Inside the BlackStone Tek/BST factory where the world’s only race and road-legal carbon fiber wheels are made.
Johannesburg, South Africa, is a city built on gold, where the world’s largest deposits of that precious metal were discovered in 1878 in the mile-high Witwatersrand reef. But today, there’s another kind of precious substance produced there by BlackStone Tek/BST. Founders Gary Turner and Ms. Terry Annecke mine the black gold represented by their company’s exquisite carbon fiber wheels, whose lightweight yet strong design can be found in both racing and street applications. These are the only carbon wheels in the world that are homologated for street use on motorcycles, approved by Germany’s tough TV standards, which includes checking for durability and protection against degradation by road salt or ultraviolet exposure. Since the company began production in 2002, more than 10,000 BST carbon wheels have been built. Fitted with CNC-machined billet aluminum hubs via a patented process in its purpose-built 4900-square-meter factory by a 30-person workforce, BST’s products are sold all over the world, with a pair of carbon wheels fitted with standard bearings retailing for $3750 per front and rear, or $4000 per set with ceramic bearings. But the firm’s race-quality wheels are now also used by a steadily increasing number of discerning motorcycle racing teams.
Photo Gallery: Blackstone Tek/BST Factory - Sport Rider Magazine
Photo Gallery: Blackstone Tek/BST Factory - Sport Rider Magazine
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