question for you guys...

ctx46 · #1 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 10:49 PM

would you call these wheels bent or straight? call me crazy but I say that they have a bend in them, please post opinions.

YouTube - PB020174

YouTube - PB020175

YouTube - PB020176

**mrgrn** · #2 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 10:54 PM

not bent enough i thinx

they look bad but i bet most are like that so some degree

who's wheels?

janjayand · #3 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 11:16 PM

Those look bent to me. I would not be happy with them! Although once tires are mounted you probably wont feel that. Why do I have this funny feeling I know where you got these from?

**varium** · #4 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 11:55 PM

Run out is supposed to be less than 2mm according to factory specs on oem wheels. I can only imagine aftermarket rim manufacturers hold tighter tolerances to their parts.

Its hard to tell much by the videos as i can't see the increments of measurement on the gauge. And with the rolling spin the camera shakes so much you can't see much of anything. I though i saw some noticeable axial run out but not certain due to the spotty camera work. Have you checked that as well?

Looks like the rim was repaired. If this was done through frame straight have it sent back cause he claims to get the rim to within .01 or .001 tolerances. Certainly not what it appears on the vids.

**varium** · #5 (**permalink**) 11-06-2009, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by janjayand

Why do I have this funny feeling I know where you got these from?

Insert the twighlight zone theme muzac here...........

johnyisthedevil · #6 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 12:26 AM

to me it looks like there is a weld on the inside of the wheel. is that what that is? cause it looks like that is where the wheel gets most of the runout. it's probably warped from over heating during repair.

I'm with varium though, I cant make out what increments are on that dial.

and please do tell where these wheels came from.

Heist · #7 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 12:56 AM

You're shitting me right?
Yes, they're bent. Yeah, they're not bent bent - like warped, but you don't even need the micrometer to see the wobble.

Hell, the needle wagging back and forth though is conclusive evidence that they're out of spec and they need to be returned to sender and request a refund.

**mrgrn** · #8 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 01:59 AM

i see that weld now, that is the culprit

ctx46 · #9 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 02:02 AM

the bend is in the same spot as the weld.... and its a thousanths of a in dial indicator.... there bent..... would I feel it, don't know, cant try em yet....

**mrgrn** · #10 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 02:06 AM

can you try to mount and balance it?

wibbly · #11 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 02:28 AM

i've been riding an obviously wonked front wheel for 3 years... it makes NO difference to how the bike rides so i don't really care... get it mounted and take it for a spin... if it makes no difference then i wouldn't be overly concerned, unless you just purchased these wheels "as mint" what's the problem?

johnyisthedevil · #12 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrgrn

can you try to mount and balance it?

here's a good quote from my Hunter sales rep.

" you can balance an egg, but that doesn't mean it's round."

so it looks like there is one spot that sweeps .060 then. that's a good amount, but if you did the same run out test on the tire and then rotated it's high spot to the wheels lowest spot you might never feel it. fairly common thing to do. and that is why a lot of tires have the high spot marked.

all of that being said I would not run that wheel. simply because you have no idea what had to be done to get it to the condition it's in now. how much heat they had to put to it, was it pressed back into shape, machined and so forth. it obviously had a fracture and there is probably a lot of fatigue in that area and who knows what the welding did to the strength of the wheel. it is also obvious that it was overheated a great deal in order to warp it.

QUIZZY · #13 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varium

Run out is supposed to be less than 2mm according to factory specs on oem wheels. I can only imagine aftermarket rim manufacturers hold tighter tolerances to their parts.

Its hard to tell much by the videos as i can't see the increments of measurement on the gauge. And with the rolling spin the camera shakes so much you can't see much of anything. I though i saw some noticeable axial run out but not certain due to the spotty camera work. Have you checked that as well?

Looks like the rim was repaired. If this was done through frame straight have it sent back cause he claims to get the rim to within .01 or .001 tolerances. Certainly not what it appears on the vids.

Enkei wheel corp makes all the Japanese manufacturers wheels for them. Runout is 1.2 mm to be exact.

ctx46 · #14 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 04:54 AM

I took the videos on a shitty video camera with out a tri-pod, so I admit to spotty camera work..... but it sounds as if the general consensis is that there bent.... good to know that I'm not alone.... keep em coming if you guys don't mind...
mrgrn, I can't really, since I don't have proper spacers to get them to fit a rc51, so if i did, I couldent verify anything. and ill ask this, why would I mount a tire on a bent wheel that I know could cause issues? doesnt that just bandaide the REAL problem? would you mount a defective wheel or tire on the front of your motorcycle?
thanks
joe

b.miller123 · #15 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 05:33 AM

Yeah, that looks like somebody t-boned a curb with that thing, it probably flattened the lip out on that side and punched the spoke through. the owner probably had it bent back and welded. It's difficult to get wheels back into round depending on how bad they are, and it's even worse with a weld repair like that.

I wouldn't run that just by looking at it. If not for the fact that it will most likely be felt at speed, I wouldn't do it because who knows what will happen the first time you hit a nasty pot hole on accident. If it's visible while spinning (like the last vid) or if you try and roll it across the kitchen/garage floor and it wobbles like my drunk grandma, don't use it.

**varium** · #16 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QUIZZY

Enkei wheel corp makes all the Japanese manufacturers wheels for them. Runout is 1.2 mm to be exact.

That's all well and good mister know it all. Only problem is that there is no way ANY manufacturer can guarantee an exact run out on every piece. As each rim is going to be slightly different. All they can do is keep it within a certain range. And that range according to Honda and Yamaha is 2mm total. I think its the same for Kawi and Zuk, but haven't bothered to confirm it from the horses mouth. Although the info may be buried in the tech or service manuals somewhere.

**varium** · #17 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctx46

the bend is in the same spot as the weld.... and its a thousanths of a in dial indicator.... there bent..... would I feel it, don't know, cant try em yet....

You'll need to set up the camera on a tripod and do a much slower run on the truer/balancer under much better light. Get close up on the dial and slowly turn the rim so the needle doesn't bounce all over the place. We'll need to see the exact low and high points. If you want to do a wider angle to show the rim rotating as well which will show the weld spot. But as of right now that's not such an important thing to see as it is to see the full sweep on the gauge.
Remember to do it slowly so the needle doesn't bounce around. You'll also want to set up the gauge to measure the outside edge of the rim/lip. From the vid it looks like there is some side to side wobble, but not sure if it was from camera work, bad angles, or the rim wasn't secured in the truer/balancer properly. Its going to help us get a much better picture of the condition of the rim if we have good vid of the axial and radial run out readings.

DesperateSP2 · #18 (**permalink**) 11-07-2009, 08:04 AM

A quick advice: if there's a tyre shop in your area tooled for dynamic wheel balancing have them put on an old tyre and run a couple of tests. It will take minutes, will cost you very little (usually a tip to the operator is enough) and will give you an idea how bad the situation is.