DY M AG W H E E LS C E O C H R I S S H E L LY
P90
INTERVIEW
BY
RENNIE
SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
LARRY
CHEN
MASS
Subject of
One of the best–if not the best–performance
mods you can make to your bike is to fit
lighter wheels. We sat down with Dymag
CEO Chris Shelly to find out why.
I
've lost count the amount of times I've seen riders throw 10's of
thousands of dollars at their engines but touch nothing to do with
the chassis. After all, horsepower is always king in motorcycle
modification, until it isn't.
Most riders will then start looking at suspension, brakes, etc,
but few riders look at the round things that are the final parts in the
power equation. No, not the tires, but the wheels.
Modern sport bike cast aluminum wheels are very good. Far bet-
ter than what we had 20 years ago, but what if we looked at fitting
forged aluminum or, better yet, carbon-fiber wheels?
Those of us to have gone on a successful diet will know the ben-
efits of weight loss. Better agility, less fatigue, better looks. The same
is said for motorcycle wheels. Take weight off—in this case un-sprung
weight (the weight not supported by the motorcycle's suspension)—
and you have a bike that's lighter on its feet, turns quicker, stops faster
and, most importantly, accelerates harder.
One of the biggest names in the aftermarket wheel business is
British firm Dymag. They've been around since 1975, at a time when
having lighter wheels was an even bigger advantage than what they
are now, and have competed and won in everything from MotoGP
and the Isle of Man TT to Indycar and Formula One.
CEO Chris Shelly is a man obsessed with lightness and is in his
second term as Dymag's head after first running the company in
the mid-90s. He's seen the company go from on its knees during
