Ask Woody About Your Wheels

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

Hey Woody,

Have you converted F800GS wheels to run without tubes? Is it a sure thing or carry a spare tube just in case there's a leak?

hi gadget

we've done half a dozen of those in the last few weeks....with our latest technique,,,am getting some trick nipples made,,,,that have sealed ends to minimize the main possibility of air escaping,,,,it's $99 for parts and labor majority is tedious labor and prep...

you KNOW i always recommend adv riders to carry spare tubes for any occasion..only makes sense,,right

woody

[tdv]

Completed the installation:

[ghostrider.y2k]

I was wonder if is possible to do front 21" swap on my 05 tiger using a spoke hub from 01-04 models?I got cast wheels but i may be able to get set of 19"/17" spoke wheels from older model.I know that my front fender will not clear larger wheel but i'm not worry about thios at the moment.

Thanx for any info,y2k.

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by ghostrider.y2k

I was wonder if is possible to do front 21" swap on my 05 tiger using a spoke hub from 01-04 models?I got cast wheels but i may be able to get set of 19"/17" spoke wheels from older model.I know that my front fender will not clear larger wheel but i'm not worry about thios at the moment.

Thanx for any info,y2k.

y2k....et al

i'm sorry i don't have answers to every swap available,,,

however your dealer SHOULD be able to tell you which wheels interchange!!!

once you know ,,then we can perform any magic /conversions you may need

if all else fails you can always send in your wheels the before and after and i'll tell you pronto if it will work...

holler n thanks

woody

[GB]

Woody,

A friend wants to know if you're able to build a 19" wheel for the F800GS and for what price. Thanks.

[Tseta]

Ok, I'll try this again.

Woody, perhaps you missed a question on the previous page (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showp...postcount=1155).

I'd surely appreciate a response.

Thanks,

Tseta

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by Gadget Boy

Woody,

A friend wants to know if you're able to build a 19" wheel for the F800GS and for what price. Thanks.

no problem,,,have done 1/2 dozen in the last little bit,,,works great

OBTW...circa $400+/- depending on color/ss or zartan nipples/brand/ lace technique

woody

PS,,Just buildt anothe set today,,,tubeless,,took some pics,,, will post tomorrow morning!!!

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by Tseta

Hello Woody,

(partly cross-posted from http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155827)

I've been reading up on KTM spoked wheels and the horror stories associated with them. In anticipation of spoke failure, I've been planning to zip-tie the spokes together and keep a close eye on them. I've also been considering carrying some spare spokes with me on longer trips.

I would like to inquire about the spoke dimensions for my 2003 KTM 640 LC4 Adventure.

According to my parts fiche, the rear wheel has two different types of spokes:

546.10.471.000 SPEICHE M5X223-10G 18“ SPOKE M5X223-10G 18“
and
503.10.071.197 SPEICHE M5X197-10G 18“ DDE SPOKE M5X197-10G 18“ DDE

The spoke nipples are:

583.09.072.000 SPEICHENNIPPEL M5-TA (8X21MM) SPOKE NIPPLE M5-TA (8X21MM)

For the front:

503.09.071.230 SPEICHE M4,5X230-15G 21“ DDE SPOKE M4,5X230-15G 21“ DDE

And the nipples:

503.09.072.000 SPEICHENNIPPEL M4,5X0,75 8X21 SPOKE NIPPLE M4,5X0,75 8X21

The reason I am asking is because the cost for these parts is stupidly expensive from my local dealer. There is a local custom wheel manufacturer who could make me some spokes for much less, but he would need some more information about the spokes before making them. I don't trust my ability to measure the assembled spokes and I really don't wish to disassemble the wheel and send some some spokes as samples.

I've figured out so far that the part descriptions highlighted in orange have probably something to do with the diameter and the (total) length of the spoke. At least two additional dimensions, mainly the angle of the bend and the length of the bent section are required. My gut feeling says that the part highlighted in red could be something to do with that angle (as G could be short for Grad - angle in German...).

Your help on this matter is greatly appreciated, and if shipping over the pond was not such a large hassle, you would surely be receiving my rims for superlacing.

Thanks in advance,

Tseta

FYI,,,the spokes speced by KTM in the last few years have had no serious problems save corroding and rusting,,,,the earlier versions were prone to snapping and breaking at their head.

i've exclusively used Buchanans spokes for the vast majority of my upgrades....they are custom made to my requirements,,,ie spoke thickness,the angles ,, throat length and material,,,,hence cost a bit more than the oem replacement kits they offer.

the other manufacturer that i trust is Alpina,,they make all the spokes i use for my BMW X-laced wheels,,,,i only use their ss spokes,,,their chromed spokes used on all the earlier BMWs were also prone to cracking under the heads...

ok now,,regarding your bike,,,2003 was the tail end of the old spokes with the tendency to break,,,so an up-grade is in order

the first upgrade is to ss to remove the corrosion problems,,,this usually also entails going a little beefier to maintain the tensile strength we want,,ss is usually a little softer than regular steel,,,and the tensile specs wereas the tensile specs BWOE on earlier KTMs and many old British machinery were
a bit high..hence making them more brittle and prone to cracking.

for the KTM's i usually use 6gx.175 or 7gx.175 butted spokes in ss....i opt for the same or larger nipple size depending on application,,,i use ss nipples in territory that is wet/humid/corrosive conditions,,,,they add circa $12-20 dollars to a spoke kit depending on size and number of spokes.

