Durrani magnesium wheels?

+1...JU continues to make my day.

Was there not a fab. tire warmer company that folded up last year from being too busy???

Also-for weekend racer I doubt the wheels will readily show improved lap times. My opinion...money better spent elsewhere!!!

HFD1 could do some damage to a motor for 1.1k!

 

Have you ever ridden a bike with BST CF rims or ultra-light magnesium wheels?

Some one here can most likely quote figures but reducing unsprung weight and especially unsprung rotating mass is very desirable. You don't need as much HP to accelerate lighter wheels and you need less friction energy to slow them down (and less distance) and it also takes less effort to turn them (get the to lean) due to redueced gyroscopic effect.

I'll spend money on suspension/handling improvments prior to motor work anytime. If you can't win on a modern liter bike or 600 it's not because your down on HP. It's because your down on handling and/or talent.

I'm no podium placing racer so this is just a track day slow pokes opinion.:up:

 

Hi guys, My names Kevin - Owner of MidMichigan Motorsports. I am a newb poster on this board but have been lurking for quite a while. I have been following this thread because I have an interest in these wheels and have been working closley with Sheryar and the rest of the Durrani crew to develop and bring these wheels to market. I am not an investor in the company but I will be selling them as well as have one of the first sets off the line for testing on my own bike. I have held the prototypes as well as seen piles of the pre-production parts from the tune-in on the molds. These are the real deal and Sheryar is a straight up guy that is extremely excited to be a part of the Motorcycle industry. I realize a first time poster doesnt carry a lot of weight, but if anyone has questions I am more than happy to answer anything I can.

 

KW Comp/Kevin: I tried calling Durrani this morning, if not to order a set of wheels than to at least get some questions answered. Got a voicemail. So, I'd like to take you up on your offer to answer some questions for us, questions which I'm sure others have as well:

1. When will these wheels be available for purchase? I am interested in getting a set, but I'm not willing to wait that long. My question here, specifically, is when can these wheels - with shipping times considered - be at my doorstep? (2005 GSXR1000, looking for blue color - and my assumption is that they are not yet available for delivery)

2. Why should we trust that these wheels are 10% stronger than forged magnesium wheels already tried and tested in the marketplace? What specific evidence is their for this claim?

3. How's the finish on the wheels, in terms of paint, wheel hub, etc? (You've seen them already, right?)

Thanks for any help you can provide. Much appreciated. Brian

 

i've got a set of marchesini's for an r1 if anyone is interested.....

 

Hi Brian, I will answer whatever I can, what I cant I will take back and ask to the guys in the know.

1. When will these wheels be available for purchase? I am interested in getting a set, but I'm not willing to wait that long. My question here, specifically, is when can these wheels - with shipping times considered - be at my doorstep? (2005 GSXR1000, looking for blue color - and my assumption is that they are not yet available for delivery)
The production wheels are supposed to be shipping the first or second week in May. There are already roughly 60 orders through Durrani directly that I know of, I am not sure how many suppliers (Like Indy and SportBike Track Gear, etc....) have accepted orders. The process these are being manufactured by means that the wheels are a universal fit with hubs specific to each application. I will talk to Sheryar and see if I can find out the order of process on the hubs which will give me a better inclination as to when your specific model wheel will be available. Once these wheels do start to go out the wait will not be long. Several Hundred sets can be shot in a weeks time on this tooling.

2. Why should we trust that these wheels are 10% stronger than forged magnesium wheels already tried and tested in the marketplace? What specific evidence is their for this claim?
This is a question that could go on into all kinds of depth but I will try to answer it as briefly as possible. The strength advantages of this wheel are a whole bunch of small things put together that add up to there character. The first being the design of the wheel. If you look at the prototype shot in the magazine add you will see varying thickness in the spokes, they are not a uniform cross section. The design was developed using FEA models to increase strength where needed and reduce weight where it wasnt. The next element in the strenght of these wheels is the method by which they are manufactured, thixomolding. The difference between Casting, Thixomolding, and Forging, is the temperature and physical state of the material as it is poured or forced into a mold. Casting is of course a liquid state material poured or sometimes injected into a mold. Forging is when a material in a solid / semi solid state is forced into a mold which allows for a denser product with less porosity and a good "Grain" flow in the material. Thixomolding is similar to forging but the material is hotter, though not a complete liquid like Casting. What this allows is for the material to be injected into the mold under high pressure (like forging) but with less expense in tooling. It also gives the benefites of a laminar flow into the mold resulting in a denser product with no voids and a consistent grain flow. The final element is the aerospace grade magnesium that Durrani is using, Combine that with the manufacturing and design process and you get a wheel that has a higher elastic deformation point (meaning how far you can bend it before it doesnt come back) than typical forgings with the strength of a forging.

