Wheel rebuilding

[Neil G]

Thoughts/views/comments please guys.

My '87 Transalp is going to need a respoke in the not too distant future so I reckon stainless spokes are the way to go for long life. I'm also going to need the hubs cleaning up and powder coating. It'll probably need the rear drum skimming as well.

It seems the biggest cost is if new rims are needed and apparently Transalp rims can corrode and leave the spokes in the wind. Central Wheel Components want something like £80 front and £90-odd rear just for rims - stainless are dearer. Should I stay with alloy - if so is there a cheaper way or do I save up and go for stainless.

My rims look OK at the moment but I'm told the trouble starts on the inside - just waiting to be found when changing a tyre!

I'm in the process of buying a spare pair of wheels and weighing up all the options as I don't really want the bike off the road for too long as I took a 1978 Honda CB550 Four off the road for fork seals in 1989, did the seals and sold the bike still in bits last year!

What do you all reckon to all this. I'm happy to be advised by you all as you've all owned Transalps longer than I have.

Thanks.

[fw600vj]

Hi Neil The rims do indeed corrode from the inside out. I had a 1991 Transalp the colour first dissapeared off the front rim. The rear wheel kept its colour for some reason.If you look at the valve hole on the rim " this is where my rim corroded " You will most likely see the rim turning into something like a brillo pad . If you can see it from the outside it will be well on the way " Be sure to check it when changing your tyres. The rear hub can be skimmed but it will soon oval again . The price of a new rear hub will shock you unless you are loaded. I got both the wheels rebuilt with chrome rims and stainless steel spokes about five years ago and when i sold the Transalp around two months ago the wheels were still like brand new , So a good investment i would say. I hope this helps .fw600vj

[Neil G]

Hi FW.

I guess that about answers my question about what to do about my wheels. I was just concerned that stainless rims "wouldn't look right" but if it's been done already then I may as well bite the bullet and fork out for it. I've already got a front wheel coming from a breaker who wanted £45 for it including delivery.

He rang me on Monday to tell me that he'd spotted some small corrosion on the rim so we agreed £20 + £8 postage as the hub and disc were OK. The plan is to obtain a rear wheel (or good hub) and get them built up as you suggest so I can swop them straight over.

I was going to entrust the work to central Wheel components in the Midlands as they can tidy up the hubs and powder-coat them at the same time unless anyone has a better idea.

Thanks for the advice!!

[Lord Stig]

I'd certainly rebuild or try to source a good used wheel, but I wouldn't go for a stainless rim because it'll increase the unsprung weight. Decent rims (e.g., Akront) should avoid the corrosion problem, but even the standard items should last - my last TA was still very good even after 12 years. D.I.D are supposed to be good, but I suspect the grade Honda used may not be the very best! The gold ones used on the pre-twin disk TA seem to be the most prone to the problem. Mixing metals is always a recipe for disaster - stainless spokes are likely to accelerate the problem (galvanised tensile steel corrodes eventually, putting the alloy of the rim under less pressure as the sacrificial anode).

Well, that's my ten penneth - hope it's of use!

Stig

[harrisphil]

Hi all just returned to ta ownership (y reg 650)
but Just to say wheel building is not difficult
it is just 36 long bolts that need tightening to get the wheel round and straight with the spindle in the center.
Go to your local tip and scrounge an old pushbike wheel out of the skip
practice on that. Then a motorbike wheel is a lot easier
I expect you all regularly check the spoke tension before each ride anyway.

[ritosxf]

to true a wheel you have to LOOSEN and not just tighten spokes , lol

never just strip a wheel

a wheel can have up to 4 different lengths of spoke

take one of each and label them up

new stainless spokes are usually 55 quid per wheel

a set of spokes is ONE WHEELS WORTH

non standard spokes , ie not off the shelf usually take 7 working days to be made

find a good local powdercoater

find a good local anodiser

you need to measure offsets aswell before stripping it , rim edge to brake plate is easiest to measure , can be either a plus or minus dimension

make sure you have the right sized spoke spanner !!!

a can of worth " rost off ice " is usually very handy too

for more info

www.sfxwheels.moonfruit.com

sfxwheels@yahoo.co.uk

happy nipple twiddling ,,,,,,,,

[Davy P]

Hi Neil,

The rear wheel on my 2001 TA was in a pitiful state when I bought it. It is an Ex-Police bike and the rim was coroded all over.

I bought another used rim off E-Bay and sent it to CWC. They put on a chrome rim, sandblasted, powder coated and re-sprayed the hub. Stainless steel spokes with nickel nipples were used to rebuild the wheel. It cost £220 including P+P, but was a fantastic job.

However, after around 6 months two tiny pin pricks of pitting appeared. I have a touring Scottoiler fitted and that usually flicks a thin coat of chain oil over the rim, so I wouldn't like to think what would of happened without this oil coating. So for that reason, if I was to do it again, I'd go for the stainless rim.

Not that I have to worry about it any more though, I pick up a red, white and blue Varadero on Friday! Can't wait!

Davy P