Blingy New OZ Wheels for my Tuono!

[MisterSmooth]

This was the bike that started many things.  It's hard to believe with all of the water under this year's bridge but it was just last January that forum member ejh bought this bike.

It was the last new 2003 Aprilia Mille R.  Zero miles, full warranty, so trick you couldn't look at it directly or your head will explode.




If you look closely you can see Erik and me in the window of this coffee shop, plotting some absurd adventure.


But then...Erik went to many track days.  And moved to Sante Fe, New Mexico.  And then bad, bad things happened one hot day at Sandia racetrack in Albequerque.   He was passing on the outside, off the race line and Erik's still near-new Mille slid and then endoed spectacularly into a gravel trap.  With damage to the swingarm and all of the plastics, it was totalled.


However, his Ohlins forks, Ohlins shock and gold OZ wheels were still blingy-fresh.  I waited what I thought was the appropriate mourning period before wondering aloud just what he was going to do with those pretty wheels.


So I sent him some money and they showed up in a box.  A couple of boxes, actually.  Except for a tiny bit of grime in the embossed "Made in Italy" on the lips of the rims they looked brand spankin' new.


Heh heh heh.  I mean, look at how nice they look on my matte black '07 Tuono.  








And this location should look familiar.  Here we are back where it all began.  Erik is now riding a sexay little Daytona 675...if I could convince him to move back to town, we'd be more or less full circle.

[atypical1]

Sweet!

Shitty about the Mille though...

james

[kurtw]

Oh wow. I thought the blue wheels looked really cool on your bike.


But the shiny gold Oz's?     
Soooooo nice on your Tuono!

[miles]

What about the Öhlins fork?

[MisterSmooth]

What about the Öhlins fork?

Some other bastard carrion eater got there first.     Besides, I couldn't afford both the forks and the wheels, so just as well.


Funny thing, I got the wheels because I thought they were cool, not because I'd get some performance increase.  Any stock literbike exceeds my abilities by such a vast margin that expanding the performance envelope, well, that's a part I'll never lick anyway.


But these wheels are about 15 pounds lighter than the stockers and there is a real difference in the way the bike handles.  Even a hack like me can tell the difference.

[EricJ]

  Beautiful!!!

[DogBoy]

teh sex!  

[Mookie]

Noice!  I was wondering if you could really feel the difference and apparently you can.  

[atypical1]

That's a really big weight difference so you could easily tell the difference. Now you need some carbon brake rotors.....


james

[BizJetGuy]

Motorcycle pr0n - looks awesome!