BST Rapid TEK 5 Split-Spoke Carbon Fiber Front Wheel for the Bimota BB3 - 3.5 x 17

BST brings you the latest in design and technology with our brand new split spoke design. BST shows leading innovation in the design and manufacture of pre-preg monocoque carbon fiber wheels with yet another design that is leading the carbon fiber wheel industry. Blackstone TEK presents the best bolt-on performance part in the world. The elegant 5 split spoke Rapid TEK wheel personifies the slogan “Technology made Beautiful”. It has an edgy new look, and also showcases BST engineering with its super light weight and the unique high pressure forged carbon hub areas. It’s a direct replacement for the OEM wheels making it easy to use. Produced by BST from concept
to volume production, these wheels have been subjected to the same rigorous testing as all the BST wheels. Also Rapid TEK carbon fiber conventional rear wheel offers interchangeable parts so that a rider can swap wheels when he changes his motorcycle. That’s a neat piece of engineering.

Get more bang for your buck with BST wheels – this is the best performance enhancer available for your ride. The reduction in weight and rotational inertia gives instant gratification in a significant performance advantage through improved handling, later braking and quicker acceleration. The enhancement to performance is greater than any other modification a rider could make to his motorcycle for the equivalent cost. The additional benefit of interchangeable hubs also increases the life span and value of the wheels. They are not only delightful eye candy, but are extremely durable. The strength to weight ratio of carbon fiber is well known and is utilized to its fullest by BST. We apply the most stringent testing standards to both our OEM and aftermarket wheels. BST is the only carbon wheel manufacturer that is ISO 9001:2008 certified, audited by the German TÜV, and that adheres strictly to the JWL and DOT E specifications.

BENEFITS:

• Exceptional Performance
• The lighter rim lowers the Moment of Inertia
• Quicker response and reaction to the riders commands
• Faster Acceleration and Quicker Braking
• Interchangeability between certain makes and models
• Strength and safety

Wheels Come complete with Black or Satin Silver Hubs, Steel Bearings (Ceramic are available for an additional cost) and also in Gloss (standard), Satin (shown in main picture), or Matte Finishes and can also be ordered with Candy Colored Ink Finishes as well (made to order):

• SIZE : 3.5" x 17"
• WEIGHT : 5.95 lbs. (2.7 kg) Complete
  
• STATIC LOAD RATING : 341 lbs (155kg)
• IMPACT: 855 lbs (388 kg)
  
• CORNERING FREQUENCY: 38.1 Hz
  
• TORSION: 529 Nm
  
• BENDING: 514 Nm for 1,000,000 cycles
• BENDING STIFFNESS: 1483 Nm/degree
  
• ROTATIONAL INERTIA: 40,300 kg*mm cubed
• MATERIALS: Wheel - Pre-preg Carbon Fiber; Hubs - 6082 T6 Aluminum
  
• STYLE : Split five-spoke configuration
• VALVE STEMS : BST Ultra-High-Speed (UHS) 90-degree, aluminum stems and caps
• APPROVALS : DOT E and JWL for street and track use
• WARRANTY : 2 Years

Performance

Weighing between 40 and 60 percent less than OEM wheels, BST wheels bestow sportbikes with sharper corner-carving abilities, faster acceleration, and quicker braking by weighing less than their production-bike counterparts. Lighter wheels are also easier for suspension systems to control over bumps and irregular surfaces, yielding more traction and unimpeded acceleration. Less rotating mass also equals less rider fatigue.

A lighter rear wheel is easier for the shock to control properly, which leads to superior power application and much higher trap speeds in competition and track days.

Design

Using high-tech processes pioneered in the aerospace industry, BST wheels are manufactured in a single molding operation. This technique produces a wheel that is far superior in strength and much lighter than any aluminum or magnesium wheel, and one that is light and strong enough for racing and street use.

BST wheels are a unique monococque (single unit) design with hollow spokes. The end result is wheels with unsprung weight reduced 40-60 percent compared to stock wheels. This delivers the lowest possible moment of inertia, a critical factor that affects all aspects of motorcycle performance.

Maximizing the molecular and structural properties of carbon fiber, BST has reduced spoke and rim weight without compromising their strength. Mass is therefore concentrated in the hub, reducing rotational inertia. This results in quicker acceleration and braking, allowing faster corner entry and exit speeds.

Manufacturing

BST designs the tooling, molds, wheel and hubs, then manufactures them in its state-of-the-art factory. Precision cutting machines, like those used in the aeronautical industry, ensure that the process is repeatable and meets the highest certification standards. BST uses only the finest “prepreg” carbon fiber, which is embedded in a top-secret resin matrix epoxy. Carbon-fiber layup is done in a dust-free and temperature-controlled “clean room.” The wheels are cured in a superheated steam oven, or autoclave, at 260 degrees and 85 psi. This produces the best material compaction and smoothest surface finish. Every step of this process is logged, the entire history of each wheel is stored and stamped with a unique serial number. To ensure the highest quality manufacturing processes and components, BST’s entire operation is managed under strict, new ISO 9002 standards.

Materials

BST works with it's suppliers to ensure we get the best and most advanced materials for our wheels. Since December 2011 BST has been using carbon from Umeco Structural Materials (USM) that is impregnated with the EF1808 resin system explained like this:

"The EF1808 resin formulation resulted from a dedicated research program undertaken by USM to develop a significantly toughened epoxy prepreg resin with improved flow and handling characteristics, but without the reduction in temperature resistance that so often results. The development of the epoxy prepreg resin and the way it interacts with the continuous reinforcement fibers necessitated investigation of the resin polymers at the molecular level where measurements are made in millionths of a millimeter. This detailed understanding of the resulting composite structures was the key to achieving significant improvements in the product’s performance."

The new system in its fully cured condition displays improvements
of more than 30% in both damage tolerance and fracture toughness
(as measured by Compression Strength After Impact and G1c Fracture Toughness respectively) whilst maintaining its temperature
resistance (Tg).

About BST

BST has been operating successfully for 15+ years, designing and manufacturing carbon fiber wheels and other structural parts for motorcycles. We are unique in our abilities, experience and capacity. BST broke new ground introducing carbon fiber wheels in 2002. Now riders everywhere acknowledge that BST wheels, which are extremely light and strong, drastically enhance the performance of their motorcycles and our quality is widely acknowledged and recognised. Our wheels are held as the highest standard in the market. They are also recognized for their beauty of design and carbon layup.

BST achieved a new high in being recognised by Ducati Motor Holdings (Italy) as their chosen partner to manufacture wheels for their limited edition Superleggera.

We have the skill, knowledge and experience in the management, design, engineering, machining and process management required to produce significant volumes of our product, each of which has its own unique serial number with full trace-ability of every component. BST is the only CF wheel manufacturer that has ISO 9001:2008 certification and that passes the highest test criteria

• Winner of numerous international awards
• Biggest aftermarket supplier
• Wheel sizes ranging from 12” to 23”
• 200+ fitments for 20 different manufacturers
• 6 different styles of wheels
• 25 000+ wheels in the market worldwide
• The world’s only OEM certified motorcycle carbon fiber wheels and supplier
• JWL and DOT E compliant
• ISO 9001:2008 certified since 2003 and audited by the German TÜV
• 4800 square meter (51 500 square feet) state of the art manufacturing facility
• 15+ Years of excellence, since 2002