Oops. New front wheel needed

JZH, 1/31/2026 at 11:24 AM

Reminds me of my London roundabout crash on RC36 #1, 25 years ago...in my case, it was a lovely line of spilt diesel, which I just didn't see in time.  Bike survived a few more years after that as it wasn't as badly damaged as yours (it didn't do the "FU" flip), but I did tear something in my shoulder (which never got repaired).  It happens.

RC46 wheels were almost identical for the entire production run, but a lot changed when the 8th gen was released so I wouldn't count on the old rims fitting your bike.  Still, that model has been around for a fair few years now, so I would expect cheaper eBay options to appear eventually.  5th-6th gen wheels are worth basically nothing these days--I have extras in London I don't need, but you'd have to measure every dimension (and be cool with mismatched wheels).

Ciao,

JZH

Ha ha, yeah the flip at the end was her way of saying exactly that! Sorry to hear about your shoulder, but glad you were also able to walk away from your London adventure.

I could live with mismatched wheels, but I'd bet a pound to a pinch of shit something somewhere won't fit. There are more potential dimensions than I first considered, so I think I'll have to bite the bullet and get an 8th gen one. Thank you for the offer, though.

vfrgiving, 1/31/2026 at 11:28 AM

Found Webike listing for wheel.

https://japan.webike.net/products/25433690.html

If that page for you shows in different region/pricing.  Upper right of page near shopping cart, little logo with truck change to "GBR" and logo with money change to "GBP"

Didn't see a parts fiche there, so wanted to verify numbers.  Went over to Impex japan.  There's an entire legit catalog for the VFR800F.  (i've never shopped OEM Honda japan domestic parts before)

https://www.impex-jp.com/assets/images/catalogs/moto/honda/11MJME14/catalog.pdf

Page 85:  sub codes probably for subsequent years of VFR800F  H  K   2J?  My best guess.  Maybe some slight variance to finish, paint?

[image: vfr800f.thumb.jpg.ebeea4de876a54ebba08eb8e5721ee87.jpg]

You Sir, are a gentlemaan and a scholar! Thanks for the link, the price isn't actually too horrendous. I just need to weigh up whether it's worth trying to save a bit by going used....

So, here's a couple of pics and vids of the wheel from the guy in the US. He wants about $280 shipped.

What do y'all reckon? obviously I'll have to get it straightened, but I don't know much about that sort of thing. Does it look like something easily achievable by a repair firm? I'm leaning toward going this route if possible, as it turns out a bar is also bent, so the cost is adding up....

Have you spoken to the company that's going to straighten it?

7 minutes ago, Thumbs

Have you spoken to the company that's going to straighten it?

Not yet, mate. Will ring around tomorrow.

So there's a little bit of damage to the right hand fork lower. I know there's a bit of rust, but this picture was taken a couple of days post-incident. The scuff definitely wasn't there previously, as I only change the front pads a few months ago and would have seen it then. Does anyone know how best to check if the forks are bent/twisted? 

Looks like the left handle bar is bent in as well. Might have to just get a pipe on it and bend it back, until the fiscal environment improves! lol

Does anyone else have any opinions on the second hand, slightly biffed rim I'm thinking of going for? Also, should I move this thread to one that's more mechanical/repair orientated, or is it OK here?

45 minutes ago, Squidbilly

So there's a little bit of damage to the right hand fork lower. I know there's a bit of rust, but this picture was taken a couple of days post-incident. The scuff definitely wasn't there previously, as I only change the front pads a few months ago and would have seen it then. Does anyone know how best to check if the forks are bent/twisted? 

[image: 20260131_152956.jpg]

A twisted fork is usually temporary and can be untwisted by slackening the top nut and fork clamps on the triple clamp, and tweaking the wheel to the side required.

A quick and dirty check for fork tube straightness is to loosen the top and bottom clamps on one side and seeing if the tube can be rotated in the clamps without too much effort. Otherwise you will need to diassemble the fork and place each tube on v-blocks with a dial gauge. 

I've not had a bike wheel straightened but have had a car wheel done. What I was told is that they have to use heat to straighten them so it will have to be refinished. That is why they had a minimum charge of $275. That was like four years ago. There is no "cheap" fix that I was able to find. I had it done because the used wheels that I could find would have no way for me to be sure they were straight.

Squidbilly, 1/30/2026 at 9:52 PM

Thanks for your help, Gaz.

