Motorcycle Techie: Outdated Rims or Wheel Building

By Darnell Austria


Everybody knows anything goes when custom building motorbikes and mixing up used parts with new is currently normal. But how about voyaging into unknown areas and using varied components which may have never been fused in the past? Sure, many times you'll can bust out the grinding machine and torch making both parts work, however, when it comes to wheels it's going to take a stack of info, extra precaution, and some luck.

On our motorbike build task we yearned-for some fine rims that were unique and seemed vintage, but had sound pieces and would not knock down and kill us at speed.

We looked for guidance and gave our friends Gary and Dave at Wheel Works a phone call. Acquiring decades of experience in customizing wicked motorcycle ideas and tailor made motorcycle rims skillfully since the 70's, these guys have just about done and seen almost everything pertaining to Harley wheels. When we outlined what we wanted, Gary and Dave gave us some great recommendations when hunting for old and outdated rims.

These people listed us some quick advice a lot of people know already like don't use twisted or rusty rims, or ever re-use spokes are a give in. But then these people put some real understanding for us like searching for un-drilled rims. It's because every motorbike has different width hubs and several pre-drilled vintage MX wheels won't securely work with a lot of chopper hub offsets and widths simply because the spokes are forced in the wheel as severe angles. This will cause binding, which ends up in cracked hub flanges and rims.

Talking about hubs, if you discover some old parts, make sure you can still grab the appropriate bearings and inner spacers in them or they're every bit as good as a paperweight. When setting up wheels for your projects we usually opt for the best pair of stock hubs regardless of the year and model because substitute parts are readily available. We like using the re-pop V-Twin Mfg. hubs due to their old style and up-to-date bearings. Out front if the spool hub will likely to be put into use, we generally always pick a new aluminum or steel unit. The truth is these parts were under significant stress for several years and not made from the best metals in the first place.

As far as spokes go, most rims needs to be rebuilt utilizing new spokes, since even still intact used spokes are stressed from many years of being drawn in one direction and will usually break when being tightened again through the tuning process. Additionally, would be to go for rubbed stainless spokes. They look just as good as chrome, but don't have the plating crack off and rust after some time due to the tension they are suffering.

More on spoke tension; our friends at Wheel Work told us this might be the only biggest part of a wheel project other than getting round. The right tightened feeling will guarantee that your rim is true in two ways: Laterally (sideways) and radial (roundness). The correct spoke tightened feeling is really important with motorbike rims, because of the torque given to the rim through the brakes or engine. Loose spokes over a rim fatigue rapidly and bust, commonly where they connect to the hub. And we don't want that.

Right after the rims are finished and perfectly aligned, many advise covering a whole new tire around the rebuilt wheels. Old tires are typically burnt on the inside and pretty much when mounted to a completely new wheel and fixed with 40 psi plus, they're a ticking time bomb with a blowout being frequently eminent. Additionally, the rubber compound applied 40-50 years ago has dried out and will deliver slight to no grip at all on the road, dry or wet. Don't worry; you will not have to throw on some tires that look like they came off a super bike. There are an increasing variety of re-popped old style tires for your bike. They've got all the looks of a old classic tire, but have advancements in casing materials and perform much better on our existing road surfaces.




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