supertt rim sizing

[sfmcx1]

I posted this to the KLX650 group, its been a week and I haven't gotten a response yet. I realize that there are a lot differences between the KLR, KLX, and other big bore Dual Sports, but if anyone can help me out it would be much appreciated. Hey Group. My name is Eric, I've owned my KLX650 since about the end of September of last year, and I've gotten a couple of good enduro rides out of it. Its a 95 C. California Model, and I beat the crap out of it regularly, and I want to put the bike through a full conversion for motard use. I have a spare set of hubs ready to be sent out for conversion, but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger. I've gotten a quote from Buchanan's and figured in the cost for rubber, and its right there at about a grand. I want to try and save money and go with cast wheels (there everywhere on ebay). The archives are pretty limited on info about what street-bike rims will mount to the KLX other than the RGV. Although the RGV rims seem to be the popular mod, there not very common in the States, and ideally I would like to pick up wheels that wouldn't require much modifying. I've gone back and forth between the archives and tire manufacture web-sites and I have seen there recommendations for tire to rim fittings. One of my biggest questions has to be, what is the advantage of the 4.25 rear rim? Is there a legitimate reason that the KLX owners utilized that rim size, or was that size chosen because that's what everyone else has? Dunlop's fitment guide states a 150/70 tire will go on a 4.00 or a 4.50 17' rear rim. There was also plenty of listings that a 160/60 will fit up to a 4.50 17' rim. I have read and understand that everyone that had fitted a 160/60 profile rear tire on their 4.25 rim has encountered chain and tire rubbing issues leading to shaving or cutting the tire. I also read that a few with the smaller 150 profile tires have ran into rubbing issues. For those that didn't run into trouble, what did you use in your conversions? Not that fitting a 4.50 17' rim in the rear would cure any clearance issues... Is it possible? Or would there be rubbing from the chain against the rim before a tire ever got mounted? Most of the cast rims out there that could fit the largest rear tire (that a KLX would hold) are 4.50'. There's not exactly an abundance of 4.00's or 4.25's, and after getting my quote from Buchanan's, they stated that the rim sizes I'm after are either low in stock or nil. Truthfully they stated that the popular 3.50 front rim size is out, and wont be available again until September? By the way, has anyone chosen a 4.00 rear rim for a SuperMoto conversion and had any success? Lastly, is there any significant advantage of having the 3.50 front rim for SuperMoto? I read that a few KLX owners went with smaller front rims thus having smaller front tire profiles. I was told that I could utilize my resources and save cash by transplanting the rear 17' rim to the front hub for the conversion. Is this realy possible, and has anyone tried this? Eric SF, CA 95 KLX650C-fun 98 VTR1000-more fun 75 GL1000(naked)-too much fun