Tyres, Brakes and Suspension » Bent Wheels

Anyone bent a wheel?
On my old K-Bike, I that remember some folks went to an RT wheel as it was stouter.
Is there a comparable, "stouter" wheel for the RS?

I BROKE both wheels. I think you’d have to convert to GS wheels for better damage resistance and repairablity. The cast wheels just don’t take well to hard impacts.

Zitat von Jay K. im Beitrag #1

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Anyone bent a wheel?
On my old K-Bike, I that remember some folks went to an RT wheel as it was stouter.
Is there a comparable, "stouter" wheel for the RS?

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I don't know if these are stronger.

https://www.bikehps.com/acatalog/Kineo-S...MW-R1250RS.html

The standard wheels on our RS's are pretty strong. I hit a pothole on my original R12RS hard enough that I stopped to check for damage- none found. I know that the Y spoked wheels of my old K-bike would show significant damage in the same situation.
ANY wheel can be damaged with enough impact.

Frank

The story about BMW's soft rims goes back to the turn of the century. During the late 1990's a number of boxer and K-bike riders were complaining about their front rims being mashed while riding over a pothole. (That happened to a friend of mine who fixed his wheel using a block of wood and a big hammer to straighten out his rim.) Supposedly, BMW claimed that the rim was soft so as to provide a softer ride - or something like that. Instead of fixing the problem, they came up with excuses and blamed the rider for riding over potholes. Around that time the word went out to dealers that the front tire needed to be inflated to 36 pounds from the previously recommended 33 pounds. That higher pressure did seem to help reduce the incidents of bent rims at the expense of a harsher ride, but what finally caused BMW to correct the design of the rims was the California Highway Patrol. At that time they were a big BMW customer and they started to whine about bent rims and having to replace those very expensive wheels frequently (they didn't use blocks of wood and big hammers to straighten out their rims) when they rode over road divots and trash on freeway shoulders during the course of their duties. Supposedly, they put so much pressure on BMW that the company changed the material of the rims to make them more resistant to bending when pothole touring and that improvement was implemented on all of their models with cast wheels. Between the higher tire air pressures and the stronger rims, the incidents of rim irregularities have been substantially reduced compared with 20 years ago. But apparently not entirely.

Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #6

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Supposedly, BMW claimed that the rim was soft so as to provide a softer ride - or something like that.

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Zitat von Richard230 im Beitrag #6

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The story about BMW's soft rims goes back to the turn of the century. During the late 1990's a number of boxer and K-bike riders were complaining about their front rims being mashed while riding over a pothole. (That happened to a friend of mine who fixed his wheel using a block of wood and a big hammer to straighten out his rim.) Supposedly, BMW claimed that the rim was soft so as to provide a softer ride - or something like that. Instead of fixing the problem, they came up with excuses and blamed the rider for riding over potholes. Around that time the word went out to dealers that the front tire needed to be inflated to 36 pounds from the previously recommended 33 pounds. That higher pressure did seem to help reduce the incidents of bent rims at the expense of a harsher ride, but what finally caused BMW to correct the design of the rims was the California Highway Patrol. At that time they were a big BMW customer and they started to whine about bent rims and having to replace those very expensive wheels frequently (they didn't use blocks of wood and big hammers to straighten out their rims) when they rode over road divots and trash on freeway shoulders during the course of their duties. Supposedly, they put so much pressure on BMW that the company changed the material of the rims to make them more resistant to bending when pothole touring and that improvement was implemented on all of their models with cast wheels. Between the higher tire air pressures and the stronger rims, the incidents of rim irregularities have been substantially reduced compared with 20 years ago. But apparently not entirely.

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I managed to bend the bead on the front rim of my 2014 Honda interceptor. I still don't know how I did it. I just happened to notice it one day while washing the bike. Fortunately, I haven't bent one on the RS. Those are a good deal more expensive than Honda wheels.

Zitat von Mr. 36654 im Beitrag #9

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The soft wheel complaints I recall were the "snowflakes" of the very early 1980s Airheads

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Zitat von Lee im Beitrag #11

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Zitat von Mr. 36654 im Beitrag #9

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The soft wheel complaints I recall were the "snowflakes" of the very early 1980s Airheads

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Here's the snowflake wheels for people too young to remember them :)

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Hi All,
I've just blown two fork seals and bent the rim, on a 2015 RS. I suppose it's better than collapsing the wheel altogether and coming off though. Bloody UK potholes. I'm sending the wheel to Maidstone Motoliner Ltd, who can true both cast and spoked wheels. Fingers crossed, as there aren't many s/h wheels for sale anywhere.

Bummer. You can claim for damage caused by potholes from Highways or, if appropriate, local council. Take pictures of damage, etc. Worth a punt.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/road-...port-a-pothole/

I had Sun rims laced up with oversize stainless spokes on my /5. Even the spoke wheels were soft on the airheads. The wheel man told me he wouldn't be able to get the stock ones completely straight. It was one of the best upgrades I did on that bike, noticeable improvement in stability ....

I got the wheel and tire insurance on the new RS .... Hope I don't have to use it ..... ride safe ...