First Look: RAD Mfg/Excel Wheel Set
Chris
- January 13 2009
- 5,249 views
- 41 comments
Colin of FasterUSA stopped by with their latest wheel offering for the 2009 Honda CRF450R. Comprised of red RAD Manufacturing Econo hubs and black Excel signature series rims, these are specifically designed to accept the new stock Honda disc guard and spacer.
These are heavy duty wheels in that they have oversized bearings, 8 gauge spokes in the rear, 9 gauge spokes up front, and steel nipples for added strength. So don’t get it twisted, these may not be for the die-hard, weight-shaving racer out there with a disposable income. These, in fact, are more for the rider out there that pounds out a lot of laps and needs a nice set of rims that can handle some multiple truings. The larger spokes and steel nipples may be a bit heavier than stock, but they are said to be stronger and more durable over time.
We are all aware of the quality that Excel is known for, so it is no surprise they chose these rims. As for the hubs, they are CNC-machined billet aluminum with heavy duty bearings, spacers, and seals, and are made here in the U.S. They carry a one-year warranty.
Faster USA and RAD also offer lightened and frictionless wheelsets at a more “race ready” price as well.
Our wheels are for the CRF450R, but FasterUSA has wheels available for all of other major models. They are priced at $919 and come fully assembled (we hear there is free shipping too).
Check ‘em out at www.fasterusa.com
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January 13th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
man those are beautiful, now if only they didn’t cost 1/7 the price of a new bike!
January 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
no doubt!
January 13th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
The price of the rims are OK comparing the price of a top of the line rims!well done nice look and good price
January 13th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
They quite pricey but have you seen the prices for high-end MTB wheel sets?
Mavic Crossmax SLR wheeel set.
http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?LibId=32009
January 14th, 2009 at 12:49 am
I like how in the close up photo of the rim, you can see the studio in the background where the white paper ends. hahahah
January 14th, 2009 at 1:04 am
you so silly swap. like how you got your post propped. man…..
January 14th, 2009 at 9:16 am
If you look in the first picture, you can tell that the close up doesn’t show the studio, it shows the other rim in the background.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:54 am
good call
January 14th, 2009 at 11:59 am
“If you look in the first picture, you can tell that the close up doesn’t show the studio, it shows the other rim in the background.” quote.
Anonymous is right…
That’s 2 negative props for u Swap…
LOL!
January 14th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I bought a set of these earlier this year and put about 10 hours on them on my 08 CRF450 and have had broken spokes on two different occasions. After a day of riding at Racetown I was washing my bike and noticed two broken spokes on the sprocket side and my hubs all scratched up, They where snapped closest to the hub. I contacted RAD and told them what had happened, They told me that they where aware of the problem and that they had a bad batch of spokes at one point and that they have corrected the problem. They shipped me out replacement spokes and a few extras in case the problem happened again. Not long after that I was riding Milestone and noticed several spokes had done the same thing on the same side and my hub was F’d up. I contacted Rad again and they told me they where now using an 8 gauge spoke and that they would replace the spokes but not the hub. I can’t believe that a company that was aware of a previous problem and has switched to a new 8 gauge spoke instead of the 7 gauge that my wheels where built with wouldn’t back there product and warranty issue by replacing the spokes and the damaged hubs at no charge. I had to have the wheel dismounted and shipped back to RAD. They contacted me after receiving the wheel and want me to pay to have the hub replaced. I’ve been without a wheel for over three weeks now and have been told the wheel should ship back soon. I’m not dogging on the craftmanship of the product, I did alot of research before I bought these wheels. I’m just disappointed in a manufacturer on not making a customer happy and taking responsibilty of its failed product.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
With regard to the guy that had the spokes fail on the rear wheel, there was a small batch that had a problem with the bend in the spokes which caused the spoke to break. RAD mfg did not know that the spokes had a problem when you bought the wheels or they would not have sent them out to you. FasterUSA had one wheel with this problem which we fully warrantied, we then worked with RAD Mfg to correct the problem immediately which has now been taken care of. Did you buy these wheels through RAD mfg or through a dealer? At FasterUSA we are very proud of all the products we sell (especially the ones made here in the US). Even though we did not sell you the wheels directly, feel free to give me a call and I will sincerely do my best to make sure you get taken care of! You can e mail me at colin@fasterusa.com or call me at 951 662 8923
January 14th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
cant be worse than pro wheels…. i drove from texas to cali to ride and 4 laps in at milestone broke the front wheel in half
January 14th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
I bought 2 sets of wheels & hubs from Colin at FasterUSA about 8 months ago. We ride hard once or twice a week and they have held up great. We have seen Colin at the track a few times and at no charge he has “trued” them up for us. The guys problem above is that he didn’t by them from Colin! Colin has been around the sport for a long time and really knows his stuff. Service and satisfying the customer is what he is about. He even changed a tire for me one time when I had a broken collar bone and my son wanted to ride and I couldn’t do it. The price on these wheels is what attracted me but Colin’s “can-do” attitude will bring me back - there isn’t a MC shop around here you can get that from. Chris, Riverside, CA
January 15th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
TCR Wheel Lacing!!! Troy is doing good things over there and his hubs are now on the Factory Connection Hondas and the new Honda team that Jeff Alessi is on.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
I tried buying TCR Hubs and the guy at the time wanted me to send him a cashiers check, sounded shady. This was about a year ago.