Yeah, I'm not really 100% sure on how the rim was damaged. I was on the way to work at about 2030 hrs, it was cold and road was slippery from earlier rain, with a light sheen on the surface, but nothing too drastic. Was about 3 miles from home, so tyres still cold, O/S temp approx 3degC. I went through the roundabout at a speed that seemed appropriate for the conditions, and at the apex she just seemed to slip out from under me. Slid along on her right side for a bit, then flipped over and landed on her right. My best guess at this stage is that maybe a peg/front rim dug in, causing the flip. Although I find it hard to imagine how the rim edge would dig in, given that it should have been protected by the (now unladen) front tire. There was a patch of newly laid tarmac on the exact line that I came in on, so I'm assuming I hit that at maintenance throttle (or maybe I'd wound on a bit early), and lost traction. Didn't notice TCS engage, but could have been missed due to sensory overload, maybe. Still doesn't quite square the circle in my mind as to how the rim damage occurred, but is my best guess at this stage.

The bike had been sitting for about a month whilst I waited for new CCTs from Japan, which I had installed the day before. I did consider maybe low tire pressure, or wheel failure (due to the rim material blowing outward) but these seem unlikely. FOD ruled out (again due to 'outward' damage and no debris noted on surface post-incident.

Luckily, silencer doesn't appear to be punctured. You're right about the peg assby, will have a closer look tomorrow. I'll properly inspect her tomorrow, paying particular attention to the forks, fingers crossed they're in good nick, if not that may make it a write off. If the forks are good, and I've got away with just a couple of new levers, mirror mount (and glass) and a new wheel, then I'll count myself lucky. There's a guy in The States that'll do me a (used) replacement rim for $200 + $80 shipping, but it's apparently got a slight buckle, so he's going to send me a video/pics tomorrow. I'll post them here when I receive them, to get a consensus.

Motorcycle Recycle Breakers is an excellent shout, I'm in Colchester myself, so fingers crossed....

Well Billy, how you describe the events of the off, seems you hit nothing to warrant a destroyed front rim.

A hidden flaw in the rim may have been present in the rim? poss from an off with a previous owner? maybe it just took a bit of a wallop for it to let go, if that's what happened, it's a blessing in disguise.

Personally I wouldn't touch a known bent/straightened bike wheel with a barge pole, car rims are a far more substantial construction & can maybe stand the stress of being cooked by a gas torch & reworked straight, it's a brutal process, Google it, personally I wouldn't risk using a straightened cast alloy rim of any kind.

Re: Buying from USA, anything above £130 GBP gets hammered by import duty, that wheel will quickly end up cost you hundreds & it may be well buckled?.

Trade between UK & USA is no longer financially viable, thanks to the orange oompa-loompa moron, chuck in a cheeky bid on the rim on ebay or ring round breakers.

Re: the above mentioned breakers in your neck of the woods, they state they guarantee all parts as good, you could always as them to verify a wheel is straight while your there.

I'd expect they'll have a wheel jig of some description to spin up a rim or how would they be able to claim a used rim had been inspected for straightness?

Re: twisted forks, forks don't actually twist as such, they bend below the lower yoke, the twist happens within the upper & lower yoke alignment, any off can twist up the yokes, reset em by loosening both lower yoke pinch bolts, this often results in an audible crack, grab the front wheel between your knees & flex the bars a bit in both directions, this may result in an audible crack too, that's the twist coming back out the yokes, bounce the front thru its stroke several times, put bike onto centre stand & torque up yoke pinch bolts, this is usually enough o untwist the yoke alignment, you may also need to slightly loosen the upper yoke centre steering nut a tad & bounce it again,  this will also help the yokes realign, obviously bike needs to be sat on 2 inflated tyres for this process.

Shame bike uses the newer style rims, if your'e stuck for a rim, based on the cheap prices used, I'd test fit a 5th/6th front rim using your own axle & spacers, good chance it'll fit as a temp measure until u locate a good used 8th Gen rim then sell on the other rim.

Not that it makes any difference, but I still think the edge of the rim dug in on the slide.  Asphalt isn't smooth like glass.  There's all manner of crevices among the aggregates.  

Look at photo billy provided of rim at 6 - 7 o'clock position.  That bottom edge of the crack shows a clinger with an outward curl like the rim edge was peeled back.  That's what I would expect to see happen if the rim edge got snagged on the slide.

Re: Your left handlebar. I do not know how the 8th Gens are mounted, but my 3rd, 4th, and 5th have about 5 degrees of freeplay if I loosen the bolts holding them. I have positioned all my vfr's bars as far forward as possible for a bit more leverage at zero speed. You might try and loosen the bolts holding the left bar and try pushing it forward before bringing in the pipe.

I also would caution against using any rim subjected to straighting. The rim is cast aluminum, you should have a read on what heat or cold pressing does to cast aluminum before you proceed in the direction. On ships, if we bent a cast aluminum piece and it was structural, it was binned.