FYI,,,we could either send you ,,,,

1,,,late model upgraded oem spoke kits for a fraction of your cost circa $60-80

2,,,my ss oem replacement kit..same length and bend [uses same lace pattern]

with ss nipples ....$108 with zartan nipples.....$95

3,,,my SUPERLACE kit X-3 lace pattern {requires modifying ie drilling/countersinking nipple holes],,,w ss nipples...,$120-128 ,,,,,,with zartan nipples...$100-105...NOTE..the variance in price is if we Supersize the nipples or not

4,,, we could just build you some new wheels and you could sell yours



woody

PS..regarding your local dude,,just give him your wheel and/or spoke sample and/ or the specs you just listed above and he should be able to help you,,,caveat emptor...there are wheel builders and then there are WHEEL BUILDERS just like there are parts replacers and actual problem solvers i take a wholistic approach!!

PPS,,,i know how expensive things are in your country
i'm heading to europe end of next month ,,could bring what you need over there and ship it from the Bremen/Hannover region of germany,,perhaps that would help. i have some other tricks but i'll PM them
sooooo how much do these parts cost in Finland???,we'd all like to know

[Tseta]

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

sooooo how much do these parts cost in Finland???,we'd all like to know

Well, I guess KTM original spokes and nipples cost quite a lot even in North America, or then I had some weird misconception about the prices. I priced the 36 front spokes and nipples through EliteKTM and got about 150 dollars. Here in Finland, the price was about 160 euros.

Thank you Woody for replying and for your insight on the issue. I'll be sending a PM your way soon, let's discuss the prices and options in detail.

Cheers,

Tseta

[Aussie Steve]

Hi,

I am looking around at the most economical way to be rid of the bending front rim on my 2004 KTM 640 Adventure. Could you please supply me a quote for the following options so I can compare to whats locally available:-

Sun 21 x 1.85" black rim, orange twin disc hub, superlaced ss spokes and nipples (can ss nipples be anodized?).


Set of front and rear built as above with suitable sized rear for allround use.


Rim locks.



Also I plan on replacing the 640 with a 990 eventually, can these wheels be modified to swap over onto that bike too?

Thanks,

Steve

[woody's wheel works]

Originally Posted by Aussie Steve

Hi,

I am looking around at the most economical way to be rid of the bending front rim on my 2004 KTM 640 Adventure. Could you please supply me a quote for the following options so I can compare to whats locally available:-

Sun 21 x 1.85" black rim, orange twin disc hub, superlaced ss spokes and nipples (can ss nipples be anodized?).


Set of front and rear built as above with suitable sized rear for allround use.


Rim locks.



Also I plan on replacing the 640 with a 990 eventually, can these wheels be modified to swap over onto that bike too?

Thanks,

Steve

steve,,,i can't remember the cut off date when the older 640 ADV had a single disc and the newer ones essentially inherited the complete double disc front end from it's bigger 950 adv brother...

sooo,,,if you have the double disc hub you're in luck because its the same on the 950/990 adv.

an orange rad billet hub runs circa $250,,sun /excel 1.85x21 circa $179 add $75 for anodizing black the sun 's are 6000 series aluminum whereas the excel is 7000 series ie alot tougher...your ultimate non -bend weapon of choice is a 1.60x21 which only comes in black and runs about $200

superlaced ss and ss are about $115 for the front X-3 lace pattern superlace and true is $99...there ya have it
i'm really tired ,,sweet dreams n good night ya'll

woody

[NothingClever]

Hey, just wanted to voice my whole hearted endorsement of Woody, his shop, products and services.

Truly a craftsman, an innovator and a dedicated businessman who honors excellent customer service principles.

If you visit Colorado and are looking for something to do in the city, don't take mindless pictures of plates of food....

GO VISIT WOODY !!

And if you have any family members with disabilities, check out the other businesses Woody's associated with which totally kick ass.

And I thought the titanium welds on my mountain bike and my Leo Vince pipe were cool....

[Odysseus]

Woody, I was in the shop about a month ago getting my rear wheel trued (rear tire blow out and running on the rim for a bit) and a little birdy told me that you are working on a new and improved tubeless system. Any news on that?

Also what do you think of the Nuetech Tubliss system?

BTW other than a couple of dings from the previous mentioned 50 MPH rear blowout the wheels you built for me 2 years ago are still rolling along perfectly.

[Stuntman]

Originally Posted by woody's wheel works

hi gadget

we've done half a dozen of those in the last few weeks....with our latest technique,,,am getting some trick nipples made,,,,that have sealed ends to minimize the main possibility of air escaping,,,,it's $99 for parts and labor majority is tedious labor and prep...

you KNOW i always recommend adv riders to carry spare tubes for any occasion..only makes sense,,right

woody

Hey Woody,

RE: 800GS wheels
What is the turn around time for this? Also, what do you think the longevity of this conversion is?

Thanks!

[Wreckluse]

Hi Woody,
Could you get me a cost to lace up a stock DRZ front hub with a black 19" Excel rim and stock spokes, shipped to Calgary, AB

Thanks,
Wreck