January 16th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Colin,
Thank you for taking time to address my concern, that type of response and customer service is exactly what I was looking for. Even though I didn’t purchase the wheels from you, you still took time to listen and offer any help….Class Act. I’ll be sure to refer anyone that asks me where I got my wheels over to you. Thanks Again.
Ruben
January 16th, 2009 at 10:43 am
visit http://www.ksrwheels.net for the best wheels in the industry. Rad hubs crack!
January 16th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Rad hubs do not crack! they have a full year warranty on the hub which is better than any other manufacturer, you may want to read a few of the testimonials above about our quality and service before you simply try to push your own product.
January 16th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I have purchased 6 sets of wheels from Colin. his pricing is fare and service is first rate. i only had an issue with one wheel and he handled it. my son races and my wife takes him most days to practice whenever Colin is there he checks the bikes out like brakes tires spokes and replaces or trues sometimes at no cost.
Colin is a stand up guy you can trust selling a product that he believes in there isn’t allot of that these day’s so you should appreciate it. Hey Colin you don’t have to defend your product on here once people meet you and buy from you the will do the talking for you. thanks for everything and keep up the good work!
January 16th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
The company is very bad with customer service at RAD they treat there customers very mean and seem like they don’t care after they have your money.I bought a set of wheels for my bike and had a issue with the bearing, Rad covered it but with a lot of arguing. Then the inner spacer went since its made out of aluminum it failed and they did not want to cover this. Once again I had to argue with the owner to try to have them cover it and they said NO… This company sucks and the owner/engineer just is mean and doesn’t care about you. I will never buy another set of wheels from them. The engineer said the spacers and bearing only last six months then they should be replaced.
January 16th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
RAD sucks your right the company doesn’t like people who come back with issues regarding there product they take your money and run. NEVER BUY FROM THEM!!!!!!
January 16th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Chris above is not the exception when it comes to Colins customer service focus. I can tell the same story. Colin making personal time to help me out weather it be at the track or making time for me at his shop.
He is for real!
January 26th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Colin you say they dont crack? look at this
http://s461.photobucket.com/albums/qq340/yzjunkie2003/?albumview=slideshow
January 26th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I found this and looks like chinese crap to me.
http://www.importgenius.com/importers/rad-manufacturing.html
January 30th, 2009 at 7:10 am
COLIN I GUESS YOU DONT WANT TO ANSWERS THESE NOW DO YA?
I WOULDNT PUT THESE ON MY BIKE SEEING THOSE PICS,PICS DONT LIE.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:38 am
wow you guys have nothing better to do, do you? All hubs crack, but Rad cracking is a very rare occurence. I honestly have never seen a cracked one. Try searching all the other hub manufacturers and you will find a lot more problems than Rad. Have you read the new transworld??? they reviewed these wheel sets and gave it a great score. The only miss was that they were heavier than stock (at least on the ‘09 CRF 450R version) due to the heavy duty spokes. Its a great product made in America, so please, stop wasting time on trying to call people out over the internet and go ride.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
rad sucks / 9 out of 10 people have some kind of issue.You will not see ONE RAD WHEEL at a prof supercross/motorcross event , they were tested by pro’s and REJECTED by pro’s. Do yourself a favor and by TALON hubs.
March 29th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Is that a factual statement, or is it just an estimation on how many people have problems? Because of the ten people I know with these wheels, 9/10 DONT have issues. And for the one that did have an issue, he never checked his spokes. So really it has nothing to do with hub failure, its just poor (or lack of) maintenance.
Seems to me like you’re trying to make a quick sale on someone else’s product review. But you would’nt lie to us now, would you? After all, you are the TRUTH TELLER.
March 29th, 2009 at 12:48 am
Actually if you read the comment above from 515dad, he makes a good point. Colin DOESNT have to defend his product, and thats why hes not answering to you (why would anyone waste their time on you?). Hes one of the few people that realizes that no matter what he does or says, somebody will always argue. So props to Colin for making the right decision.
April 5th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
HERE IS MORE TRUTH ABOUT THE UNETHICAL COMPANY,#1 RADS DISTRIBUTER-SUPERCHARGED CONNECTION IS HIS SON AND WORKS OUT OF HIS HOUSE
#2 HIS SON ALSO IS RIMSPLUS.NET
#3 IS IN A LAW SUIT WITH PEOPLE WHO THEY SNAKED OUT OF BUYING RAD.
