Truing a wheel

[RCinNC]

Today I was out changing the back tire on the S10. As I'm setting the bead on the new tire I look down on the ground and see what turns out to be a spoke nipple! That baby fell off right there where I was working, so today my nickname is "Lucky". Fortunately I have my spokes all zip tied at the crossovers, so even if I'd lost the nipple, the spoke would have stayed put. Anyway, that got my attention to check the other spokes, and as per the service manual, I torqued each nipple to 4.3 ft/lbs (well 51.6 inch/lbs, that's how my small torque wrench is calibrated). While I was balancing the wheel, just on a whim, i did a down and dirty check on the runout of the wheel, and it's just a little bit off. A gradual uneven loosening of the spokes could have caused that, and I know from truing bicycle wheels that just evenly tightening all the spokes doesn't cure an out of true wheel.

Has anyone here ever taken their wheel to a Yamaha dealer to have it trued? If so, what type of price did they charge for it? If this was a bicycle wheel I'd do it myself, since I have the right tools and workstand for that, but it's out of my comfort zone for a 700 pound bike and a 1200 CC engine putting a lot of forces on that wheel.

 

[Cycledude]

Bought a used rear Tenere wheel a few years ago and took it to a guy that is pretty well known for working on spoked motorcycle wheels, he charged me $50.
Glad I bought the spare wheel when I did, they seem to sell for a lot more these days.

 

[ballisticexchris]

It's pretty simple to do yourself. Just make sure you loosen the spokes on the side it pulls to. If you have a Parks truing stand it's really easy. You don't have to get it perfect. If you want it done perfect then it's best to have a shop that specializes in motorcycle wheels do the job.

 

[RCinNC]

Yeah, I've done it before, Chris, but only with bicycle wheels. I have a Spin Doctor truing stand for a bicycle, but it is in no way up to the task of truing a wheel that heavy. The axle for a motorcycle wheel wouldn't even fit in the yoke.

Mine's not way off...maybe 3/32", but it's enough to bug me. There most definitely isn't a shop anywhere near me that specializes in motorcycle wheels; my entire county doesn't even have a shop that works on Japanese iron. Nearest Yamaha shop is about 30 miles away; not a big deal as far as travel goes, but they haven't been a Yamaha shop all that long, so I don't know if this is something they're set up to do. I imagine they are, as the S10 isn't the only bike out there with spoked wheels.

 

[RonH]

I try to do all my own work normally, but wheel truing is a real skill I don't have. $50 mentioned earlier seems more than fair. Back in 1976 a buddys wheel on an old Yamaha DT100, all the spokes were loose about 6 turns each and I remember we tightened the spokes and the wheel was a good 1/4" off both in wobble and runout and we fought that all day. Finally the local Yamaha dealer charged $12.00. One of my only positive dealer encounters ever.

 

[RCinNC]

I hate it too, RonH. I've had more than one frustrating round trying to true a bicycle wheel. If I found someone competent who could do it for $50.00, I'd break the sound barrier getting my wallet open.

 

[dell835]

Wheel truing is something that you need to do regularly to be any good at it. A bit of an art.

 

[RCinNC]

I'm surprised that no one else has had to address this problem, but that's probably a good thing. I found a shop about an hour away that'll do it for a hundred bucks, which is still cheaper than the tools I'd have had to buy.

I looked this up in the service manual, and they recommend that if the runout exceeds 2mm, to replace the wheel! How much is a new rear wheel, about $1200? I think I'll take my chances with having it tried first....

 

[offcamber]

I just paid a pro to do it.. I think it was $50 or $60.....totally worth if you don't know what you're doing.

 

[EricV]

IIRC, the FSM specs 0.08" as max allowable run-out. Most Yamaha bikes now days don't have spokes. You might give the local to you Harley shop a call or an indi HD shop and ask if they will true your spoked wheel and how much.

 

[RCinNC]

IIRC, the FSM specs 0.08" as max allowable run-out. Most Yamaha bikes now days don't have spokes. You might give the local to you Harley shop a call or an indi HD shop and ask if they will true your spoked wheel and how much.

Yeah, it's .08" or 2mm, I looked it up in the AM. I spoke to the service manager at the place I'm taking mine, and they had no qualms about doing it. Oddly enough, the local independent HD shop acted like I was speaking Swahili when I asked them if they could true a wheel...and that was while standing in a room full of Harleys, old Triumphs, and old BMWs, all with spoked wheels.

 

[RCinNC]

I meant SM, not AM. Freaking autocorrect on cell phones.

 

[RCinNC]

I just paid a pro to do it.. I think it was $50 or $60.....totally worth if you don't know what you're doing.

I probably know just enough to make it worse. If they screw it up, then I'll try and tackle it myself.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I probably know just enough to make it worse. If they screw it up, then I'll try and tackle it myself.

It's really not that hard to do at all. 3/32" is not really enough to worry about unless you are strictly a street rider.

 

[RCinNC]

I didn't measure it, that was just a very ballpark guess. Street riding and gravel is all I use this bike for, so I'd prefer no runout at all.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I can respect that. And nothing wrong with wanting it to be as perfect a possible. I'm starting to think like you on my use for this bike. My few off road stints on this bike have been brutal. It's not even enjoyable to use this bike in anything more than a smooth fire road.

 

[RCinNC]

Yeah, I chose this bike for it's practicality as a touring platform, and that it was more sensible for those forays down gravel and dirt roads than something like a Road King. In spite of the whole "biggest dirt bike in the world" thing, I would never choose a 700 pound bike as a dirt machine, regardless of how much success at that others have had. No matter how skilled you are, you're still going to work a LOT harder, and have LOT more limitations, off road if you choose this bike over something lighter and more suitable. This thing is a street touring bike with gravel overtones to me, not a dirt bike with panniers. It's cool that others think differently about that than I do, but I gotta go with what works for me.