In Leon, Nicaragua with slightly bent rims from Honduras roads; need advice

[Aventeren]

Howdy--

I just arrived in Leon, Nicaragua last night after leaving El Salvador yesterday morning and transiting through Honduras. I know that I'm going to take shit for this, but I was waving to a small boy in the back of a truck before I passed him when while I was waving I drove through a crater that gave me a pretty good rattle. When I got to the border, I noticed that my front rim has a little tweak--and the back rim does as well. (See photos).

I have a 2002 1150 GSA, and my question is given the minimum damage and the fact that they appear to ride fine, what should I do? Should I try and find someone to tune the spokes, head to the BMW dealer, just let 'em be or what. Clearly safety is #1, but I'm not a perfectionist, and if there is a do-nothing alternative, my preference would be that.

Thanks everyone!

What a flippin' trip.

[Aventeren]

Alright, so I just read this: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=839732. Clearly this is more science than art--and I am highly skeptical that I will be able to find anyone in Latin America to properly tune my spokes. I think I'm just going to keep and eye on this and take the do-nothing alternative. If things really start to wobble of vibrate, I'll figure something out...but at the current time, the ride last night into Leon didn't seem too bad.

[MJS]

If the spoke is loose you can tighten them. You need to remove the grub screw in the center of the nipple then tighten the spoke and replace grub screw. The spokes should all sound the same. If in doubt, just tighten the loose one with enough mild tension so it doesn't rattle. Then continue to ride on.

[def]

You are correct that you will likely not find anyone skilled in fixing your wheel in So. America, or anywhere else for that matter....once you are safely home, contact Woody here

http://www.woodyswheelworks.com/BMWR...00_1150GS.html

He's the only one I would trust with your BMW cross-laced spoke wheels.

[QCRider]

Not sure if the CR dealership would be able to help in this case, but feel free to contact them to find out:

BMW Bavarian - Service: Adolfo +506-2290-9235 x111 (he speaks English).

How long are you in CR for?

[Dan-M]

If the tire is not leaking from the bead and you are not experiencing any wobble, I would leave it alone. It does not look too bad.
Tightening random spokes will likely make matters worse.

[LaurelPerryOnLand]

1. Ship your wheels to Woody.
2. Find a nice cantina...serves cerveza.
2a. Repeat step 2 until beer cooler is empty.
3. Wait 2 weeks until Woody returns wheels.
4. Continue on trip.
5. Forget this ever happened.

[def]

I would not recommend parking behind the car shown in your third photo...note the wheel chock....the guy likely has no brakes....stay clear!

[billdonna]

Originally Posted by MJS

If the spoke is loose you can tighten them. You need to remove the grub screw in the center of the nipple then tighten the spoke and replace grub screw. The spokes should all sound the same. If in doubt, just tighten the loose one with enough mild tension so it doesn't rattle. Then continue to ride on.

+1 !! The spokes in the vicinity of the ding will not be bearing the correct load now. You should at least tighten them to ring true as MJS says, so they can carry their share of the load. Then ride on and forget the little boys

[aGremlin]

Check to see if there are any spokes that are tightened differently to those around them, otherwise, as said, if the tyres are holding air, keep going until you can find someone with the correct skills.

Try to avoid pot holes in the future aye?

[TUCKERS]

I wouldn't sweat it.

If there are no loose spokes chances are they are bent too!

They are pretty heavy spokes.

Maybe a wobble will show at higher speeds.

Ride accordingly.

I've ridden through Baja with a VERY dented rim without dire consequences.

[Strong Bad]

Those dings are not bad at all. The spokes in the area of the dings could be be slightly lose. Check to make sure the spokes are all at approximately the same tension in the area of the dings and you are good to go.

[jachard]

Beer in Nica is terrible....Keep going to Patagonia where the beer is much better, then deal with the wheel issue:)

Kidding aside, I wouldn't sweat those dents too much, just leave it alone but keep an eye on them.

Cheers, James

[yellowbirdrs]

Here in Mexico we have at least 3 shops where they can be fixed. I'm sure you can find someone down there LA roads make this an every day problem and the demand to fix it encourage the shops to deal with. Also here in LA the garage workers are often a craft-masters because they can afford the expensive machinery like in the far North America. Give it a try with a local shop.