Dash Weeks wrote:
> Well I did it. I did my homework and decided today that my
wheels need a
> paint job along with the rest of my bike.
> So I un-laced them and found many surprises. First, 12" tire
irons are not
> long enough... New blood blister and couple quarts of sweat
later I got the
> tires off the rims. Second, nearly 80% of the spoke nipples
were rusted to
> the spokes. Using a cordless drill with phillips bit was an
excellent way
> of quickly removing the spoke nipples. Kawi Spoke Nipples are
over $1 each
> and I need 72 of them. CHA CHING. Spokes range from $2-$2.50
CHA
> CHING. Luckly I salvaged all but 6 of those.
>
> Here are my questions... has anyone laced with spokes or
nipples that were
> not Kawi stock parts. Exccel makes rims but do they make the
rest? Are
> they cheaper/better than the stock parts? Should I use
anti-seize when
> re-installing the nipples? Should I use some sort of sealant to
deter water
> from entering the rim. After they are laced up, should I coat
or paint
> over the ends of the nipples to keep rust from forming again?
>
> It was all pretty rusted in there, so that is why I am asking
and trying to
> figure out the best preventive procedure.
>
> LaterZ
> Dash
Greetings, all. Been lurking for a while as a means to finding
out what things to watch out for with these bikes, as I've
concluded that I need a little more range and comfort than my KTM
is giving me and a little more agility than my BMW provides. By
inference, I've picked up a fair amount of knowledge - thanks -
and am presently scoping for a late model 650.
As for Dash's question, heavier-duty spoke sets are available
from Buchanan's, usually of stainless. Don't be surprised if the
rims must be drilled out to accomodate a more robust nipple -
this is tedious and exacting work, so best to buy all components
in a 'matched' set. Excel will generally not be cheaper than
stock, although dealer mark-ups can push stock prices really
high; there's no predicting cost of stock parts. Anti-seize
should absolutely, positively be used during reassembly; if used,
further sealing of spoke ends isn't necessary. A rough figure per
wheel will be $100 for rim, $1.00 per spoke, $1.25 ~ 1.50 per
nipple: roughly $200 per end though it is possible to get out
cheaper. You'll need a truing stand and proper wrench and will
need to pay attention to dish as well as axial and radial runout.
It's tedious work and can be frustrating, so be forewarned.
Incidentally, the little discussion running around the last week
or two about BMW's and KLR's and what their relative strengths
and weaknesses are was kinda fun to watch from the sidelines.
Tom Bowman
Atlanta
http://www.ibmwr.org/pastevnt/stories/AlaskaSojourn/AlaskaSojourn
.htm
`99 Big Dog Ride
IBA
AHRMA vintage mx