Bent front rim - no one willing to fix it in my area.

[Ghostknight]

Hello, I have a slightly bent front rim and no mechanic or dealer is willing to touch it in my area. I am willing to buy a new rim and spokes but no one is willing to relace it.

I have less than ZERO mechanic knowledge and I don't have the space to work on it myself.

Does anyone know a mechanic close to Montreal - Canada who can fix my rim and/or relace my new rim when I buy it? I tried woodyswheelworks but it's gonna cost me a fortune to get my rim shipped there and back.

Thanks everyone.

 

[PachmanP]

How bent are you? Like just not holding air or unround? When I bent mine I was on a trip, I slapped a tube in it and rode for another year... before shipping off to Woodies...

 

[Ghostknight]

How bent are you? Like just not holding air or unround? When I bent mine I was on a trip, I slapped a tube in it and rode for another year... before shipping off to Woodies...

I only notice it while driving and letting go of the handlebar. It oscillates from side to side. The bike is also bouncy.

 

[Paul466]

Call Woody’s wheels in Denver, they might be able to fix it

 

[Sierra1]

Call Woody’s wheels in Denver, they might be able to fix it

He said shipping was on the prohibitive side.

 

[Cycledude]

Hopefully you will be able to find someone local that’s good with spoked wheels, I know for a fact that Yukon Yamaha is very good at it. Yukon Yamaha is a all around excellent dealer located in Whitehorse.

 

[TenereJourneyMan]

I only notice it while driving and letting go of the handlebar. It oscillates from side to side. The bike is also bouncy.

? Could it be that you have a knobby tire with some “cupping” or uneven wear?

 

[Sierra1]

Does it happen at about 28mph?

 

[Sierra1]

I only notice it while driving and letting go of the handlebar. It oscillates from side to side. The bike is also bouncy.

I didn't even think of a worn tire until TenereJourneyMan asked about cupping. How many miles are on the front tire? And have you checked the air pressure this week? (mine loses about a lb per week)

 

[gv550]

+1 on replace the tire before spending money on the wheel. I crashed earlier this year and the front wheel developed a shake and bounce, new tire now and smooth as glass!

 

[Tenman]

OP said his rim is bent. if you’re rim is bent. A new tire isn’t gonna fix it

 

[whisperquiet]

I would check with a Harley dealer or custom bike shop to see who laces up their custom wheels.

 

[AntrimMan]

I would check with a Harley dealer or custom bike shop to see who laces up their custom wheels.

Custom bike shops as stated above, failing that start looking for classic bike clubs in your area, Norton Owners Club Triumph Brit bikes Honda etc, they do exist and talk is cheap.
Harley dealers in my area won't touch it unless it is a Harley so expect that sort of response from that group but it won't hurt to ask.
The parts and accessories counter help at the local Japanese multi-dealer can be of some help with recommendations if you ask in person. If they don't do it themselves they send them somewhere.
The allowable axial/radial runout according to the workshop manual is 0.080" or 2,0mm. Quite a lot actually. Be sure it is a rim problem and not a tire issue like the tire bead seating unevenly or worn tread.
You are wise to avoid diy and to seek help if your skills are lacking as you say.
All the best.
10132023 edit to correct runout from the only ridiculous value of .060' or 1,5mm to the ludicrous value of 0.080" or 2,0mm. Of all the things I've ever lost I miss my mind the most.

 

[Sierra1]

OP said his rim is bent. if you’re rim is bent. A new tire isn’t gonna fix it

You're absolutely correct, but he also said he was no mechanic. He did say his rim was bent but gave symptoms that might be a worn tire. We don't know for certain which one it is.

 

[Cycledude]

Lots of good advice in this thread you started Gohstknight
If you could post few pictures that might help.
Lots of dealers won’t work on spokes for good reason they simply don’t have anyone with the proper skills and without the proper skill they could very likely cause the problem to get worse and more expensive to repair.
i have a friend that used to work at a motorcycle-ATV-snowmobile-boat dealership . He eventually started his own business at home, he is constantly swamped with work. When he has a spoked wheel issue he gives the wheel to one of his friends that works at a different local dealership and loves working on spoked wheels at home, he is very good at it.

 

[RCinNC]

A wheel is going to have to be pretty far out of plane to cause oscillation. I had a rear wheel trued on my S10 a couple years ago the was slightly out of plane, and the only reason I noticed it was I could see it when I was balancing the wheel after a tire change. There was no perceptible feel to it while I was riding.

I did, however, go through two brand new Shinko front tires recently that caused the exact problem you're describing.

When you say the wheel is "bent", how do you mean? Is there visible damage to the wheel, or does it just wobble from side to side while it's spinning? If it's damaged, did you cause the damage, or was the damage there when you got the bike? If there is damage, and you caused it, what event occurred to cause the damage? How did you come to notice the problem in the first place? A wheel can be out of true and still function normally. I'm not sure of the exact amount, but it's something like 2mm runout is acceptable for an S10 wheel.

Tire cupping, uneven tire wear, a broken belt in the carcass, loose headset....all these things can cause handlebar oscillation, and tire damage can cause the bouncing you're experiencing. You may have a slightly out of true wheel, but something else could be the source of the problem you're experiencing. Before you dump a ton of money into a new wheel, or shipping a wheel somewhere to be trued, I would want to eliminate the tire as the source of the problem.

 

[lund]

Too little information here.
First, is this bike new to you?
How do you know the rim is bent, did a technician check it and said so?
The symptoms your describing may not necessarily be related to a bent rim unless you physically can see the bend.
Poor tire condition or cheap tires will cause similar symptoms as described.
To bend a rim requires a significant impact, you would know.
If this was in my shop with your complaint I would have my tech. pull the wheel and remove the tire. Then run a dial indicator for rim trueness before anything. It may just need a spoke tightening or wheel balance. Maybe a new tire.
Worst and last case the rim maybe bent but doubt it unless it was impacted.
There also may be another reason for the problem.

 

[Sierra1]

 

[lund]

View attachment 106117

No kinding, another magical disappearing act..

 

[Drif10]

I've corresponded with the OP frequently. He's been chasing this for a while, but as he stated, he's not a mechanic.

When he's doing about 30-35 mph, the front starts to shake. If he takes his hands off the bars it really starts to wobble. His shop says the steering head bearings are good (I wondered about a notched seat).

I've not seen the bike, kinda hard to diagnose by remote.