Rear Rim 16” x 1.85” T7 7116 CNC Black Talaria Sting

This Talaria rear rim is a complete built rear wheel rather than a bare hoop: a 16 x 1.85 rim in 7116 alloy heat treated to T7, laced with stainless steel spokes and brass nipples to a hub machined from 6061 T6 aluminium and anodised black, and tested before it leaves the builder. It exists because the rear wheel on an electric dirt bike takes a harder life than most owners realise. We start with the metallurgy, because on a rear wheel the materials are the product, then cover loads, sizing, fitment, installation and care.

Built from the metal up: 7116 T7 and 6061 T6

Two alloy designations appear in the name of this Talaria rear rim, and both were chosen for a reason. The rim is a 7000 series aluminium, 7116, in the T7 temper. The hub is 6061 in the T6 temper, machined from solid on a CNC mill and then anodised black. Understanding the difference explains why the wheel is built the way it is.

Why a 7000 series rim

The 7000 series alloys are zinc strengthened and sit at the top of the aluminium strength table, which is why premium motocross rims use them. A 7116 rim in T7 temper has been aged past peak hardness to trade a little tensile strength for better resistance to stress corrosion cracking, the failure mode that matters on a Talaria rear rim whose spoke holes are loaded thousands of times per mile and washed in salty British mud.

Why a 6061 T6 hub

A hub is a different problem: it is machined rather than extruded, it carries bearing seats that must hold their dimensions, and it has flanged features a brittle alloy would not tolerate. 6061 T6 machines cleanly, takes anodising evenly and is tough rather than merely hard. Machining from billet means the flanges are the same thickness all the way round and the bearing bores are concentric, which keeps a Talaria rear rim running true for years.

The black anodising

Anodising is a conversion of the surface rather than a coating, so it does not chip away from the hub the way paint or powder coat would around the disc bolts and the sprocket. The black hub on this Talaria rear rim is matched by a black rim.

What a Talaria rear wheel endures

A front wheel steers and brakes. A rear wheel drives, brakes, carries the rider’s weight over every landing and takes the chain pull, all through the same set of spokes. On an electric bike the drive side of that equation is harsher than on a petrol machine, and it is the reason a Talaria rear rim wears sooner than the front.

Instant torque, every time

A mid motor electric bike delivers its full torque from a standstill, without the clutch slip and the rising engine speed that soften the first moment of drive on a petrol bike. Each throttle opening loads the drive side spokes of a Talaria rear rim as a shock, and by the end of a day the spoke bed at the hub flange has done more work than the same wheel on a four stroke of similar power.

Regenerative braking loads it backwards

On a Sting with regenerative braking, the bike slows through the motor and the chain, which means the Talaria rear rim is braked through its spokes as well as through its disc. The spokes that were pulling under drive are pushed under regen, and that reversal loosens nipples on a wheel that is not built with enough tension. Stainless spokes and brass nipples, covered next, are the answer.

Landings and side loads

A Talaria rear rim lands first on most jumps and carries most of the rider’s weight through ruts. Side loads try to fold the rim towards the hub, and a strong alloy with a properly tensioned spoke set resists that far better than a soft rim laced loosely. Once a rim has taken a set, no amount of truing will bring it back.

Stainless spokes and brass nipples

Spoke and nipple material is where budget wheels save money and where good wheels earn theirs. This Talaria rear rim uses stainless steel spokes and brass nipples, the pairing used on high end competition wheels.

Stainless spokes

Plated steel spokes rust from the elbow outward as soon as the plating chips, and a rusted spoke fails without warning. Stainless spokes shrug off the mud, salt and jet wash that a UK winter throws at a Talaria rear rim, and they hold their tension because the metal does not corrode and thin at the bend, which is what stops a wheel that reverses its load under regen from working loose.

Brass nipples

Brass nipples do not seize onto stainless spokes, which is the whole point. Alloy nipples save a few grams and gall onto the thread after a season in the wet, so the first truing session ends in a snapped nipple. Brass turns freely years later, so the wheel can be re tensioned, re trued and re spoked for its whole life.

