Wheel Spokes

[YSS]

All my sidecars have stainless spokes . Sidecars raced in MX have huge sideforces when you drift them at speed over ruts . I never have a problem . But I have seen people collapsing wheels again and again....
it looks like collapsing wheels has nothing to do with the material , but more so how good you build the wheel. It is correct stainless can get bridle by bending , but then think closely , if a wheel moves and flexes that much to cause that , it was not built correct in the first place . 

[LWC82PE]

my point is that they are hard and dont have as much 'give' in them as plain steel ones. i think if they were that good then all the japanese bikes would of come out from the factory with them

[YSS]

YSS also manufactures spokes (manly for scooters OEM ) and I have a little insight . The cost of the raw material is 4 times higher than steel , the tools and maschinery to make them last only 1/3 of the time , so its pretty clear , Honda or Yamaha will not and can not pay that extra for little or no gain in the main market. Just to compare our OEM spokes cost 12 cents each  and stainless would cost about 50 cents  each.  72 x 32cents difference is $23.00 difference on a 1000$  110cc scooter . 99% of  customers will not pay extra for that .