[rusmckay]

Hit a pothole on my way home from Utah, and bent the front wheel slightly out of round(1/16"). LT Parts is shipping me a replacement. So what to do with the old one. I know that auto wheels are straighten all the time, but they have four and you will survive losing one. Anyone know of a reliable shop that does motorcycle wheels and has the technical knowledge and experience to do the job correctly.

 

[JATownsend]

My son just bent a wheel on his K1200S and I'm about to send his wheel to These Guys I think they'll do a good job. I like what I read on their website.
If you get there before I do...let us know!!

 

[hallzee]

I'm not a metallurgist, but I would he hesitant to have an alloy rim repaired. Once bent, I'd just get another.

Perhaps I'm just a metal fatigue paranoid individual, since the repair would involve heating, re-shaping, and re-heating again and again until re-shaped properly.

 

[NOGILLS2]

Check with Tony at LTParts.com here on this site! He may be able to replace your wheel for less.

 

[Caveno]

I wouldn't bother fixing it. They are pretty cheap on eBay. If it's not exactly right you will have a wobbly ride, and it's probably not very safe.

 

[Dick]

Check with Tony at LTParts.com here on this site! He may be able to replace your wheel for less.

Hey, Floyd - that's where he's getting the replacement. I wuz gonna mention that there is one in our classified, butt seeing as Tony has one, I won't!!

 

[Ted Shred]

These guys are pretty well known for wheel straightening. -

http://www.motorcycleframeman.com/

 

[11862]

It depends on how badly bent. I bent both front and rear flanges out about 1/8" on one side of my R1100RT in a CO pothole. The wheel still ran true but I straightened the flanges cold with a big vise. You can't see the bend anymore.

However, I'd say if there is radial run out it probably shouldn't be straightened.

MN Mech Engr.

 

[rusmckay]

Hey everybody, thanks for the input, radial run-out is more than a 1/16", so I'm not going to repair. On the upside, insurance company is going to cover it, minus $250.00 deductible.

 

[zippy_gg]

Hey everybody, thanks for the input, radial run-out is more than a 1/16", so I'm not going to repair. On the upside, insurance company is going to cover it, minus $250.00 deductible.

If your wheel isn't bent too out of shape you can have it repaired and keep as a spare.
When I hit a pothole my wheel was so badly damaged that the repair shop showed me why they would not even attempt to repair. I got a good wheel from Tony and was back on the road after a total of about $300.00 including mounting of my existing tire that was still close to new.