Ask Woody About Your Wheels

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by claude74

Woody,
I have a 12GS with the cast wheels and was wondering how much it would run me to have them converted from silver to black? I'm in the springs and could bring you the rims.
Claude

claude,,,i'd imagine circa $200-300/pair,,,,chris is out of town for a few days,,,

what ya have to remember when redoing your wheels is the devil is in the details,,,,

FYI and here's the big snags in this process that ya ALL need to know,,,first how ya get rid of the old powdercoat/paint


ALL the cheapo price quotes invariabaly use SANDblasting to get the old stuff off,,,and not only is it very quick,,,$$$ for them,,,at your expense,,,,because invariably it takes off a ton of your wheels metal in the process,,,ofttimes making the wheels unserviceable ,,ie disc brake mounting surfaces are no longer at their oem height,,=warped discs when you reinstall them,,,worst thing i experienced was having so much metal removed from the bead surface area that when the customer applied his brakes the tire would spin on the rim!!!!!

the next item has to do with ACCURATE/careful application of the heat resisting tape to ALL areas you don't want the powder to coat your rim/hubs/bearing and disc mounting surfaces etc
cannot tell you how much we make annually just cleaning these messes...

hence we have invested in a $10k media blast machine that removes what we want and leaves your wheels intact,,,,the best media for removing old powder-coat paint is some aggressive plastic chips mixed with the debris from making button holes
AND we have a crew that takes the time to prepare/pretape and prep the items so you and i have a good/great experience when the stuff comes back from the powdercoating place

we charge $60/hour for the media blaster,,,,'tis worth it.....

woody

[wrysingfeenix]

Did what you said. It looks good to me, but in any case, it's boxed up and will be on the way to you first thing Monday. Thanks.

Wayne

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

fix it!!!

something like that should be in the neighborhood of $120+/- $20

FYI,,,,i would also put your VFR on its centerstand,,,sart your engine,,,,put it in first gear and watch your rear wheel too,,,more often than not it too will be bent,,,just less discernible when sitting there but easily detected the second the wheel is spun,,,,,same day several day turn around at most

woody

[claude74]

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

claude,,,i'd imagine circa $200-300/pair,,,,chris is out of town for a few days,,,

what ya have to remember when redoing your wheels is the devil is in the details,,,,

FYI and here's the big snags in this process that ya ALL need to know,,,first how ya get rid of the old powdercoat/paint


ALL the cheapo price quotes invariabaly use SANDblasting to get the old stuff off,,,and not only is it very quick,,,$$$ for them,,,at your expense,,,,because invariably it takes off a ton of your wheels metal in the process,,,ofttimes making the wheels unserviceable ,,ie disc brake mounting surfaces are no longer at their oem height,,=warped discs when you reinstall them,,,worst thing i experienced was having so much metal removed from the bead surface area that when the customer applied his brakes the tire would spin on the rim!!!!!

the next item has to do with ACCURATE/careful application of the heat resisting tape to ALL areas you don't want the powder to coat your rim/hubs/bearing and disc mounting surfaces etc
cannot tell you how much we make annually just cleaning these messes...

hence we have invested in a $10k media blast machine that removes what we want and leaves your wheels intact,,,,the best media for removing old powder-coat paint is some aggressive plastic chips mixed with the debris from making button holes
AND we have a crew that takes the time to prepare/pretape and prep the items so you and i have a good/great experience when the stuff comes back from the powdercoating place

we charge $60/hour for the media blaster,,,,'tis worth it.....

woody

Thanks woody!
I'm just fixin to get a new set of tires and was figuring this summer I would bring you the rims so you are ur crew could take care of it. I want it done right and from what I have read and heard you guys are some of the best. 2-3 hundred doesn't sound bad, I'll give you guys a call in about a month when I'm ready to replace my tires and have y'all add some new bling to the GS!
claude

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by GCRad1

Hello Woody,

Is this fixable or do you recommend lacing up a new rim?
Either way, how much?

yes, we could straighten it, but it's probably not worth it because will cost $100-150 and it will happen again,,,if you're holding onto the bike and plan on taking it off-road, you're better off replacing it with a stronger and narrower rim(1.85x21 Excel or Sun),,,if you plan on staying on the tarmac or are selling the bike and want to save some money, we have many good used rims in stock, including labor is: $150-200 depending on condition

woody

OOOOPS!!!!!,,,forgot to add,,,trying to straighten rim and true circa $150,,,looks like at least half dozen flat spots,,,or good used rim plus R&R and true,,,150-200,,,,nice new rims are going from $150-250 depending on brand and color,,,,add $100 for unlace and relace n true

want the ultimate in strength/durability price of rim above,,,,plus add,,,new beefy ss spokes n nipples circa $120 and $99 for superlace n true

[woody's wheel works]

"Woody and I will be out of town from Tuesday May 13th to Thursday May 22nd. Please understand that Jill and the guys are doing their best to answer your questions and complete your projects. Turnaround times during this period may be longer than normal. Some questions, primarily technical ones, will not be answered until we return.

Thanks for your business and understanding and have a great day,

Chris & Woody "

[Steverino]

Coming soon to a wheel repair shop near you...



Should be shipping this to you for repair next week some time.

Thanks for the GS wheel turn around too.

Steve

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by Steverino

Coming soon to a wheel repair shop near you...



Should be shipping this to you for repair next week some time.

Thanks for the GS wheel turn around too.

Steve

[Wilmo]

Hi Woody,

I have a set of RAD wheels with their Econo hubs and Excel Rims that I just bought from the states and had shipped into Australia (because it was cheaper than buying Talon wheels locally).

