike video. Despite My suggestion. I think yammie would choose s1000xr or h2sx for sure.

[@tankerrrtankerrr1987]

I installed carbon fiber on my Honda Gromm and even when hitting potholes, they seem to be working fine.

[@hossman8499]

Im gonna say no. From what ive read, as soon as carbon fiber gets chipped or a slight crack, it gets super brittle.

[@daniellang6112]

Hell,my 09' 1198s had magnesium alloy wheels!

[@robertpierce1981]

I’m surprised there is no plastic rims. 3d printed FRP

[@rob-zx9kf]

Careful with those tire levers!

[@babaproductions13]

Carbon fiber wheels are the worst in a place like India, all my friends who had one have broken it on street use even in small potholes, I own a street triple 765 RS(thanks to Yam for this decision) and my front wheel(cast aluminium) broke when I was on my way to the track. The worst part is that its been 2.5 months and still Triumph is unable to provide a new wheel for my bike. So my suggestion is : get the kind of wheel that is easily available at your dealership's stock in case you break it.

[@geoffhurley8103]

I'd like to know how many tire changes a carbon fiber wheel can handle. I'll bet it isn't many. And do shops charge more to change them? One wrong move on the tire machine and they're out $5k. Or you're out $5k. For me, no thanks!

[@josehernadez567]

Basically mean money,if you have it is fine,because the otherwise is alternative

[@mociczyczki]

if its lighter as long as is enough stiff and resist on load withput breaking in a hlaf its better = low unspring mass + less weight mean less power is eaten from crank to tarmac so more whp power from the same crank hp power mean better performance not be much though but still 👍🏻☕️

[@rishikeshraj1138]

Why CF? The main reason for being there and weave something out of it is the weight saving without compromising the strength. In other words, making it stiff enough to withstand the load & lower down the weight scale. But it's really sounds funny that its own character for what is it built for, creates a problem for itself 😂. The stiffness is leaving NO ROOM FOR ERROR which is or always remains as an inherent property of alloys, thus they are still being more popular. And if stiffness is concern, then use Forge or Billet methods of manufacturing for even Aluminium & Magnesium. They strengthens the alloys without degrading the longevity 😊

[@squid_inc.5095]

If you want to be significantly faster on the dirty dirty streets, take a few track days and hit the treadmill. Guaranteed success

[@user-zj1wb4nx7k]

Look what happened to the Titan submersible under pressure too many times it imploded just like carbon fibre wheels will explode on the road under constant pressure on bad roads or overused on race tracks.

[@wanderingbufoon]

Just don't buy any carbon fiber wheels in general.Even F1 use magnesium alloy for a reason and it isn't just because of general ruling.

[@nonyabusiness4151]

I want spoked tires. Eventually.

[@blakehawkins3296]

so what I'm hearing is that my Ninja 300 needs carbon rims so I can start lapping liter bikes

[@mcrowl2823]

I need a bike so badly!!! So much so, that I may delay going to the advance rider schools just to get a bike.

[@Justsomedudewithabaldhead]

I mean it look good

[@motorcycleman3322]

bussa bussa bussa lol im gonna get it am i i am i think ok i hope i will get one 😁 your so right to i love learning with you

[@Zero_Cool722]

Mag wheels will absolutely burn if you ever throw your tread. I seen it personally on an old hot rod doing burn-outs

[@broc2727]

People will buy what they want but no one needs carbon fiber wheels.

[@ryann6919]

But does it work on turbobusa?

[@desmoholic.racing]

The stock wheels on the V4S / SFV4S are actually still just forged aluminum. I’ve got two sets that came with my Panigale’s and they’re awesome for stock wheels. Super light for OE equipment. But I can def attest that when I’m on track with the V4R I can tell when I’m running my forged mags vs my forged aluminums. Magnesium’s are mind altering on track I love em

[@brettknighten1171]

Like 90% of aftermarket mods they are just to flex on your friends any ways

[@adamschoedel8829]

Carbon Fiber is an amazing substance. It has many very good applications. I have several motorcycle products that incorporate it, myself. But wheels may not really be a great use of carbon fiber. And definitely don't build a deep-sea submersible from it. It probably won't end well.

[@thecalling1.217]

Plus carbon fiber wheels actually have expiration dates where their metal counterparts do not.

[@matthewheitzman5993]

The after market forged aluminum wheels are actually lighter than the OEM carbon wheels on that bike😂😅😅😅 And the OEM forged aluminums are only 1lbs heavier than the carbon

[@ricdoliveira3075]

The term “explosive delamination” is not appropriate in this context. Should the wheel fail, it would be catastrophic delamination. I expect any degree of delamination in a wheel constitutes a failure. I’m not remotely an expert, just curious about the appropriate verbiage on this.

[@mmerca]

M1000xr comes with carbon fiber wheel. Can I use them for long touring rides with , occasionally off road and a bunch of roads that are in a bad shape?

[@TotoRecensioni]

Man. What the hell buying a M1000xr to do offroad?

[@mmerca]

@@TotoRecensioni touring, but if I'm crossing an area with bad roads...should I stop and turn around?

[@TotoRecensioni]

@@mmerca buy a multistrada V4 or a GS

[@mmerca]

@TotoRecensioni well, it's complicated, I like to go hard on the twisted roads, and I need the M XR power. All I want to know how bad are the carbon fiber wheels on country roads

[@user-yb8ti1oo8c]

damn never been this early

[@Ryan-mv5wi]

as somone who ride mountain bikes i think carbon wheels should probbly be keeped away from moto like they work amzaing on light weight bikes and there strenght and warranty is normily unmatched but i just can imagin a carbon wheel doing to well when the tires and stuff get super hot under crazy high loads

[@amarured]

05:00 aw mannn I miss the Nuda... so sad that it's basically dead.