Tested before dispatch

Each Talaria rear rim is built, tensioned and trued, then checked for runout before it is boxed. Every laced wheel beds in, so a tension check after your first ride is still needed, but the wheel arrives round and evenly tensioned.

Talaria rear rim specification at a glance

Sixteen inch sizing and tyre choice

The Sting runs a 16 inch rear from the factory, paired with a 19 inch front, and this Talaria rear rim keeps that pairing. The 16 inch rear rim Talaria riders already own is the size their gearing, swingarm clearance and speed readout were designed around, so a like for like replacement changes nothing about how the bike rides.

Why 1.85 inches wide

The 1.85 inch internal width of this Talaria rear rim is matched to the 90/100 x 16 tyre the Sting is supplied with. The rear tyre is wider than the 70/100 front, and it needs the wider rim to hold its profile under drive. Fit a 90/100 on a narrower rim and the tyre balloons and squirms under power; fit it on a much wider rim and the profile flattens and the sidewall does more of the work than it should.

Rear tyre patterns

Because the rear delivers all the drive, the tread pattern matters more here than at the front. Intermediate patterns suit most UK riding for most of the year, soft terrain tyres with tall, widely spaced blocks are the choice for deep winter mud and sand, and hard terrain patterns last far longer on rocky ground. Whatever you choose, fit a heavy duty tube, because the rear runs lower pressures and takes bigger hits than the front.

Pressure and rim locks

A rim lock on a Talaria rear rim is not optional on an electric bike. Instant torque at low pressure spins the tyre on the rim, and the valve stem is the first casualty. Fit the rim lock opposite the valve, tighten it once the bead is seated and check tyre pressures cold before every ride.

Fitment, and what transfers from the old wheel

This Talaria rear rim is built for the Sting, and the MX3 is a direct fit. Because the Sting R MX4 runs a larger disc than the MX3, we ask MX4 owners to confirm the disc and sprocket fitment with us before ordering; a short message saves a return. If you are not certain which Sting you have, the Talaria specifications guide lists the identifying features of each model.

Transfers from your old wheel

• Rear sprocket and sprocket bolts, cleaned and fitted with fresh threadlock
• Rear brake disc and disc bolts
• Rear axle, adjuster blocks and spacers, inspected for wear and burrs
• Chain, provided it is within its wear limit

Buy new alongside it

• A 90/100 x 16 tyre in the pattern for your ground
• Heavy duty 16 inch tube and rim tape
• Rear rim lock

The matching 19 x 1.40 front rim assembly completes the pair in the factory sizes. Riders who would rather change diameter than replace like for like should look at the KKE 21/18 wheel set instead of this wheel.

Installation, chain alignment and torque

Swapping a Talaria rear rim on a Sting is an hour’s work with a paddock stand, a torque wrench and a chain alignment tool or a straight edge. The steps are familiar from any chain driven bike, with one addition: switch the bike off and remove the key before your hands go near the chain, because a motor with instant torque does not forgive a throttle nudge.

Removing the old wheel

Slacken the chain adjusters, withdraw the axle, and lift the chain off the sprocket as the wheel comes back. Note the order of spacers as they come off the axle and photograph the adjuster positions.

Building the new Talaria rear rim up

Fit the sprocket and disc to the new hub with fresh threadlock, torquing each bolt evenly in a star pattern to the figures in your Talaria owner’s manual. Fit the tyre, tube and rim lock, seat the bead and set your riding pressure. Grease the bearing seals lightly and check the wheel spins freely with no play at the axle.

Fitting and aligning

Offer the Talaria rear rim up with the chain on the sprocket, slide the axle through with the spacers in their original order and set the chain adjusters evenly. Check alignment with a straight edge along the sprocket and chain run rather than trusting the swingarm marks, set chain slack to the manual’s figure with the suspension unloaded, then torque the axle nut to specification.

After the first ride

Re check the axle torque, the sprocket and disc bolts, the chain slack and, most importantly, spoke tension. Tap round the spokes with a key and bring any dull sounding spoke up in quarter turns. New spokes bed into the flanges in the first hour.

Keeping a black wheel black

Anodising and a black rim finish are durable, but they are not immune to the chemistry of a dirt bike. A few habits keep this Talaria rear rim looking the way it did in the box.

