Ok, had the VFR for about 8 months now so Im still a newbie. Have NO idea how this dent happened but maybe I shouldn't be surprised since 2-3 times a week I go 70-85mph on DC's infamous pothole-o-rama that we call I-495 (or the Beltway). So which option do you recommend and why? I don't want to waste money and personally am not a perfectionist... willing to delay putting new wheel on if its not needed. I rode home from the shop (50-55mph max) and didn't notice any rhythmic bumping/oscillating, even when doing 40mph turns/leans to the right.
[image: View Post]Chief Nobody, on Mar 15 2008, 08:06 PM, said:
Ok, had the VFR for about 8 months now so Im still a newbie. Have NO idea how this dent happened but maybe I shouldn't be surprised since 2-3 times a week I go 70-85mph on DC's infamous pothole-o-rama that we call I-495 (or the Beltway). So which option do you recommend and why? I don't want to waste money and personally am not a perfectionist... willing to delay putting new wheel on if its not needed. I rode home from the shop (50-55mph max) and didn't notice any rhythmic bumping/oscillating, even when doing 40mph turns/leans to the right.
I'd have the wheel repaired. I've used the following company for wheel straightening: http://www.motorcycleframeman.com. They are awesome. I'm sure they can correct the flat spot in your wheel, prolly w/ minimal damage to the finish on the wheel. You could always have the wheel powdercoated after the repair for a durable finish.
That's a pretty good size dent. If it's still holding air, that's fine, but I'd be worried about hitting a bump or pothole and losing the seating of the tire bead for a second(leaving me with less air or even a flat!). I would do something about it.
That said, I have a spare black front wheel for sale for $100, plus shipping. I have pics available. I bought the wheel from a member here(non-crashed bike) because I thought mine was bent, and it turned out it wasn't. Please PM me if interested, I've been trying to get rid of it for a while now. Thanks!
[image: View Post]SEBSPEED, on Mar 15 2008, 06:48 PM, said:
That said, I have a spare black front wheel for sale for $100, plus shipping. I have pics available. I bought the wheel from a member here(non-crashed bike) because I thought mine was bent, and it turned out it wasn't. Please PM me if interested, I've been trying to get rid of it for a while now. Thanks!
I'd be all over that if it were me. You won't find a better deal than that, even if you got it repaired :warranty:
I agree, buy the wheel...yours is fixable, but its going to cost you more than $100. I fixed mine twice with no problems for a little over $100 each time.
[image: View Post]spud786, on Mar 15 2008, 10:57 PM, said:
What kind of airpressure were ya running in the tire, and the last time ya cold checked it?
Was running 38 PSI (Dunlop Qualifiers call for 40 MAX). Last time cold checked it was 1 week before it happened. Maybe I should check it every morning before heading out to work but that's quite time consuming.
The thing that makes me kinda nervous is I really do not remember ever hitting something and going, "Whoa! Hard hit! Gotta check the wheels soonest!" Maybe its cuz I was more worried about getting hit by a cager... DC's beltway isn't very forgiving.
I'm leaning towards buying SEBSPEED's wheel right now, seems like a good deal and cheaper than getting mine straightened out though I didn't know there were decent shops out there that specialize in wheel straightening.
Thanks to all for your views! Another happy member of VFRD. So nice not to have to only rely on the stealership's judgement.
theres a shop in MD ..the ye old wheel shop.. did great work on very dented gsxr wheels for 75 a piece.. this is all they do ..fix wheels and mount tires.. the heat up the rim and have lots of special machines for it... if i remember right,,it way up near arundel mills on rt1.
[image: View Post]hidesertmlb, on Mar 15 2008, 05:24 PM, said:
I'd have the wheel repaired. I've used the following company for wheel straightening: http://www.motorcycleframeman.com. They are awesome. I'm sure they can correct the flat spot in your wheel, prolly w/ minimal damage to the finish on the wheel. You could always have the wheel powdercoated after the repair for a durable finish.
:+1:
I used The Frame Man for a very similar dent in my front wheel and it came back perfect. If I hadn't marked the spot before I sent it off I would've had a very hard time finding the damaged area again. Tire on and powder coated it's perfect. Cost without shipping was about $125 two years ago, so maybe buying SEBSPEEDs wheel is the best option.
BTW - I rode on mine for about 6 months and it was a little worse than yours, so prolly no worries for now.
[image: View Post]VFR4Lee, on Mar 16 2008, 08:04 PM, said:
Buy Sebs wheel, and donate / trade yours, to someone that fixes wheels, for a tire or labor or something. :thumbsup:
Probably the best proposition yet, if I may say so myself... :rolleyes:
Keithbob makes a good point that I forgot to mention, when fixed properly, the wheel will need to be repainted or powdercoated, which also means removing/replacing the wheel bearings and dust seals.
Chief, I replied to your PM, I hope the pics are satisfactory.
[image: View Post]Chief Nobody, on Mar 16 2008, 12:57 PM, said:
Was running 38 PSI (Dunlop Qualifiers call for 40 MAX).
First off your running too much air pressure, max should be 36 or less no matter what brand your running!!! Unless your on the track! :rolleyes:
You DON'T set pressure based on what the Max pressure printed on the tire!!!
I'm leaning towards buying SEBSPEED's wheel right now, seems like a good deal and cheaper than getting mine straightened out though I didn't know there were decent shops out there that specialize in wheel straightening.
I would buy the spare wheel from Seb, but if you don't feel any vibration when riding I sure wouldn't bother changing it until the tire's gone. Honda wheels are soft and bend easy, they also allow .080" bends both radially and axially which is a lot.
Thanks to all for your views! Another happy member of VFRD. So nice not to have to only rely on the stealership's judgement.
Excellent! I've decided to buy Seb's wheel as I need new tires anyways (will use Dunlop RoadSmarts) I didn't know 38psi was too high so I appreciate the course correction. Will go 35psi since I have a phobia of motorcycle tires unseating at speed. Do you recommend 35 for the rear as well?
Will hang on to my old wheel and if I bend Seb's wheel worse, I'll just send my old one in to get it fixed.
[image: View Post]Chief Nobody, on Mar 17 2008, 04:13 PM, said:
Excellent! I've decided to buy Seb's wheel as I need new tires anyways (will use Dunlop RoadSmarts) I didn't know 38psi was too high so I appreciate the course correction. Will go 35psi since I have a phobia of motorcycle tires unseating at speed. Do you recommend 35 for the rear as well?
Will hang on to my old wheel and if I bend Seb's wheel worse, I'll just send my old one in to get it fixed.
The Chief
Alright! I'm glad to see that Seb has finally sold that darn wheel. :thumbsup:
Recommended tire pressures are 36 psi front and 42 psi rear. You will see however quite a few riders run pressures as low as 36 psi in the rear. Lower tire pressures gives you a greater contract patch for added traction, which is why you'll see riders use 36 psi in the rear. However, if you want to get the best mileage possible out of your tires, use the recommended tire pressures.
I wouldn't worry about the tires unseating at speed if I were you. On the track, tire pressures are generally around 30-32 psi for the front and rear and I've never heard of a tire unseating on the track before. Besides, you're more likely to have a valve stem fail than to have a tire unseat itself. :warranty:
I've run the recommended 36/42 for most of the last 50,000 plus miles on my Vtec w/o issue no matter what brand tire. This setting will work best for most riders along with providing the highest wear mileage . :thumbsup:
On occasion I'll drop 1-2 lbs in both if it's real cold out(below 30 deg.) or if I'm running around the Deal Gap area all day, otherwise no real reason to very off the 36/42 pressures. :rolleyes: