Hi all, after countless hours of researching the net I think I came up with my answer. But before I commit to it, I thought I better just check with the experts here.
I am in the planning phase of my XS500B cafe build. I would like to go with spoke wheels and disc brakes. The reason is because that is the look I like, and I thought this would cut some weight. I realize this would require a rear arm change or welding a mount and adding a master cylinder for the rear brake. I am not against doing any of this. However, I am not finding any good options.
My goal for this build is to create a good looking and running bike. At this time it will not be a race bike, but I will probably look into running it on a track eventually. I am trying to build this within reasonable costs as well.
So is there a rear swing arm / wheel setup that I should be looking for that will work? Are there used wheels that are lighter than what I have with the rear drum?
At this point I feel I have the following options:
1. Have my wheels powdercoated sacrificing weight for looks
2. Find spoked wheels sacrificing looks for weight
Sadly, since this is not a true race build, I am leaning toward option 1. I hope you can advise of something else. I don't know that I really want to get into buying new hubs, spokes, rims, lacing and truing. But I don't really know where this build will go, that is why I am planning now so I can figure out where I need to spend the money.
Thanks in advance for your advice.