July 24, 2009 at 6:48 pm
#20901
eon
Participant
I think it must make a difference to the handling. The new BMW F650GS and F800GS are in some ways the same bike. The smaller 650 is aimed at road users and the larger, more expensive 800 is aimed at off road use. The 650 has alum rims with tubeless tires, the 800 has spoked wheels with inner tubes. Presumably the extra flex the spoked wheels give is an advantage off road.
Not sure if the rigidity of alum wheels is an advantage for road use but it would seem they are more practical. Spokes sure look good on those retro bike though.