American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 223 February 2018 | Page 28

BST wheels for Harley-Davidson, V-twins and custom motorcycles
H-D Harley-Davidson XR1200 BST BLACK STAR 5 straight spokes
2008 – 2012
Rear
Rear
Rear Front
4.5 x 17
5.5 x 17
6 x 17 3.5 x 17
H-D MODELS:
2014 Models:
XL 883N IRON 883 with ABS
XL 1200X Forty-Eight with ABS
Street BOB Twin Cam 96 with ABS
Fat BOY Twin Cam 103 with ABS
Fat BOB with ABS
Street Glide Twin Cam 103 with ABS
Road King
Older models:
FL Series
V-ROD up to 2007
V-ROD from 2008 onwards
Night Rod Special with/without ABS
Muscle Rod – 2008 onwards
higher speed, but greatly improved cornering and
faster acceleration out of the bend.
For street use they have generally been regarded as
being the province of the ‘exotics’ - the top end
custom jobs and show bikes where money is no (or
relatively little) object.
Increasingly though, and especially where the
objective is performance and the improved handling
that comes with lighter weight, carbon fiber wheels
are finding their way onto more street bike make-
overs. Though still in relatively small numbers, as the
custom scene continues to morph and incorporate
influences from elsewhere in the motorcycle market
28
WHEEL SIZES:
Front:
3.5 x 17
3.5 x 18
2.15 x 19
2.5 x 19
2.75 x 19
3.0 x 19
3.5 x 19
2.15 x 21
3.5 x 21
(not least sport bikes and sport tourers), the market
for carbon fiber wheels on street Harleys and
genuinely streetable customs (of all platforms) has
grown, and shows every sign of continuing to do so
in the decade ahead.
Located in Johannesburg, South Africa, BST was
founded by former racer Gary Turner and business
partner Terry Annecke in 2002 - the company
celebrated its 15th anniversary last year - and now
has more than 25,000 wheels in the market
worldwide.
The company employs some 50 people at their
51,500 sq ft (4,800 sq m) facility and has exported
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - FEBRUARY 2018
BST BLACK STAR 5
straight spokes
Rear:
4.5 x 17
5.5 x 17
6.0 x 17
5.5 x 18
8 x 18
8.5 x 18
their wheels “to just about everywhere in the world,
even including Kazakhstan! Basically, everywhere
that has a motorcycle community.”
BST almost single-handedly created the market for
volume produced carbon wheels, and as such has had
quite an influence on the race and custom motorcycle
industries.
However, ‘caveat emptor’ - buyer beware - not all
carbon fiber wheels are created equal. BST is one of
the very few manufacturers in the world (a handful at
best) whose products have been proven on the drag
strip, the race circuit, and even the “Great White
Dyno” that is the wheel-hostile environment of the
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