Rear Wheel Truing

[bostonxr100]

My rear wheel has 4-5 spokes and definetly needs truing. Can I ride a little this weekend (nothing crazy - no jumps), or do I have to fix it before I can even get on the bike this weekend? Also, I was going to try and replace the spokes and true the wheel myself. Is is tough?

[XR-rated]

My rear wheel has 4-5 spokes and definetly needs truing. Can I ride a little this weekend (nothing crazy - no jumps), or do I have to fix it before I can even get on the bike this weekend? Also, I was going to try and replace the spokes and true the wheel myself. Is is tough?

If it only has four or five spokes I don't think I would try it. Maybe if it had eight or ten... no not even with eight or ten.

[bostonxr100]

Sorry, I'm an idiot.......4-5 broken spokes.

[gchprime]

My rear wheel has 4-5 spokes and definetly needs truing. Can I ride a little this weekend (nothing crazy - no jumps), or do I have to fix it before I can even get on the bike this weekend? Also, I was going to try and replace the spokes and true the wheel myself. Is is tough?

Do you have 4-5 bad spokes or 4-5 spokes total? Don't know of any REAL dirtbike that only has 4-5 spokes. If yo have at least 20 i can help you (or at least tell you how to do it).

[gchprime]

Sorry, I'm an idiot.......4-5 broken spokes.

Replace the spokes before you ride it again or risk destroying the whole wheel.

[bostonxr100]

See my message above...4-5 broken spokes. My back tire started wobbling a little and I just started tightening spokes at random...I know there's a system, but I just wanted to ride.....but I noticed 4-5 broken spokes. So now I want to fix the busted spokes and true the wheel. But I wanted to do it next weekend, after I ride this weekend.

[bostonxr100]

Just saw the "risk destroying wheel reply"...is it tough to do? I can just go to a Honda place, pick up 4-5 spokes and do it right?

[XR-rated]

Unless you're set up for it (have a truing stand) and the patience, I'ld pay the local bike shop to do it.

Should run about $60 or so.

[johnk408]

From socal's site written by another tt member:

Truing your Rear Wheel

by physicistbiker from ThumperTalk.com

Here's my technique for truing wheels--it works pretty good.

Put the bike up on a stand so that you can spin the wheel easily. Get a spoke wrench or very small cresent (adjustable) wrench, a black sharpie marker, some solvent and a rag. Spin the wheel fast and bring the marker up to the wheel using the swingarm or something to steady your hand and the marker. The marker will make contact with the "high" points as the wheel "wobbles" by. After a couple of rotations, remove the marker and stop the wheel. Look at the wheel--it will have sections that have a line from the marker. If the line is most of the way around, you'll want to adjust the spokes in the nonmarkered area, but if there are just small areas with the line marks then adjust at the lines. If you are adjusting the lined areas tighten the spokes on the opposite side. This will pull the wheel away from the line marked (bulge) area. Use about a half turn at a time on the spoke nipple. Do this at each marked spot (or if doing the nonmarked areas its the same thing, just opposite side). Then use the solvent and rag to clean the marker off the wheel and start over. Eventually the marker should put an even line all the way around the wheel. It should then be trued. You will always get a little wobble at the point where the wheel was welded together-don't worry about that. As a final check take a small wrench and tap each spoke. You should get a similar sounding "ping" out of each one. If one or more have a "thud" then they need to be tightened. Hope this helps. Its really pretty easy.

[sidekick]

Of the 4 or 5 spokes you have missing you need to know if they are inside or outside spokes. The reason being you cannot replace inside spokes without taking the entire wheel down.