[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by katoranger

The biggest problem solved with this is tire replacement.

Plenty of tire options now.

Spud. Do you feel that you need to change anything on the front now or do it feel right with the stock front wheel?

Allen

I had several motives to perform this swingarm conversion. I wanted to have greater availability and choice regarding dual sport tires for the rear wheel. I wanted to reduce the Zong's weight by replacing the rear steel rim with an alloy rim. I wanted to improve the bike's suspension, and I wanted Yamaha parts compatibility for the rear end of the motorcycle. The XT225 swingarm conversion achieved all of these desires.

I really don't need to change the front wheel. The bike handles very well after this swingarm conversion. However, I would like to reduce the weight of the Zong even more. Therefore, I would really like to get an alloy rim for the front wheel. Since the Zong uses the same front brake caliper as the Lifan bikes, I think it is a good possibility that a Lifan front wheel would fit the Zong's front forks. A cheaper option is to use an alloy rim designed for the Yamaha XT225 rear wheel, and lace it to the Zong's front hub and spokes. The XT225 rear rim is the exact same size and the Zong's front rim, and the spoke holes on both rims seem to be in identical locations.

Spud