Motorcycle Wheel Rebuilding

8/12/2019 Motorcycle Wheel Rebuilding

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Re-Building Spoked Wheels

New Wheels Just Like Magic

Re-Building a Spoke Wheel with Confidence By Texas Joe

Rebuilding spoke wheels is one of the rights of

passage in the custovation of an old bike! That

convoluted three-di"ensional pu##le with an

alloy hub at the center of a spider web of steel$

wrapped in a rubber donut$ is not as inti"idating

as so"e think!

% ad"it$ "y first ti"e was full of anxiety! Taking

the wheel apart was a no-brainer but putting it

back together caused "e to wonder if %&d taken

on a pro'ect too big for "y abilities!

(ow do you keep all the details straight) (ow

does the hub get centered in two planes) What is

run-out) What if wheel wobbles and breaks apart at speed)

Certainly a lot to think about and acco"plish when building a wheel! (owever$ the 'ob is not

i"possible and you don&t have to be *lbert +instein or an idiot savant! *ll you need is a bit of ti"e$ a

ca"era$ a spoke wrench and a ruler! ,acing a wheel is like a good "agic trick! enuine "otorcycle

slight-of-hand -- you know how to do it and everyone else is "ystified! .ow that&s worth the effort and

you&ll talk about it for years!

%n this exa"ple$ the wheel du 'our is off a /012 3elorex sidecar! %t4s part of a custovation pro'ect

involving a /015 B6W R78$ the driving force for the sidecar rig! The point is that spoke wheels are

very si"ilar to each other9 so"e have :7 spokes$ so"e 52 and all have a hole in the hub! The axle and

bearings live inside the hub to allow the wheel to spin with ease!

% learned a while back that replacing the plain steel and plated spokes with stainless spokes and nipples

is the way to go! While cost is a bit higher$ labor is the sa"e and the conversion will last a lifeti"e!

Starting

*fter the Schrader valve is re"oved fro" the tube$ break the tire bead fro" the ri"! * "allet "ay be

needed help the separation$ especially if there&s rust showing ;+ditor4s .ote< See our =el Cheapo Bead

Breaker= article>!

6ix up a s"all a"ount of water and li?uid dishwashing soap and s"ear it in and around the beads$ both

sides! Continue to re"ove the tire and tube! Re"oval should be easy$ however$ one ti"e % had a wheel

pro'ect with a tire that was so dry and inflexible9 % had to cut it off with a hacksaw!


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Measuring and Photos

The next steps are the "ost i"portant! Be sure to take photographs of the spoke layout on both sides of

the wheel and "easure the offset!

Spoke layout is obvious upon close inspection!

@n a :7 spoke wheel there are 0 groups of

four$ while a 52 spoke wheel has /2 groups of

four! .ote that each nipple sits in a do"e that

alternates in align"ent around the inside of the

ri"!

+ach do"e has a hole and its place"ent aligns

with a hole in the hub! The spoke connects the

hub hole to the wheel hole$ so each spoke in

the wheel has a corresponding "ate in the hub!

The good news is that the pattern is repeated$

so all you need to do is get the first one started

in the correct location and the re"aining :8$ in this case$ can only be installed one way! et the starting

point wrong and you&ll be disappointed!

This wheel has all :7 spokes the sa"e length and end bend! So"e wheels have different length spokes

for the brake-side co"pared to the opposite side9 no worry$ 'ust keep the" "arked$ separated and

photographed!

.ot all hubs are centered on the wheel! Aepending on the type of hub$ the hub "ay extend a little or alot beyond the edge of the wheel! To "easure offset$ use a stiff piece of "etal ;yardstick here> to span

the brake-side center radial!


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se a s"all "achinist scale to "easure the offset the brake-side of the hub! Check the "easure"ent in

four ?uadrants and record the average "easure"ent! 6easure the offset on the opposite side too!

.ow the hub can be re"oved fro" the wheel! So"eti"es it&s easy and the nipples unscrew without a

proble"$ but occasionally they are rusted on and cutting is the only solution! Be sure to get at least oneunda"aged spoke fro" the four positions$ keeping track of their original location! Brake-side inner and

outer and opposite side inner and outer!

%f your wheel is not a popular "ake$ like a

.orton or old Triu"ph$ you&ll need to work

with a spoke "aker and they will "ake a set

for you!

Sounds like a big deal but it isn4t9 you can

either "ail so"e spoke sa"ples to the

"anufacturer or copy and fax the shape tothe"! The "ain di"ension points are

dia"eter$ length and bend! Cost is usually no

different than a stock ite" and turn around

ti"e is a few days!

Getting Ready

With the hub re"oved$ clean and polish the wheel and hub and replace the bearings! Since bearings are

cheap and the old ones are 2 plus years old$ % usually replace the" with sealed units! The cost

difference is pennies but they should last :2 years!

