Comstar replacement for a 1980 GL1100

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NotoriousTOD

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Cheers. I have a 1980 GL 1100 that I recently acquired. I have some pretty big modifications planned for it. But, starting with the basics, I have read that the stock Comstar rims are prone to cracking. Where do I need to be watching for cracks? I'm considering upgrading to some alloys off of a newer model. What would fit? Any 1100? Would 1200 rims fit if I swapped the swingarm? 1500 rims? I would like to run wider tires. Are the swingarms interchangable? Thanks in advance.

-Todd
 
I would not know where to start looking for cracks in comstar wheels because, even though I've always had them, I've never seen crack number one.

As far as your other queries are concerned, things are not as interchangeable as you're hoping they will be, but I'm sure people with better knowledge and memory about these things than I will be along soon to straighten it out.

By the way. Welcome!
 
Ok ..this is a very loaded ?....yes there are option most are hard and involve many parts ...first off the comstar wheels are in no way bad wheels ..in my opinion there one of the best ...especially the 1100 wheels ...but if you want wider tires you have to go with the 82-83 swing arm and wheel ..the front forks can be modded for other wheels ....on my 1000 framed bike I’ve got a 1200 swigarm modded in and run 1200 rear wheel with car tire set up and 1200 front wheel modded to a 1000 front fork set up ...its a lot of work to fit everything and parts from various yr bikes ....I can’t even come up with them all now ...to me it was well worth it ..I wanted wider and longer lasting tires ....the bike is also highly modded in other areas too ...motor is 1200 and has single carb Weber progressive 2bbl ...so,it can done using different wheels but you have to really want it ...and this forum got. Some threads and people who have. Done it to help you
 
Thanks for the input. It's probably an oxymoron, but I'm going for a goldwing scrambler, and I'd like it to be somewhat offroad capable. In your opinions, would the comstars hold up to some rough roads? I do plan on losing a lot of weight off the bike and I'm building a monoshock rear suspension .
 
I’d say they will ...there built very well with that center rib running around the entire wheel makes for tough rim in my opinion..many have done mono shock with the gas tank remove to have room for it ...the 80-81 gearing would make some good gearing for off road use
 
All I can tell you there, is that I've been in some really iffy situations on my comstars and never had, any kind of failure of the wheel.

Now they could possibly be a little heavy for that kind of work, you'd have to research that.

But if I was to dig really deep and find a fault with them for regular highway riding, it would be that the cupped design of the spokes make the bike susceptible to side winds, but that's only my theory.
 
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