Triumphrat

wordsmith · 02-16-2006

I have always ridden on cast wheels with tubeless tires. What maintenance must be done to wire spoke wheels, and are tubed tires a concern for you folks? Still trying to get my mind around all that would change if I get a Bonneville.

FattRat · 02-16-2006

I for one, am having BIG time difficulty getting behind my spoke wheels.... I carry a tube of "Slime" in the event of a puncture/leak, and an electric air compressor. I am seriously disappointed in getting MUCH LESS mileage outa my tube tires than that which I am accustom from my tubeless tires.

Though I live in sunny/dry California, on occasion I have felt some build-up in the crotch of my chromed wheels. I'm left to believe that if I don't wash 'em, wipe 'em, wax 'em, and keep an eye on them..... they could be left to rust. Keep them shiny!

And I don't know if those of us with the newer models have reason to be concerned with "broken spokes", but that is an issue discussed by owners and largely ignored by Triumph.......

raproe · 02-16-2006

All my motorcycle experience has been with spoked wheels. Since I started riding in 1966, I have had only one flat tire and no broken spokes. I have had my T100 for a year and 6000 miles and the only maintenance has been to check the tire pressure before each ride and to "ping" the spokes for looseness when I clean the chain. I plan to change the rear tire during the next snow storm when I can't ride.

Fattrat's advice to keep the wheels and spokes clean is good. There is also an advantage of the fairly rapid tire wear. When you change the tire, give the wheel a good checkout and make sure you don't have any loose spokes. Motorcycle Consumer News has a good article on how to take care of your spokes. Or, if you have your tires replaced at a good dealer, he should be checking the wheel first anyway.

ohiorider · 02-16-2006

My most recent experience with spokes/tube type tires has been on my W650. Knock on wood, but at 47000 miles, no flats, blowouts, etc. No maintenance on spokes other than to check periodically for loose ones. I do make it a point of installing new tires (BT45s) at a specific mileage rather than waiting for the tread to vanish. Much less chance of a puncture this way.

BMW takes a different approach to spoke wheels on their GS type bikes. My 1991 GS has wheels mfg'd by Akront, a Spanish company I believe. They cross-brace the spokes, in other words the spokes attached to the right side of the hub are attached to the left side of the rim, and vice versa. They also attach the spokes to the very outside edge of the rim, outside the tire bead. This allows them to run tubeless tires on a spoked wheel. I suppose a broken spoke could be changed with the tire on the rim, although I've never had to do this.

ohiorider · 02-16-2006

Quote:

On 2006-02-16 07:30, FattRat wrote:

Though I live in sunny/dry California, on occasion I have felt some build-up in the crotch of my chromed wheels. I'm left to believe that if I don't wash 'em, wipe 'em, wax 'em, and keep an eye on them..... they could be left to rust. Keep them shiny!

Probably a good thing to do. The wheels on my riding buddy's 2001 are beginning to show some rust around the top of the deep groove that runs around the rims. Shakes his head and mumbles something about replacing the chrome rims with alloy (spoked) rims. Ouch .... can't be cheap.

ALthough the alloy rims on my 6 year old W650 don't sparkle in the sun, they also don't rust. I plan to keep a close watch on the rims on my Bonnie. Not quite sure how to handle the deep groove.

mecscc · 02-16-2006

What follows is personal experience and opinion only:

I have ridden 52 years, mostly with spoked, tubed, wheel/tire combos; some 500,000 miles and counting, and have never noticed any difference in either more flats or lower mileage on those tires versus tubeless, alloy tire/wheel combos.

There is an argument, perhaps valid, but I have no personal experience with it, that a tubed tire might blow out given a certain type of puncture while a tubeless tire might deflate more slowly. Then again, a tubeless tire if run at low air pressure might lose the airtight bead in a curve and deflate instantly. I have seen that happen to a buddy who was big on talk and small on routine maintenance.

Two things we tend to forget: tires usually go flat because we run over something, and that happens to both type tires.
Second, the amount of tire wear has a lot to do with how aggressively we ride. I get great mileage from a good, but not great tire (eg: a BT-45) because I am not an aggressive rider (too old; and besides, I've "been there, done that.") If you are going to ride hard you are going to go through a lot of tires, tubed or tubeless. It just goes with the territory.

About spokes: I have NEVER had any problems through the years with loose spokes. Call me lucky, but it is not my experience. They do rust a bit if you don't take care of them; or, ironically, if you take too good care and sand away at the chrome on the pretext of "cleaning" them. A little benign neglect will allow a nice dull, grayish-brown protective coating to develop!!!!! (Yep; I have some oceanfront property in Arizona for sale too........ :razz:

Take care,

Monte

Rock500 · 02-16-2006

I rode thousands of miles on spoked wheels as a young man without a problem. I've never had a broken spoke or any spoke/rim related problem at all.
My two vintage bikes have spoked wheels which I rebuilt and trued myself using new rims and spokes. I have complete confidence in my work and in their ability to stay together and be trouble free.
I ride my old bkes every week on runs of up to 150 miles and don't even think about the spokes. I keep the wheels well maintained, but other than keeping them clean they need nothing.

Rocky