Dolishing the stainless spokes and nipples pays off in bling and long-ter" good looks$ while also

helping to retard the onset of tarnish! Just be careful$ always wear eye protectionon the buffing wheel

and don&t let a spoke slip out of your hands! % did that one bal"y evening and it took two people an

hour on their hands and knees scouring the grass on the side of the house before the spoke showed upE


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With polished spokes and photo$ align the fresh hub with the wheel! Start with the inner spoke hooked

into the hub and aligned with its wheel hole-"ate! Count four holes and lace another one until all inners

are "ounted!

,ube each spoke thread with the oil supplied -- this is very i"portant to prevent galling and ensure that

you&ll get proper tension when tightening! Start each nipple with only or : threads! Day attention to

this because gradual and even tightening will speed the overall align"ent process!

*fter the inners$ "ount the sa"e-side outers! By this ti"e the lace pattern is obvious! Then flip the

wheel$ "ount the inners$ then outers$ lubing and "aintaining that to : thread start!

.ow is the ti"e for a stogie and a beer! While puffing and sipping$ "ark your starting spoke and workyour way around all the spokes$ tightening each the sa"e a"ount with a wide-blade short handle

screwdriver9 say about turns each!

This "ethod takes a bit longer but draws the spokes evenly$ keeping the hub on center! *bout half-way

to the "id-thread point$ "easure the offset like before to see how close you are to the proper

di"ension! Fou "ay have to push on the wheel ri" to help seat the spokes!

Geroing in on the final offset can be acco"plished a couple of ways! Hirst "ethod is to cut wood

spacers the thickness of the opposite-side offset and position the" under the wheel! That way the wheel

is suspended the proper distance and the brake-side offset can easily be checked! This works

particularly well for large offset hubs!

The second "ethod is no spacers9 'ust proceed unifor"ly around the wheel fre?uently checking the


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brake side offset!

The wheel will snug up and you&ll see that either "ost or all of the spoke thread is covered by the

nipple! The spokes should feel tight! Truing is next!

ruing

Fou&ll need so"e for" of a truing stand to hold thewheel$ although the bike can be used instead by placing

the front wheel in-between the forks or rear wheel in

the swing-ar"!

@r you can "ake a ho"e"ade stand out of wood or

"etal! Hor this pro'ect$ the sidecar axle is fixed to a

large bracket that "ounts to the sidecar fra"e! .ot

having the luxury of a separate shaft axle$ % "ounted

the bracket I axle on the bench!

se a spoke wrench to tighten the spokes$ anything else

will ruin the nipples and achieving proper tension will be

a proble"!

Set up two guides$ one to indicate vertical run-out and

the other hori#ontal run-out! % use copper wire held by aconvenient cla"p!

Hor this kind of wheel$ no"inal accuracy is fine$ no"inal being /I/7 of an inch each for run-out

deviation! Slowly spin the wheel a few ti"es looking at the vertical high-spot and hori#ontal high-spot

and "ark the high vertical spot with tape

eep in "ind the truing process is a co"bination of ad'ust"ents that are opposite to the desired

outco"e! Ao vertical align"ent first$ hori#ontal will then be a snap!

!ertical "lign#ent

To "ove the ri" fro" botto" to top$ tighten spokes on top and loosen those on the opposite side! 6ake

s"all ad'ust"ents at a ti"e using the spoke wrench!


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eep rotating the wheel slowly$ watching the pointer and the change to the tape reference point! Rotate

the wheel looking for a new high spot! *d'ust as you go until the wheel spins true in the vertical plane

to no "ore than /I/7 inch variation!

$ori%ontal "lign#ent

,ook at the diagra" to see how to re"ove the hori#ontal wobble! Hind the hori#ontal high-spot and

"ark with tape! Watching the pointer and ri"$ ad'ust the spokes looking for a new high spot and less

than /I/7 wobble!

Spoke ightening

Recheck the offset and if necessary "ake ad'ust"ents using the hori#ontal techni?ue but this ti"e$

evenly all around the wheel!

With the offset correct go back the truing stand! 6ark a starting spot with tape$ slowly rotate the wheel

and tap the spokes with a long round-shaft screwdriver!

The ob'ect is to get the spokes tight with all having the sa"e approxi"ate tension! (ow tight is

enough) @ne expert convinced "e to listen to the pitch of an e"pty wine glass when tapped with a

fork! * tight spoke will "ake a ping sound!

* loose spoke will sound dead with no

noticeable ping! * tighter spoke has a higherping-note$ so tighten the spokes to sound

si"ilar! Tap and listen as you go around the

wheel and ad'ust as needed! Recheck vertical

and hori#ontal align"ent and offset one last

ti"e! Aon&t forget to cover the spoke nipple

tops with a rubber band or tape!

Satis&action

So now you have your rebuilt wheels cleaned$

polished and glea"ing with stainless spokesE

Motorcycle Wheel Rebuilding

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