Talon/Excel vs Tusk ( or DNA or )?

Johndeere506
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Johndeere506
Im old school I guess. Not that long ago the only real option was talon hubs and excel wheels. They were expensive but we used them and they were high quality I thought.

I just checked prices on a wheel set, and saw Tusk wheels are very cheap for a full set.

Catch me up here. Are these good? What has changed so much in the past 12-15 years?
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twotwosix
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twotwosix 3/16/2017 7:49am
3/16/2017 7:49am
Regardless of what you go with, call Dubya and let them fill you in. They can do high end Kite/DID combos and they can also do a budget setup and turn your stock hubs and lace them up to some Takasagos.
JBecker 72
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JBecker 72 3/16/2017 8:14am
3/16/2017 8:14am
I had Dubya rebuild my wheels. I broke them down, cleaned the hell out of the hubs myself, and they did new rims, spokes, and nipples for $475 plus return shipping.

boybuc
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boybuc 3/16/2017 8:16am
3/16/2017 8:16am
Faster USA are the Best
ehr400
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ehr400 3/16/2017 8:48am
3/16/2017 8:48am
Call KSR Wheels. They can help you also.

The Shop

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Langhammx 3/16/2017 9:05am
3/16/2017 9:05am Edited Date/Time 3/16/2017 9:07am
I see lots of people that are happy with TUSK wheels, but I'm not interested in buying wheels from China. You get what you pay for, IMO.
FasterUSA has high quality hubs at very good pricing and they also do Keracote for your stock hubs, if you're on a budget. Dubya can do the same, but they are a little more expensive.

FasterUSA = Made in the USA
http://www.fasterusa.com
mxb2
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mxb2 3/16/2017 9:11am
3/16/2017 9:11am
ehr400 wrote:
Call KSR Wheels. They can help you also.
X2 on ksr,, Keith is a great dude, offers the same stuff as dubya,. And cheaper
mjr119 3/16/2017 9:21am
3/16/2017 9:21am
If you don't need hubs, just lace up a fresh set of Excels with bulldog/buchanon spokes.Rocky Mountain has a good video tutorial on how to lace and true a wheel. Even if you don't have a truing stand, you can rig up something with your swing arm and rear axle. Doing it yourself will save about $200 in labor, plus shipping.
PTshox
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PTshox 3/16/2017 10:00am
3/16/2017 10:00am
I have a set of Tusk and DNA wheels. The DNA ones are a bit heavier with bigger gauge spokes. I'd buy both again.

I frankly don't get anyone one that complains about either of these two brands. They both have performed well for me at a good price point. And the stock hubs build up with strong spokes and rims sounds reasonable at the prices quoted above. I'm not a fan of the $1,000 wheel sets. I'm not racing supercross so they make zero sense to me for my needs.

My 2 cents
mpy
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mpy 3/16/2017 10:20am
3/16/2017 10:20am
ehr400 wrote:
Call KSR Wheels. They can help you also.
mxb2 wrote:
X2 on ksr,, Keith is a great dude, offers the same stuff as dubya,. And cheaper
KSR Wheels might also have some REX Wheels that are of great quality, but at a very good price.
mxb2
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mxb2 3/16/2017 11:00am
3/16/2017 11:00am
ehr400 wrote:
Call KSR Wheels. They can help you also.
mxb2 wrote:
X2 on ksr,, Keith is a great dude, offers the same stuff as dubya,. And cheaper
mpy wrote:
KSR Wheels might also have some REX Wheels that are of great quality, but at a very good price.
Correct.
Johndeere506
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Johndeere506 3/16/2017 11:32am
3/16/2017 11:32am
I can get a full set of Talons for 750 for my CRF250R. That includes fully assembled Talon hubs and rims, red hubs, black wheels. That's when I saw Tusk for cheaper. Id rather buy the Talons just didn't know if 750 was a great deal or not. Seemed like it.
nascarnate326
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nascarnate326 3/16/2017 4:55pm
3/16/2017 4:55pm
Johndeere506 wrote:
Im old school I guess. Not that long ago the only real option was talon hubs and excel wheels. They were expensive but we used them...
Im old school I guess. Not that long ago the only real option was talon hubs and excel wheels. They were expensive but we used them and they were high quality I thought.

I just checked prices on a wheel set, and saw Tusk wheels are very cheap for a full set.

Catch me up here. Are these good? What has changed so much in the past 12-15 years?
Ill answer you actual question. Yes Tusk wheels are decent. I have them, they will be fine. Many people have them.