Anyway.....I have had two problems with these wheels since receiving them and wanted to ask for your advice.

1) The nipples supplied are RAD's own alloy nipples with the hex heads that protrude on the inside of the wheel (they aren't flush like other nipples). My tyre fitter blew two tubes fitting the tyres because the hex heads punctured through the rim tape and blew the tube. RAD said to just run 4 layers of duct tape over the rim instead of rim tape, so I did and the tubes are now in and tyres inflated. My question is this - will this be durable enough for a dual sport bike (DRZ400) that's doing plenty of miles? RAD said they never had a problem on their MX teams bikes, but I imagine they swap their tyres out much more frequently and consequently inspect the duct tape covering the nipples often and replace it if required.

2) RAD supplied alloy spacers for each side of the wheels, that the axle runs through, which slot into their oversize bearings. I've noticed that the spacers are not a perfect fit for the 20mm axles on the DRZ. They are perhaps 20.5-21mm internal diameter. Consequently they slop around on the axle slightly, whereas the OEM suzuki ones are a perfect fit.

I again queried RAD on this, and they said they used to make them fit perfect, but they had some sticking issues with the spacers (I presume being stuck to the axles through deformation or corrosion). They said once the axle nut is done up, then the clamping pressure of the forks/swingarm will hold the spacers tight and their won't be any movement. This just doesn't sound right to me! Surely the spacers are going to move slightly leading to wear on the inside of the forks/swingarm where they contact and/or axle. Again, maybe of on a MXer where you throw the bike away after a season of racing it'd be ok, but not suitable for a Dual Sport in my opinion, especially one doing plenty of road work as well.

I know you guys use lots of RAD hubs in your wheel builds.....is what they are saying correct? What advice would you have?

Many thanks

Andrew

[configurationspace]

I put on the new WWW wheels today. The front wheel really is a lot lighter than the stock one. The rear wheel is a bit lighter but it's not as dramatic since the new rear is a larger wheel.

[configurationspace]

Hey Chris,

Is it possible to lace up the stock Behr rims to your fancy new wheel hubs?

I really like how much lighter your wheels are.

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by configurationspace

Hey Chris,

Is it possible to lace up the stock Behr rims to your fancy new wheel hubs?

I really like how much lighter your wheels are.

the oem Behr is 40 hole my wheels are 36 holes

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by Wilmo

Hi Woody,

I have a set of RAD wheels with their Econo hubs and Excel Rims that I just bought from the states and had shipped into Australia (because it was cheaper than buying Talon wheels locally).

Anyway.....I have had two problems with these wheels since receiving them and wanted to ask for your advice.

1) The nipples supplied are RAD's own alloy nipples with the hex heads that protrude on the inside of the wheel (they aren't flush like other nipples). My tyre fitter blew two tubes fitting the tyres because the hex heads punctured through the rim tape and blew the tube. RAD said to just run 4 layers of duct tape over the rim instead of rim tape, so I did and the tubes are now in and tyres inflated. My question is this - will this be durable enough for a dual sport bike (DRZ400) that's doing plenty of miles? RAD said they never had a problem on their MX teams bikes, but I imagine they swap their tyres out much more frequently and consequently inspect the duct tape covering the nipples often and replace it if required.

2) RAD supplied alloy spacers for each side of the wheels, that the axle runs through, which slot into their oversize bearings. I've noticed that the spacers are not a perfect fit for the 20mm axles on the DRZ. They are perhaps 20.5-21mm internal diameter. Consequently they slop around on the axle slightly, whereas the OEM suzuki ones are a perfect fit.

I again queried RAD on this, and they said they used to make them fit perfect, but they had some sticking issues with the spacers (I presume being stuck to the axles through deformation or corrosion). They said once the axle nut is done up, then the clamping pressure of the forks/swingarm will hold the spacers tight and their won't be any movement. This just doesn't sound right to me! Surely the spacers are going to move slightly leading to wear on the inside of the forks/swingarm where they contact and/or axle. Again, maybe of on a MXer where you throw the bike away after a season of racing it'd be ok, but not suitable for a Dual Sport in my opinion, especially one doing plenty of road work as well.

I know you guys use lots of RAD hubs in your wheel builds.....is what they are saying correct? What advice would you have?

Many thanks

Andrew

FYI,,,just got back,,,,.010-.030'' are standard deviations in bearing/axle tolerance/clearance,,,,i'll call BOB AT RAD AND GIVE HIM A HEADS UP ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM

at the wheel works webelieve in tighter tolerances,,,,

woody

ps,,,and we do not use those nipples for those very reasons

[larryboy]

Was wondering why you hadn't answered my e-mail...out of town and playing catch up...that's cool.

Make sure to answer me though....I need help.

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by larryboy

Was wondering why you hadn't answered my e-mail...out of town and playing catch up...that's cool.

Make sure to answer me though....I need help.

we straighten,,,,soooo many things,,,,this one can be had cheaper used,,,e-bay,,,craigs list etc,,,obtw ,,what is it,,,??? perhaps i have one in the back 40

,,,,wooody

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

we straighten,,,,soooo many things,,,,this one can be had cheaper used,,,e-bay,,,craigs list etc,,,obtw ,,what is it,,,??? perhaps i have one in the back 40

,,,,wooody

My e-mail must have gotten lost. I want an 18" front superlace/supersize on a black Excel rim. I don't care about a speedo drive for the hub, something beefy that will be going on a leading link front end that is yet to be built. I'll build the front end around the front hub, big axle and big bearings with my dual discs would be nice.

With a matching 18" rear.

Can you do it?