IF YOU NEED MORE JUST LET ME KNOW.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Hey ‘Truth Teller’, you seem to know an enormous amount about Rad as a company. Are you the one in the lawsuit that tried to buy Rad and that is perhaps why you are so bitter? I bought wheels from Colin over a year ago and haven’t had any issues.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
One of my friends just had a rear rad hub grenade / will post pics at end of week. You sound like an obama supporter.
May 16th, 2009 at 8:16 am
Truth tellers a little creepy if you ask me…
May 16th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Um… if we wanted to know that we would have asked you. Who cares about his family life? The hub and spokes are awesome.
also, now everyone thinks your a creeper. I can honestly picture you standing outside of the guys window, while breathing heavily…
July 12th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Colin has sold me over 8 complete wheel sets!!… His service is second to none!!
Message to KSR and TRUTHTELLER:
KSR - I've checked your site and looks like not selling RAD hubs anymore…. I suspect that has more to do with your work ethic than their product. They warranty their products…. do you?
DAVE - Have you ever visited Radmfg?… My wife and I did and its a fantastic facility. And its based right here in the states!!! Don't believe me…. look them up and go there! They're in UTAH and the owner is a really nice stand up guy! Also he is fiercly proud to be an american. They're in Utah. Before you start posting bogus shipping orders all over the net do some homework. Anyone can get a bull£$it invoice. Hell I could get one for a F16 fighter jet if I wanted.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
ROB - You are putting aftermarket components onto a race bike. F1 cars, MotoGP bike all have problems. I've never had an issue with any of the wheel sets I've bought.
And the reason is clear. I let FASTERUSA true and lace the wheels. If you guess the torque on the spokes and over tighten them then you will weaken the hub and crack it. Its not rocket science. If you try and fix or tune something you're not capable of doing properly it will break. Simple. You wouldn't expect Paul Tracy to build his own car would you?
LINDY - I could give you pics of smashed up Enzo Ferrari's. It doesn't mean they're crap. It could well mean that the person putting them together didn't know what they were doing.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
SMITTY, DOUG, HONDA CRF - Lets think about why you're bitter. I've never had a problem with RAD hubs! Period. And futhermore I know a fair few people who run these. Colin is always at the track and I can assure you that if I ever had a problem it would be sorted.
However there is a big difference between standing by your product and tolerating fools! I suspect the reason that RAD weren't happy with you lot is because there is always one idiot who tightens the hell out of his spokes and screws up his hubs. You guessed it. It's you!
Thats like driving a Porsche 911 in the BAJA!! Then bitching because your suspension doesn't feel right! DUH!!
And you guys are wondering why they don't sponser riders?…. Are you thick? If they sponsored riders then they would have to put their prices up. They would then cost the end consumer more. Just because Goodyear and Dunlop don't sponser F1 doesn't mean they're any worse than Bridgestone.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Futhermore to all of you!… I used to live in England, until about 6 years ago. I was one of the principal engineers on the Eurofighter jet projects. A large part of my job was sourcing the components from sub contracting companies. It's fair to say that I know a thing or two about modern amnufacturing processes and procedures. I also know about the strengths and properties of exotic materials used in Aerospace manufacture.
When I went to Utah and paid RADMFG a visit I was very impressed. They have all the Certificates of Conformity for all the material used in their hubs. Admitedly they did have one batch of material for their spokes. But they showed me how they have developed and enhanced all the process control in all their components to ensure that it will never happen again. Can't really say fairer than that can you?
My advice to anyone who has a problem with RAD hubs etc…. Call Colin at FasterUSA. He's a stand up guy and as I say I've never had a problem.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Are you retarded? Really? Its not even the same company you moron!! Please don't ride a bike mate… I don't think your brain could take it! Really!
July 12th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
So now you sell Sunline and warp9? Hmmm…. oh look at the quality in these! NOT! http://www.ksrwheels.net/productcart/pc/viewPrd.a...
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I have had rad and to tell you the truth it cracked on my crf450 and the chain went in the cases , $3800 damage that they refuse to pay!!!!! The entire sprocket flange spun off of hub , not a hex hub but eagle. I hate to say it but i have heard a lot of ligit complaints about the products that they sell. They do sponsor people at looped.com so that statement was untrue, and that bill of laden i looked at in the above post was real and not doctored! I suspect the gentlemen on rads side is either one of them or the friends of colin at fasterusa whoever they are. They were tested on Prof AMA supercross rider bikes and did NOT PASS THE TESTS ,PERIOD.
Augs
August 26th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
OMG!!! Another guy lying about RAD again…………..I quote" But they showed me how they have developed and enhanced all the process control in all their components to ensure that it will never happen again " So all was true written about rad and the people defendind them have lied and said never a problem???? WTF!!!!
RAD SUCKS AND COLLIN STOP SENDING YOUR FRIENDS TO ANSWER FOR YOU. GO TO TCRWHEELS / KSRWHEELS / RTRWHEELS, BUT STAY FAR AWAY FROM RAD.