The spokes need to be checked a few times early until they seat in. My Tenere had a few nipples loosen up.
![Wheel Tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle tire Automotive tire]()
I keep losing bolts...
One year and 24000 km later and 3 bolts have fallen out while riding. As my warranty conditions require me to service it at the specified intervals at an authorized garage I've been doing that. I check the bolts at home per the manual whenever I work on it.
I've lost 1 bolt for the plastic cover by the left footpeg, 1 bolt for the fairings, and today to my surprise and slight horror a rear spoke bolt.
The fist 2 were minor stuff, and the local dealership didn't have them in stock and it would've been a shorter wait to order them from an online parts store. This last one is critical and serious. I'll head to the dealership tomorrow and demand it be replaced under warranty, but I'm very doubtful they'll have it in stock.
This part venting, part me asking if this is a regular occurrence with this machine? I've never had a bolt come loose on my CB500X, and compared to the V engine, being a parallel twin, it produced a lot more vibrations.
What's the story here?
I've lost 1 bolt for the plastic cover by the left footpeg, 1 bolt for the fairings, and today to my surprise and slight horror a rear spoke bolt.
The fist 2 were minor stuff, and the local dealership didn't have them in stock and it would've been a shorter wait to order them from an online parts store. This last one is critical and serious. I'll head to the dealership tomorrow and demand it be replaced under warranty, but I'm very doubtful they'll have it in stock.
This part venting, part me asking if this is a regular occurrence with this machine? I've never had a bolt come loose on my CB500X, and compared to the V engine, being a parallel twin, it produced a lot more vibrations.
What's the story here?
1 - 10 of 10 Posts
Use blue (medium) strength Loctite on most all the nuts/bolts on the bike.
Not spoke nipples though!
Not spoke nipples though!
Is it safe to ride without a nipple?
Yes but get it fixed soon. With a spoke missing, the others take up the load and you might cause the wheel to get out of true.Is it safe to ride without a nipple?
Tape the spoke to one beside it so it doesn’t come out of place and hit things. That’s why all mine are zip tied in photo.
You gotta keep an eye on the spokes. I lost two on my old 2018 DL1000, rear wheel. Just a lack of checking them, really. Lesson learned for me.
Think about the forces they are exposed to; they obviously are going to loosen a little and that is exacerbated when new.
I now put a wrench on every one every tire change.
Think about the forces they are exposed to; they obviously are going to loosen a little and that is exacerbated when new.
I now put a wrench on every one every tire change.
I was changing a tire one day on my Super Tenere when I noticed a weird looking piece of hardware on the ground. It turned out to be a spoke nipple that luckily fell out right there while I was setting the bead on the tire. And this was after I'd had the bike for years and many many miles. So even after they settle in, the little buggers can still get loose. Definitely do what Spec did: zip tie all the spokes at the crossover points. I did that first thing on buying a bike with spoked wheels.
I did have some runout on my rear wheel a couple years ago, and I actually took the wheel to a shop to have a tech re-true the wheel, using an actual spoke torque wrench. I haven't had any issues with it since then.
You do have to exercise some caution when you tighten spokes if they seem loose. That wheel is under a lot of tension from all those spokes, and even little adjustments to one spoke can change how the others behave. You can actually pull a wheel out of true by tightening one spoke too much without balancing the others. I usually hit the spokes with a screwdriver, and if one of them makes more of a "plonk" sound than the others, I'll try and snug that one up until it sounds like the others. It's not as precise as a torque wrench, but it's worked OK so far.
I did have some runout on my rear wheel a couple years ago, and I actually took the wheel to a shop to have a tech re-true the wheel, using an actual spoke torque wrench. I haven't had any issues with it since then.
You do have to exercise some caution when you tighten spokes if they seem loose. That wheel is under a lot of tension from all those spokes, and even little adjustments to one spoke can change how the others behave. You can actually pull a wheel out of true by tightening one spoke too much without balancing the others. I usually hit the spokes with a screwdriver, and if one of them makes more of a "plonk" sound than the others, I'll try and snug that one up until it sounds like the others. It's not as precise as a torque wrench, but it's worked OK so far.
I went to the dealership today and bought the last nipple in stock (luck!)
I've checked them when I did my 12000 km service. I last changed my tires 15.5k km ago. Neither of those things would've saved the nipple from falling out, as it fell in between those intervals.
Anyway, lesson learned!
I've checked them when I did my 12000 km service. I last changed my tires 15.5k km ago. Neither of those things would've saved the nipple from falling out, as it fell in between those intervals.
Anyway, lesson learned!
2.45lb/ft???
I would not even be using an inch pounds torque wrench on that. The risk of over torquing is too great.
Learn the ping and plonk test as RCinNC describes and go around the wheel several times making only small adjustments where required with the wheel off the deck.
Motorcycle wheels are nowhere near as adjustment sensitive as bicycle wheels.
I would not even be using an inch pounds torque wrench on that. The risk of over torquing is too great.
Learn the ping and plonk test as RCinNC describes and go around the wheel several times making only small adjustments where required with the wheel off the deck.
Motorcycle wheels are nowhere near as adjustment sensitive as bicycle wheels.
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