Just noticed the front wheel on my XR650R has a significant dent and a small crack in the rim :shock: (must have happened on the power line run late last fall). Repair options would be... -buy a new rim and lace in myself using existing spokes and nipples which appear to be in good shape. I've never done this before but it looks tricky. -take/send the wheel out for repair. Don't know anywhere that does this work. -look for a new/used wheel. Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated. tx John
Picture of the dent would help. Lots of folks have used wood blocks to pound out dents after removing the rim. I'd be more concerned about the crack getting larger. I doubt it's worth welding the rim since they are reasonably inexpensive to replace. Do it yourself. Take some pictures for reference and make notes about the pattern (which way they cross etc). Lay the wheel on it's side. Tape the spoke junctions loosely and remove all the nipples. Lift the hub and spokes up out of the old rim. Lower the hub and spokes into the new rim, matching up the rim bosses correctly. Thread on the spoke nipples loosely. Stand the wheel vertical and go around tightening them until they seat lightly, with the same amount of thread engagement at each nipple. (If you snugged up the nipples with the wheel on it's side the rim might hang lower and be off center). Mount the rim on the axle and spin it to view the runout. Rig up a pointer and start adjusting! True it up for vertical runout and side to side runout. The only thing to be careful of is that the rim stays centered on the hub (side to side).
Since Spring is about three months away in Kincardine, you should follow Neil's lead and start the lacing. If you do one spoke per day, you'll be done about the time the ice moves out of the harbour. Bruce
I have had a rim welded with success. In fact the dealer talked me out of buying a new rim from him and made me get it welded. Most metal/welding shops are run by gear heads and will do this type of work for small quantities of beer.
I'd recommend replacing the rim, spokes and nipples. Lacing up a front wheel shouldn't give you too much trouble. If it does, just bring it in to your local bicycle shop and they will set you up. Lacing up a rear wheel on the other hand can be a bit tricky due to offsets and different spoke lengths.
I also have a crack in the front rim of my XR650R. I ended up buying a set, front and rear off of Ebay last fall. They look like brand new. There is another set on Advrider right now that looked pretty good. As for the old rim I may weld it or replace it with an aftermarket rim. If you do decide to replace the rim not all aftermarket rims will let you use the stock spokes. Brian
warp nine sells cheap wheels with hubs and rotors complete and ready to go- different colors too. I'm not sure of quality though. On my last ride all of my rear spokes were loose and they have no more threads. The local guy with his own shop said he can relace my wheel for about 100$ plus the spoke kit.
Thanks for the replies (especially for the tutorial, Neil). I've decided to have a go at lacing in a new rim and have ordered one. I've included a pic of the dent and the crack. Since the pics were taken, I went at it with a hammer and block of wood (nothing to lose) and got most of the dent out but made the crack worse :evil:
Lacing on a new rim is a fine way to go & will let you sleep at night. It appears it may have split on the original seam. If it was my rim, with a small crack like that, I probably would have fixed it with HTS-2000, cause I'm too cheap to buy a new one. You can probably do this and keep it as a spare, or sell it for a few bux and defray your replacement costs a bit....
John, I did a bit of research and apparently XR rims are prone to cracking. You've probably taken the best route by replacing it. Did you get stock rim or aftermarket?
The main idea is keeping the pattern intact while removing the hub and spokes as an assembly. You will need to "slide" them to one side to lift the first spokes out of the holes and then jockey it around to get all the spokes free. This saves time compared to individually lacing each spoke. If you have trouble, your photos should allow you to lace it individually. I even mark the spokes to show where the valve stem (and rimlock) locations are (between spokes). Just be sure the spoke angles match the rim hole angles. You should be able to get to about 1/32" runout in both directions. Note that the rims themselves are not perfect; there is usually a dip where the factory weld is polished smooth. Use a marker or bits of tape to keep track of the highs and lows as you work around. Don't go more than a quarter turn to half a turn on each spoke. Use a wrench that fits snug and don't rush.
I ordered a "Pro Wheel" aftermarket rim. It is supposed to be an OEM replacement, uses the stock spokes and is reasonably priced. I'll take some more pics and measurments to make sure I get the spoke pattern right and that I get the offset the same if there is any. Will also give the spokes/nipples connections a good bath in penetrating oil before starting even though they look pretty good on the outside. Fortunately the XR is a "spare" bike so there's no need to rush it. Bruce's earlier comment regarding job progress will probably be pretty accurate. :lol:
Re: bent rim update New rim installed and trued successfully. I took it for a quick test ride today and it felt great. Thanks again to those who offered advice. Surprise Bruce...I beat the ice out of the harbour! :lol:
