Damn rock

[rPGoatBoy]

Last Saturday afternoon while bombing down the Los Angeles Crest Highway, I hit a rock hidden on the backside of a shaded corner in the middle of the road. As many of you know, falling rocks are nothing out of the ordinary for that road. I made an audible "UUGGSSHHH!" when I hit it (both wheels, front harder than the rear) but didn't stop because everything felt fine at 45-70mph on that road. Also didn't notice anything after I hit 90-100 on the Interstate once I got out of the mountains.

Cut to this afternoon when I'm riding home from work and I notice a wheel speed vibration at around 90 mph, mirrors shaking and all (one was loose). I thought to myself, "Self, I oughta have a closer look and see if that rock from last weekend did any damage".

Sure enough:

The tire still holds air just fine. Does anybody know a good shop in SoCal that can straighten bent alloy rims? Should I be checking fleaBay instead?

Thoughts? Opinions?

TIA

 

[Twigg]

The sensible advice is to get a new(ish) one.

There are shops that could straighten that rim, and maybe they can do a good job. They wouldn't be in business if they always did a poor job.

However, the alloy has been subjected to sufficient stress to bend and stretch the metal, and it will need more stress to push it back again. Who knows how it will react when it hits another rock.

Oh yeah ... There could be serious damage to the inside of the tire too, just to add comfort to the bad news

 

[maggot]

I'd introduce the rim to a block of wood and a large hammer. I'd say the tire is ****** and maybe causing more of the vibration than the rim.

 

[Geezer]

There have been places recommended before on this forum to repair rims, and some rims have looked a lot worse than that. I have never needed one repaired so I didn't save a bookmark to any of them.

 

[Bugnatr]

I had a friend who had a rim repaired no problem. I don't see anything wrong with the tire. I'd google rim shops in your area and talk to an expert.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Oh, I've seen worse. Yours looks downright benign.

I'm not saying that one got fixed, but it was expensive and slow--had to be shipped from the east coast, and even that one might well have been fixable. Guessing it was a harder hit, too, since it ruined the tire and the exhaust manifold on the way under the bike. I heard about all the satisfied customers who had specialists do the fix only afterward. Um, I'd forget the block of wood/hammer approach, though.

 

[Twigg]

I'd be the first to recommend the "block of wood/hammer" approach on a steel wheel. Steel is ductile and can be bent and shaped without losing too much integrity.

Aluminum alloys can sometimes be re-formed, but the risk is that the structure is weakened, and you can't always see it until it fails.

It's the only thing between you and the road, on a motorcycle that can reach 150 mph .... The damage in the example shown looks slight, it's the OP's call.

 

[ionbeam]

For the wheel to be repaired it will need to be bare, stripped of the tire, air stem, rotors and bearings. If you can remove the tire and all the other stuff yourself then repairing the rim may make sense. If you have to pay someone to remove then replace all the items it may make more sense to find a replacement rim.

 

[Aasland]

Been there done that:

Got that in California on Mathole Rd back in 2009. The wonderfull California highway engineers saw fit to "fix" the road by cutting long rectangular 4 inch deep holes out of it, with sharp edges and no warning or markings. The coloring made it nearly invisible. At 60mph the first reaction as the wheel fell into the hole was "what the ... " and BAM as it connected with the far edge. It was hard enough to make be check that our forks were still straight and not leaking (my buddy on his ST1100 became a victim too, but as he saw me drop into the hole he managed to slow down more, and those behind him swerved into the other lane).

Anyway, we bought a big hammer and some hickory wood at the campsite that night, in the glare of our headlamps, got the bike up on firewood and pulled the front wheel and pounded for about a half hour. It probably would have worked had it been steel.

Anyway, I rode it home with the mild vibrations and then stripped the tire and discs and sent to an outfit in North Carolina (I forget which) for a repair. It cost about $180 including shipping and it has been fine since then. The alternative would have been to pay $650 for a new wheel, as none were on the used market at the time.

I've seen worse rims welded and repaired; if it's a lot more expensive to replace to repair, then a repair is the logical path.

 

[PhilJet09]

Deja vu for me. I hit a rock in the first year of ownership and bent the front wheel. It was the middle of summer and I was in a hurry to get rolling again, so I bought a new wheel, inner spacer, bearings and seals. It was far more costly than finding a used one or getting it fixed. Also, it had to be shipped from Japan, so it took a bit longer than I expected. If you want to re-use your brake disc, plan on at least buying new bolts.

I'll get the old one fixed one of these days and feel fine using it.

 

[rPGoatBoy]

Thanks all,

I found this place in Anaheim to straighten the front wheel, and I will be bringing them the rear wheel tomorrow afternoon, it also sustained damage from the same rock.

$140 a wheel, you just bring them your wheel with tire, rotors, & bearings still installed. He did a good job on the front wheel, no more high speed shimmy.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Loved this from Dr. John's website:

Dr. “John” Fromberg has been straightening motorcycle frames for over 20 years.

So I guess he really is a doctor, but "John" is just a nickname? :lol:

Good thing they did the job, tho. Saved you time and cash, for sure.