I am going to attempt building a pair of wheels for the ol' Triumph. Can anyone recommend a good wheel building / truing stand? I have other bikes I can use it for, so I don't mind spending money for a good one.
Any lacing suggestions, tricks, or lessons learned are appreciated, too.
Thanks,
Jeff
i can't imagine a motorcycle spoked wheel being that different from a bicycle. I've built plenty of bicycle wheels while in high school working at a shop. Generally the hardest thing is get the hop (up/down) of the wheel out. The left/right movement isn't terribly difficult but if you have never done this before, it is going to be frustrating.
I figure this will be one of those "grab a cold beer and take your time" projects. Fortunately, I am not in a hurry.
-Jeff
Wow, loaded question! I've built a handful of wheels for vintage Hondas. You might want to check the vintage forums.
You don't need a stand to build it, just to true it. You can even true it on the swingarm and forks itself. You'll need a 1" dial indicator and a magnetic stand to mount it. For a pattern, hopefully you have a picture of the wheel before it was disassembled. On 40 spoke Hondas, it was 20 sets of 2 spokes (inner and outer spokes). The inner spoke (when the head of the spoke is on the inside of the hub) will have an obtuse angle. The outer will have an acute angle.
1. So, after you've determined the pattern, assemble the spokes to the hub. It will likely be inner, outer, inner, outer, etc. On both sides, it should be the same but with a slight offset (the holes on either side do not line up).
2. Then position the spokes as if the rim were connected. Use paper tape at the intersection of the spokes to keep it still while you position the rim over this assembly. You'll want to spread the spokes so that the rim will fit over it all with some clearance. The tape will keep it from flopping around. Put blue mask tape on the rims to prevent scratching.
3. Put the rim over the assembly. The angle of the rim holes should now line up with the spokes. If not, you have the pattern wrong. Keep trying until the pattern is correct. The rim holes will give you a clue of the pattern.
4. Thread the nipples to the spokes until the thread is all covered. Use some oil in the nipples to prevent corrosion and to make it easier to thread.
5. At this point, it should look like an assembled wheel but just loose. Now, put the wheel on your bike while it's jacked up.
6. Put the dial indicator on the fork or swingarm so that it touches the rim on the outside. True it for side to side play first then for out of round later. Truing is another subject. Using your spoke wrench, turn the nipple only half a turn at a time. To move the rim to the left, tighten the left spoke and loosen the right spoke, only a half turn. Go all the way around the rim, adjusting the rim to the opposite direction of the dial indicator. This will take several iterations until it is within the .030" limit. Try to true it to .010" if you can.
Thanks, Eric. Great infomation!
-Jeff
You're welcome! Now, go get yourself a beer! [drink]
Get a stand, even if it's the cheap one from harbor freight for wheel balancing. This will take a while and it's SO much more comfortable and easy to do it on the workbench than it is on the bike. You can mount a dial gauge to any balancing stand with a magnetic base. I've built bicycle wheels on a stand and you don't need a gauge. Anything held steadily in place on a stand can press against the wheel and scrape the high spot when it comes around, side to side or up and down. Once you know where the high spot is, true it out. I'm sure there's a video on Youtube.
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-wheel-balancing-stand-98488.html (http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle-wheel-balancing-stand-98488.html)
http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-travel-machinists-dial-indicator-623.html (http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-travel-machinists-dial-indicator-623.html)
http://www.harborfreight.com/multipositional-magnetic-base-with-fine-adjustment-5645.html (http://www.harborfreight.com/multipositional-magnetic-base-with-fine-adjustment-5645.html)
That's everything you need for about $70 and you can now balance your own wheels too. I'm sure there are better stands out there for a little more.
Scott
I still think you should use a dial indicator. Unless you can eyeball .030" movement or less. Bicycle wheels spinning slower than motorcycle wheels may tolerate more run-out, not sure. But I would trust a gauge over eyeballing it. And, yes, a stand makes working on it more comfortable, just not necessary. You may build a set of wheels once. I guess you can always Craigslist it when you're done.
Probably good to have the dial gauge for final fine tuning.
With my crotchety old back I'd gladly pay $70 for tools so I didn't have to bend down to the bike to build the wheels. But I'm old and cranky ;)
Scott