MXA TEAM TESTED: DUBYA TALON/DID KX450F WHEELS

WHAT IS IT? Complete aftermarket wheelsets equipped with DID rims, Talon hubs and Bulldog spokes.

WHAT’S IT COST? $719.95 (front), $819.95 (rear).

CONTACT? www.dubyausa.com or (714) 279-0200.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with Dubya Talon/DID wheels.

(1) History. The Takasago Excel A60 is the pro-level rim of choice for many top riders and has been one of the premium rim offering for the last few years. We believe it still would have been the first choice of Dubya’s wheel builders, but after six months of A60s being on back order, the MXA wrecking crew decided to go another route. While RK/Excel America assures us that the A60s have not been discontinued, they are hard to come by. As a result, we switched to DIDs. Luckily, the mechanics and riders gave positive feedback and felt the rims were quite strong.

(2) Rims. Dubya offers two DID Dirt Star rim options: the ST-X and LT-X; our wheels were equipped with LT-X rims. DID claims that the LT-X is as strong as Excel’s A60 but lighter. The ST-X weighs the same as the A60 but is 15-percent stronger. Dubya wheelsets with either DID Dirt Star rims or A60 rims cost the same. The DID rims are available in either black or silver and in two width sizes for the rear.

(3) Hubs. Our wheels were outfitted with standard Talon hubs. The front weighs a claimed 1 pound 13 ounces and costs $329.95; the rear weighs a claimed 3 pounds, 4.8 ounces and costs $449.95. Talon also offers lighter carbon fiber versions. In the past, some of  Supercross Pros have shied away from the carbon hubs to be on the safe side, but this year, every team/rider has elected to run the carbon spool hubs. The front carbon hub is 4.2-ounces lighter, and the rear carbon hub is 13-ounces lighter (all unsprung weight). Each carbon hub is $200 more expensive. All Talon hubs come with stainless steel bearings installed.

(4) Spokes. Dubya uses Bulldog stainless steel spokes and offers them in a wide variety of powder-coated colors. The bright colors can really make a wheel stand out. The Bulldog spokes are nine gauge in the front and eight gauge in the rear, and they are available in black, orange, green, red, white, yellow and pink. Dubya’s spline-drive nipple design is 30-percent stronger and 50-percent lighter than OEM spoke nipples.

(5) Complete wheels. We put our test wheels through all the standard motocross abuses, including flat landings, buried rocks, endless motos and maintenance negligence?they have held up. The powder-coated spokes faded after 10 months of hard use, but some colors fade more than others. On our scale, the Dubya front (hub, spokes and rim) weighed 7.45 pounds, while the rear weighed 9.55 pounds.

(6) Warranty. Talon hubs come with a five-year warranty against breakage.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? The biggest issue that the MXA test crew faced was not being able to fit the rear wheel between the swingarm and caliper with the supplied wheel spacers. We ordered new ones, had the same experience and ended up machining 40-thousandths of an inch off of one to make it fit. Also, the powder-coating price of $50.00 (per wheel) seems steep.

Our Dubya Talon/DID wheels have premium-quality components and wear like iron. If the spacers had fit the first time, this would have been a five-star product.