Cleaning

Rinse mud off before it dries, use a neutral bike cleaner rather than a strong degreaser on the hub, and keep the jet wash lance away from the bearing seals. Acidic wheel cleaners sold for cars will dull anodising quickly. Wipe the drive side of the rim after lubing the chain so fling does not collect grit against the finish.

Storage

If the bike sits over winter, take the weight off the rear wheel and keep tyre pressure up, because a wheel left loaded on a flat tyre lets the rim lock work loose. Battery care over the same period is covered in our Talaria battery guide, and for used batteries the GOV.UK battery disposal guidance applies.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Talaria rear rim just the rim, or a complete wheel?

This Talaria rear rim is a complete built rear wheel: the 16 x 1.85 rim, the CNC hub, stainless spokes and brass nipples, laced, tensioned, trued and tested. The product name follows the trade convention of calling a built wheel a rim. Tyre, tube, rim lock, disc and sprocket are not included; the disc and sprocket transfer from your old wheel.

Does it fit the Sting R MX4?

The Talaria rear rim is built for the Sting and is a direct fit on the MX3. The Sting R MX4 runs a larger disc than the MX3, so we ask MX4 owners to confirm the disc and sprocket fitment with us before ordering. A short message with your model and year is enough for us to check.

What does T7 mean and is it better than T6?

T6 and T7 are heat treatment tempers. T6 is aged for peak strength, T7 is aged slightly past peak so the alloy gives up a little strength for markedly better resistance to stress corrosion cracking. For a rim whose spoke holes are loaded in wet conditions, T7 is the sensible choice. The hub, which needs machinability and toughness, is 6061 in T6.

Why brass nipples rather than alloy?

Alloy nipples save weight but gall onto stainless spokes after a season in the wet, so the first truing session snaps them. Brass does not seize, so the wheel can be re tensioned and re trued for its whole life. On a rear wheel that is loaded forward under drive and backward under regenerative braking, that serviceability matters more than a few grams.

Can I fit a wider rear tyre on the 16 inch rear rim Talaria supplies?

The 1.85 width is matched to the factory 90/100 x 16 tyre. A slightly larger size may fit the rim but can foul the swingarm or chain guard, so check clearance at full compression before riding. For a materially bigger rear tyre the correct route is a wider rim or an 18 inch conversion rather than forcing a tyre onto the standard rim.

Is the wheel covered by warranty?

Yes, the Talaria rear rim is covered by our UK warranty, full terms on the warranty page. Rim damage from rocks, kerbs and hard landings, and damage from riding with loose spokes or a flat tyre, are wear or misuse rather than defects. Checking spoke tension after the first ride and at every wash keeps the wheel within its design and keeps the warranty simple.

Next steps

Confirm your Sting model, order the Talaria rear rim for UK mainland delivery, timescales confirmed at checkout, and have a 90/100 x 16 tyre, heavy duty tube and rim lock ready for the day it arrives. If both wheels are due, add the 19 x 1.40 front rim assembly. Everything else for the rear end sits in our Talaria parts category, our Talaria maintenance guide covers the chain checks worth doing while the wheel is out, and competition rules come from the Auto Cycle Union.

Buying this from The Talaria UK

Our service promise as a UK Talaria specialist.

• Checked before it shipsEvery bike is unboxed, inspected, torqued, charged and test run in our workshop before the courier is booked. You get a machine that is ready to ride, not a crate and a leaflet.
• Packed to arrive intactBikes travel in their factory crate with the fragile parts protected, and we tell you exactly what to check before you sign for it.
• UK mainland deliveryShipped across the UK mainland, with options, costs and timescales confirmed at checkout and tracking sent on dispatch.
• Answers from people who ride theseAsk which model suits your weight, your ground or your licence and you get an answer from someone who has set these bikes up, not a script.
• Parts on the shelfWe stock the batteries, chargers, controllers, motors, forks and wheels for what we sell, so a repair or an upgrade is a stock check rather than a long wait.
• Covered after you buyEvery bike is covered by our UK warranty, with the period for this model shown on this page and in your order confirmation, and claims handled by the team that inspected it.

Questions before you order? Contact us, or read the delivery guide, the warranty terms and finance options.