3. How's the finish on the wheels, in terms of paint, wheel hub, etc? (You've seen them already, right?)

The Wheels are using a baked on tri-coat painted finish. The finish looks great and "feels" as though it will be very durable. The prototype had a billet aluminum hub which was a natural finish. The production wheels have the option of Mag hubs or Aluminum I am not sure if the aluminum ones will continue to be plain after start of production. The Mag hubs will have to be painted to avoid oxidation but I am not certain if they will be color matched or a one color for all. I would imagine given Sheryar's taste for the extreme that they will be color matched, but I will ask the question to him and find out.

 

excellent feedback. (i sent you a pm)

 

Very nice. Thank you KWComp.

 

Great info, and thorough replies. I appreciate it, and will be in touch with Durrani to see about an order and a few more questison I have. Thanks again.

 

I offered to send over a reporter and photographer to do a magazine story on the production process and facilities. I think that would go a long way toward resolving any misunderstanding. No reply yet to that e-mail sent last night.

 

Sounds like a great idea John, I would hope that they will take you up on that offer. I cant answer for anybody at Durrani Racing but I imagine they will get back to you soon, I usually hear back from them within a day or so.

 

They may not be real excited about a proprietary process being photographed and subsequently published.

FWIW, at my former company we did not allow photography (still or video) in our forging and fabrication facilities and most plants have such a rule in place.

If the finished product passes the testing criteria as required then there is no reasonable need to witness the actual production process and a refusal of a request to do so is the norm and should not be construed as negative in any way.

 

OK, whatever. Just seeing stacks of wheels and talking to the people would be better than nothing and would still go a long way towards the basic questions, which are, is this a real deal, who are these guys and how can the wheels be priced so low compared to the industry standard? If it doesn't work for them, fine. I'm trying to take a reasonable approach here after my first post majorly pissed them off. My main concern is for the well being of readers who buy the magazine, including trying to be extra cautious when it comes to new deals and companies entering the business--I want people to have good dealings with companies they find in Roadracing World.

 

And THAT John is why I am a subscriber and advertiser. You look out for the masses!:up:

The process is indeed a unique one which eleminates the scrap of a conventional forging process. Typical Magnesium forgings yeild a finished product approximately 65% (many times less) of the gross forgings material input or "blanks" weight.

If you have a process that allows a near net shape you save A) Input Material and yeild loss B) Labor and time involved with finished machining operations.

I know you know this John, I wrote it for the others in the thread.

 

i totally agree about the photography....it would be normal in mfg to not allow it and it shouldn't be held against the mfg.

i think any concerns could be dealt with through questions or a visit to the shop by ju or some other rep.

hell...that's what i (used to) do is evaluate suppliers in the automotive market and assess their level of quality. someone foots the bill...and they agree...i'll go over and tell you if they are making junk or good stuff.

so far i have been really asking some tough questions in pm and getting the right answers....but proof is in the pudding. one of my mantras is 'touch and feel every problem' can't evaluate a supplier from a keyboard...gotta stand on the platform at the machine and determine for yourself (or trust someone else to do that for you)

 

Anyone who sends money to a company who hasn't even produced one of the product they claim to be manufacturing is a fool.

 

14K TheMagnesium?

 

if these people would have only listened to paige

 

Huh? Who bought the first Microsoft products before they were being sold? Actually, we have a term for that in the software business - the practice is known as selling vaporware.

 

jeesh. just quit is will ya, frank?

buy or don't buy....add your point or don't....

universal statements like calling all people fools that buy product not yet mfg is what we were talking about.....now as tangentially entertaining as your vaporware comment was....get to the point.