[@Krom1hell]

Carbon Faiber....... Not worth much on the streed knowing how many ditches, pothols, rocks and crap is on the street and paying 6000E for a tire just to snap parts off it on the streets is kinda meh.......Alloy can be repaired and bent back into shape for a couple of beers... if it's not a catastrophic or bad bend.

[@dylangrantz8124]

Being a bicycle fan also carbon wheels are the tits. When you use your own power for going down the road it is obviously worth it. I have a crazy set of 1000 gram wheels worth every penny. But with a bike it is so much easier to get more power so not worth it

[@asparceproton1]

The difference on cars is MASSIVE! It feels like driving a car hundreds of pounds lighter. Everything is easier for the car to do.

[@johnnyutah4517]

😊

[@R-Tap]

The main reason I would have carbon wheels on my bike is so I could tell everyone that I have carbon wheels on my bike.

[@xntumrfo9ivrnwf]

Carbon fiber is so amazing, they should make a submarine out of it or something

[@johnnyjohnn281]

Yeh yeh yeh!!! I'd definitely take a ride in that sub, all the way down to the depth of the T -💥…

[@Mr450pro]

You’re kidding right? Carbon can’t handle the pressure in a sub..

[@xntumrfo9ivrnwf]

Yessir, it was a joke@@Mr450pro

[@johnnyjohnn281]

@@Mr450pro It’ll be alright. What could go wrong? ALL ABOARD!!! 😂

[@rob-zx9kf]

Ooops1

[@basmca1]

So this means if i put carbon fibre wheels on my 07 FZ6 i'll be faster on track? Noted.

[@tedmarakas2626]

Probably NOT unless you are an experienced rider.

[@TheBlibo]

Hold on there bud They look good, me thinks they don't look any much better than a cast wheel and then you have a huge disk to obscure the look of your street rossie wheels as I said in my previous comment just look at the engineering porn of that 10" 8 leading shoe brake in an alloy rim

[@shawnkislenger3024]

Science.

[@somenygaard]

“Worth it” is the most relative term there is.

[@carlmayer691]

The thing is you'll ride w/ your OEM wheels... then change out to carbon wheels.. then take it out.. and it's WOW holy shite incredible diff.. but after a few rides it will fell same same as the old OEMs.. then you'll wonder why your wasted $4000 on stupid CF wheels

[@tedmarakas2626]

When I fitted a set of OZ wheels on my Tuono 10 pounds lighter, the difference was so big that the suspension had to be adjusted. That was a $1000 upgrade and worth every penny. @@carlmayer691

[@somenygaard]

@@carlmayer691 $4k to me is quite a bit, but for someone making 7+ figures a year it’s equivalent to me taking the wife out for dinner and a movie. Say I make $40k a year that 4k is 10% for someone making two million a year that 4k is 0.2% , …. $80 bucks for me

[@blountout6285]

got carbon fiber wheel on my bicycle, i fly

[@oscar_bru8455]

hi

[@Godric_71]

No. Next video please

[@signore-solomonare1818]

I trust metal for the wheels no doubt.

[@user-hs9uw6du1o]

I can think of something in this video that is worthless!! LMAO!!

[@8OneOfTheNobodies8]

Spoiler: They are not worth it for the commen road bike

[@williamrobinson4265]

>valentino rossis amniotic brake fluid

[@danieldoyle253]

Imagine paying $3-5000 for “sprinkles” on Your bike 🤯

[@chillwill7401]

But 2650 for the set 😏

[@jadeniantosca1377]

yammie fucks with death grips???!

[@SkeemoSkis]

Long answer no Short answer yes

[@thagingerninjer5391]

The first wheels were wooden, not steel.

[@williamhardes8081]

in a genuine sporting environment maybe carbon fibre wheels may be of some benefit. other than that they are just pure wank value for show bikes and squids with too much of mummy's money! 99% of riders would never know the difference in the feel or handling. BTW. in Australia i can buy aluminium wheels. i'm interested as to where you got aluminum ones?

[@CyberChrist]

Just allow carbon wheels but forfeit the race in case you crash, simples, eh?

[@non-wx8qm]

Your outro is a tad bit too weird. 9:34

[@yammienoob]

"too weird" does not exist inside the YN Kingdom

[@non-wx8qm]

@yammienoob I can appreciate that.

[@nitinravi8400]

No carbon fiber shit's going to work in India. I'll have to write it off in the first 10kms. I guess aluminium is the best we can do, if we want to make any changes.

[@tedmarakas2626]

or NYC. Roads in India are just a hair worse. You can lose a traffic jam in NYC potholes.

[@Tampa_tom]

Has anyone actually won one of these give away bikes? Edit oh never mind. I understand now. My bad

[@yammienoob]

www.yammienoob.co/pages/past-giveaway-winners

[@Tampa_tom]

@@yammienoob apologies

[@Senior-Busa-Rider]

No not worth the money !

[@pl3a5enophotoz]

If you have a lot of money get the carbon brooo but if your broke don’t buy carbon wheels ffs

[@alfredomariasammartino7728]

First like and comment yea

[@Justsomedudewithabaldhead]

Fifth