"Save two seconds off a lap instantly"

Benefits of having lighter wheels

Any weight under the suspension changes a lot. It’s due to the gyroscopic force of the wheel. But how does this help your performance?

• Quick, responsive steering
• Quicker acceleration
• Improved braking performance
• Less rider fatigue

It’s all about rotating mass. The more you reduce it, the faster the wheel spins. It means it can accelerate and brake faster. It has less momentum going into a corner meaning you can corner from side to side faster.

Instant performance is gained in all major areas and it is something that you will feel.

Note that when comparing wheels and weights, the overall wheel weight isn’t just the only factor. How the weight is distributed in each wheel has a big impact on the performance of the wheel and the bike. Carbon wheels have lighter rims. Most of that weight is carried in the hub.

Keep in mind that comparisons are often made between completely different wheels. You cannot compare a forged magnesium race wheel with a carbon street wheel as both are designed for different purposes. Usually, the street wheel will end up lighter than the race wheel. The lightness of the rim coupled with the weight of the center hub results in a performance wheel.

A light wheel will also affect the acceleration and deceleration of your bike.

How?

The less weight the engine has to rotate, the more power you can get to the ground. Just by switching up to a lighter wheel, you gain more horsepower at the wheel because the engine does not have to rotate as much weight at the wheel. That power ends up accelerating the wheel to a higher maximum speed.

Unsprung Weight

Unsprung weight refers to any weight not supported by suspension. Examples of sprung weight include your engine, transmission and the body. Unsprung weight would include your wheels, rotors and calipers.

Is less unsprung weight better than more?

Yes! Losing unsprung weight has the advantage of improving your suspension’s ability of keeping the tire to the ground. In other words, the more grip your tire has to the ground the better it is.

What about the steering and handling?

It is far more difficult to steer a rotating mass than a stationary mass. This ties into the previous point of having less unsprung weight. Your suspension will not need to work as hard to dampen your wheels. By reducing the mass along with the rotating inertia of a wheel, you don’t have to use as much force to steer it.

Try lifting weights with half of what you normally use and see how much longer you can go for.

About BST

Established in 1992, BST is based near Johannesburg, South Africa. Blackstone Tek engineers and manufactures the world’s finest carbon fiber motorcycle components; from wheels and frames to fuel tanks and fenders; to the highest international standards. On the world stage, BST wheels have been proven at every level of FIM Grand Prix roadracing competition and have won 12 national championships. BST has sold more than 160000 carbon-fiber wheels around the world.

BST carbon fiber wheels may be coveted based on looks alone, but like the high-performance bikes they’re bolted to, it’s what is under the skin that is really impressive. BST wheels are built on extensive experience in the aerospace industry. This, combined with real-world success in world-championship-level roadracing, dragracing and in setting numerous land-speed record, today’s BST products have undergone decades of research, development, testing and the most stringent certifications processes. They’ve been glogged at Rim Technology, Eurotype Test Centre and have passed all lab and street tests; from German’s TuV to the U.S. Department of Transportation – with flying colors.

In action

In the first weekend using BST carbon-fiber wheels on his BMW Superbike, Nate Kern (2008 National ASRA Champion and BMW North America S 1000 RR ambassador) won the Unlimited Superbike and GTO races, confirming the many competitive advantages provided by BST wheels ultra-light design.

Design

Using a highly advanced process pioneered in the aerospace industry, BST wheels are manufactured in a single molding operation. This technique produces a wheel that is far superior in strength and much lighter than any aluminum or magnesium, wheel, and one that is light and strong enough for racing and street use.

BST wheels are a unique monococque (single unit) design with hollow spokes. The end result is wheels with unsprung weight reduced 40-60 percent compared to stock wheels. This delivers the lowest possible moment of inertia – a critical factor that affects all aspects of motorcycle performance.

Maximizing the molecular and structural properties of carbon fiber, BST has reduced spoke and rim weight without compromising their strength. Mass is therefore concentrated in the hub reducing rotational intertia. This results in quicker acceleration and braking, allowing faster corner entry and exit speeds.
To help reduce tire slip, 6.25” and 6.625” BST wheels come standard with BST’s exclusive Ultra High-Speed coating technology, a mixture of chemical adhesive and abrasives which create a sand paper-like surface to reduce tire slippage on the rim. The UHS technology can be applied to any BST wheel.

Materials

Carbon Fiber – BST uses 3 different carbon fiber materials in their wheels, all supplied by ACG who are the main suppliers to F1 Racing, both ACG and BST are ISO 9001 certified. A proprietary, UV-stabilized and color corrected clear coat was developed to prevent yellowing of exposed-weave carbon fiber composite allowing the cosmetic appearance of the weave to look great for years to come.

Aluminum – Utilizing 6082 T6 aircraft grade aluminum, this high strength and lightweight aluminum alloy does not rust, so from a materials point of view this will not be a limiting factor in the life of a wheel.

Bearings – As standard equipment all BST wheels come with steel bearings manufactured by Worldwide Bearings. Ask for details about upgrading your wheels to ceramic bearings for increased performance and durability.

Performance

Weighing between 40 and 60 percent less than OEM wheels, BST wheels bestow sportbikes with sharper corner-carving abilities, faster acceleration and quicker braking by weighing less than their production-bike counterparts. Lighter wheels are also easier for suspsension systems toc onvertol over bumps and irregular surfaces, yielding more traction and unimpeded acceleration. Less rotating mass also equals less rider fatigue.

A lighter rear wheel is easier for the shock to control properly, which leads to superior power application and much higher trap speeds in competition and track days.

Low mass and loweset Moment of Inertia results in a lower unsprung mass; this means faster cornering, later braking, improved acceleration – in all, faster lap times. Imagine the difference you’ll experience from dropping 13.9 lbs off the weight of your  bike! That’s the difference in weight between the stock ZA-14 wheels and the BST’s.

3 BST Wheel Types

	5 Spoke Black Diamond The Black Diamond style uses 5 slanted spokes, featuring a slender swept spoke design for both front and rear wheels. This style is most common for Japanese sport bikes; utilizing the conventional double sided swing arm.
	7 spoke Black Mamba The Black Mamba style also uses the 7 straight spoke design. The spokes are fully offset, designed for use with the single sided swingarm. This style is most commonly seen on European sport bikes.
	7 Spoke Black Panther The Black Panther design uses a 7 straight spoke wheel for the BMW K and R series and is manufactured with thicker spokes for these heavier bikes. The rear wheel is not fully offset, so the spokes are slightly different in shape to the Black Mamba.

Manufacturing

BST designs the tooling, molds, wheels and hubs, then manufactures them in its state-of-the-art factory. Precision cutting machines, like those used in the aeronautical industry, ensure that the process is repeatable and meets the highest certification standards.

BST uses only the finest “prepreg” carbon fiber, which is embedded in a top-secret resin matrix epoxy. Carbon-fiber layup is done in a dust-free and temperature controlled “clean room.” The wheels are cured in a superheated steam oven, or autoclave, at 260° Farenheit (29° Celsius) at 85 psi. This produces the best material compaction and smoothest surface finish.

Every step of this process is logged, the entire history of each wheel is stored and stamped with a unique serial number. To ensure the highest possible quality manufacturing processes and components BST’s entire operation is managed under strict, new ISO 9001 industry standards.

Fitment

Direct OEM replacement using stock hardware although an aftermarket sprocket is required.

Approvals

DOT approved, TUV certified facility

Warranty

The BST warranty covers all workmanship for a period of 2 years from date of sale.