What changed? Taiwan and China got good CNC operators and good CNC machines. Quality went up.
DL
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DL 3/16/2017 5:57pm
3/16/2017 5:57pm
boybuc wrote:
Faster USA are the Best
X2
Permeance_Flux 3/16/2017 6:38pm
3/16/2017 6:38pm Edited Date/Time 3/16/2017 6:39pm
2 rides deep on brand new Excel/Talon wheelset and I find my front wheel is bent. I believe it was due to casing an uphill triple. Mistakenly thought Dubya USA, the company I got the wheels from, would hook a brotha up on a new wheel & a few spokes. Less I forget that in the world of business, no one owes you. In hindsight, I cannot justify spending a premium on bling such as new wheels when they have little to do with performance and it costs upwards $1200 a set plus $300 when a rim fails.

crc245
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crc245 3/16/2017 8:19pm
3/16/2017 8:19pm
Another vote for USA Made FasterUSA components or even a DIY project with your OE hubs laced up to DID Dirtstars (best bang for your buck)...
NWmx756
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NWmx756 3/16/2017 8:48pm
3/16/2017 8:48pm
Warp 9? No one? I personally have been thinking about getting a set from them so I was curious to see if anyone said anything...
bvm111
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bvm111 3/16/2017 10:00pm
3/16/2017 10:00pm
Do yourself a favor and buy Faster USA... excellent to deal with, awesome customer service, hubs are built to fit your motorcycle so you can use stock spacers and they look bad ass!!!!

You sir are welcome!!!!
YamahaJT1
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YamahaJT1 3/17/2017 6:27am
3/17/2017 6:27am
I have a set of Tusk wheel on an 05' CR125. They were poorly trued outta the box, so I spent several hours truing them up and setting spokes to correct torque. Took a bit of spoke chasing as well during settling in, but now good. I think they are a good value, given I don't ride hard.

For the 07' build, next stop is Faster USA! For $400 over Tusk, it will be worth it to me knowing I will get trued wheels and supporting the U.S.A.

Pit Row

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coastlinecascot 3/17/2017 6:45am
3/17/2017 6:45am
I had both tusk and now kite stx setup. The tusk was fine just heavier. Im 6' 4" 265 and only mx. Never had a problem with the tusk. Prior i had kite / standard dirtstar. Bent the crap out of the fronts. Tusk held up fine. I just switched to the stx setup due to a good deal on rims.
Johndeere506
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Johndeere506 3/21/2017 5:26am
3/21/2017 5:26am
What about the talon evo combo? The hubs should be normal good talons, but what about the talon evo rims?
For 750 for these vs 550 for tusk I'd rather have the talons if the rims are decent. Hopefully someone has some experience w them.
JLO42
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JLO42 3/21/2017 10:39pm
3/21/2017 10:39pm
What you have to remember with Chinese brands is the metal quality. It depends on what you want to spend. Are talon/DiD wheels better; yes, but they will cost you a great deal more. That being said the other manufacturers tusk etc do a very good job for the price. I have heard horror stories of warp 9's eating bearings to the point of destroying the hubs. I have only heard this about warp 9. Someone said it earlier you get what you pay for. If you are a pro huckimg larocco's leap then maybe you need a kite or talon pro billet setup, otherwise I would think tusk would be a viable option.
Pirate421
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Pirate421 3/22/2017 2:20am
3/22/2017 2:20am
I have tusks and the box they came in said made in Taiwan. Just mounted up starcross tires and check spokes and were all tight out of the box and they look awesome. I bought them because a few friends have them and they have held up great after many hours. The hubs look great, spokes are nice and seem heavy duty and they were $495 with free shipping and I got $25 RM cash on my next purchase. Can't beat that for a weekend warrior IMO.
mxdude105
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mxdude105 3/22/2017 2:44am
3/22/2017 2:44am
Another vote for Tusk. I've had great luck with mine riding a mix of moto and woods. I don't see the point in spending extra for the higher end brands for a weekend warrior type like myself.
brocsdad
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brocsdad 3/22/2017 9:23pm
3/22/2017 9:23pm
No personal experience but some local Pro's were using Tusk with good results. Dubya has great wheels but if you are on a budget the Tusk wheels seem fine.
Langhammx 3/22/2017 9:48pm
3/22/2017 9:48pm
Johndeere506 wrote:
What about the talon evo combo? The hubs should be normal good talons, but what about the talon evo rims? For 750 for these vs 550...
What about the talon evo combo? The hubs should be normal good talons, but what about the talon evo rims?
For 750 for these vs 550 for tusk I'd rather have the talons if the rims are decent. Hopefully someone has some experience w them.
The hubs are different. The evo hubs are not billet... They built these "budget" wheels to compete against the cheaper options. To be honest, I have no experience with them, but they are cheaper for a reason. I'm sure the rims are soft, but I have not heard of anyone I know that owns them.

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