[jippah]

now the guy said he was pretty sure it came off a 2001 katana... sounds fishy :\
so i asked him for the part number or the vin of the bike so i can know for sure what model year it came off of.

... any one know where to find the part number on the wheel itself? I've only found markings on the spoke that say J17xMT 3.50 and AJY... doesnt seem like a part number to me

turns out there are three models of wheels that were put on post kats;
54111-08F10-Y6G W/X/Y/K1
54111-08F10-019 K2
54111-08F20-019 K3

the W/X/Y/K1 and K2 will only fit 1998 - 2003 as Krey stated earlier

however the K3 model wheel will fit 1998-2006 Kats... are those numbers anywhere on the wheel itself?? anyway to tell what model one has?

(all information was gathered through motosport.com and ronayers.com)

[loudnlow7484]

however the K3 model wheel will fit 1998-2006 Kats...

No it won't. K3 stands for 2003.... the fiches all just get tossed together like that. Probably measuring would be the best way to make sure it is the wheel you want.

[Wild-Bill]

Have him take a photo of the left side of the hub. Even though 98+ Kats have an electronic speedo, 98-02 wheels still have the tangs to drive a cable speedo. 03+ wheels don't.

[Kreylyn]

Have him take a photo of the left side of the hub. Even though 98+ Kats have an electronic speedo, 98-02 wheels still have the tangs to drive a cable speedo. 03+ wheels don't.

They do have those actually... so that won't help.

Krey

[loudnlow7484]

Pretty sure the 03+ wheels have a 17mm axle, so that would be something easy to measure. There is probably a difference between rotor mounting surfaces as well that could be measured without much difficulty.

[thetable]

Can he read the numbers on the bearings? 98-02 should be a 6302, 03+ should be a 6203.

[jippah]

i asked if he would check to see the what the number is on the bearing, and again for the VIN number for the bike it came off of.
i really appreciate everyone who has posted ideas on how to tell the difference between the two wheels!

[jippah]

I wonder, if the wheel turns out to be from an 04 kat, is it possible to press out the bearings and press the 2000's bearings into the 04 wheel? wouldnt that solve the issue with different diameter axles?

[05RedKat600]

I wonder, if the wheel turns out to be from an 04 kat, is it possible to press out the bearings and press the 2000's bearings into the 04 wheel? wouldnt that solve the issue with different diameter axles?

No, because the bearing diameter is different too.

[Wild-Bill]

You really don't want to re-use bearings. The removal method includes a drift and a hammer. Chances are a lot higher that the bearing's going to be damaged than that you get lucky and they're fine.

I don't have the numbers in front of me right now but if the outer diameters are the same then you could use new bearings from a 2000. Look at the fiches on Bike Bandit. Usually the bearing sizes are listed as IDxODxWidth.

[loudnlow7484]

I don't have the numbers in front of me right now but if the outer diameters are the same......

They aren't.

[scottynoface]

03+ has a fatter hub.

[Wild-Bill]

Yeah... I posted them the other day in jippah's other thread. Not something I've got memorized. That's what references are for.

03+ has a fatter hub.

You mean wider between the axles? That could be a problem with spacers, including the one inside the hub, between the bearings.

[jippah]

hm. well thats a bummer.
anyone want need a 2004 front wheel?

[travman10]

Still have that front wheel?