Front and Rear Rim Relace Information
Click here to see a listing of part numbers in order to relace the rear spoke wheel to a wider VTX spoke and to relace the front wheel to a different sized Honda rim. All Honda Shadows utilize the same spoke counts so any modern Honda Spoke Rim can be relaced to any Hub, meaning on the VLX you can change your rim sizes giving you more control in your customization options for your bike.
VTX Rear Rim Mod
The VTX1800S rear rim relace allows you to run a wider tire such as a 180 or 200 width tire in a more cosmetically pleasing fashion. Although the tire sizes mentioned above can fit on the stock VLX rim the wider VTX rim allows the tires to sit more naturally. All Honda Shadow models that have a 15″ rear spoke rim can utilize this modification.
Note that after relacing to the wider VTX rear rim the stock 170 width tire actually appears as wide as a 180 width tire would on teh stock rim because the tire has to stretch just a bit to sit on the wider rim. The stock 170 size will also sit lower in height with a flatter tread area maximizing the actual width of the tire’s tread area. In comparison the 180 is taller and more round shaped. The 200 width is naturally the widest on the VTX rim but it will also be taller than the 170 and 180 width tires as well. Take this into consideration when choosing a tire size.
VTX 1800 S Rear Rim Relace Part Numbers:
Rim: 42701-MCV-A12
Stock spokes if needed (see Ugly Spoke section at bottom)
INSIDE (qty 26): 42612-MR1-405
OUTSIDE (qty 26): 42613-MR1-405
VT750 Front Rim Mods
The newer shaft driven Shadow Spirit VT750C2 bikes come with a 21 inch front rim that can be relaced to any Shadow model with a 19 or 17 inch front rim giving that tall skinny tire look. The front fender will have to be removed. You could create a custom fender mounting bracket to allow your fender to be used with the taller tire.
The opposite of tall and skinny is short and wide, you can also relace your stock rim to an Ace or Aero 17 inch front rim to gain access to that fat tire look. The 17 inch rim opens the door to run a fat front tires provided that you remove your front fender or fabricate a new fender bracket.
2009 SS750 21″ Front Rim Relace Part Numbers:
Rim: 44701-MBS-013
Inside Spoke (qty needed: 26): 06440-MFE-670
Outside Spoke (qty needed: 26): 06441-MFE-670
VT750 ACE/Aero 17″ Front Rim Relace Part Numbers:
Rim: 44701-MBA-023
Inside Spoke (qty needed: 26): 06440-MEG-000
Outside Spoke (qty needed: 26): 06441-MEG-000
Note: if you are changing your front rim you also need the associated longer or shorter spokes listed to match.
Ugly Spokes
Honda uses a very thin coating on their spokes and if you use the wrong cleaner the shiny finish will disintegrate leaving an unsightly dull metal spoke. Age also causes this thin finish to degrade. If your spokes have lost their luster one option is to replace them with factory replacement spokes although this can get fairly expensive. If you really want new spokes you might as well spend just a little bit more and order some stainless steel ones from Buchanan Spoke & Rim (call and have them custom ordered for the VLX VT600C/CD).
Another option is to paint or powder coat your spokes or rims. Paint probably wont last as long as you would like and requires a fair amount of prep work. Powder coating will last and looks great except you run into fitment issues if you powder coat each part individually. The alternative of powder coating the entire wheel as a whole leaves the issue of damaging or ruining the finish if you ever need to re true the wheel.