Greetings all . I have re-built my WM20 front wheel with a new rim and spokes , and the wheel is almost perfectly true , just needs a little fettling . This is the first time I've ever re-built a wheel , and would like to ask all and sundry for any helpful advice they may be able to offer , i.e. how to go about true-ing up the wheel and how tightly to tighten the spokes . I have re-built bicycle wheels in the past and set the spoke tension by 'tuning' them all to a certain musical pitch . Perhaps a variant of this method can be applied to motorcycle wheels? Any advice greatfully recieved . All the best everybody , Leif .
The first thing you will need is a trueing stand which can be either an old swinging arm that you can attach a pointer to to check the runout or a proper type, you can even use your girder forks placed upside down in a vice!.The spoke nipples should usually be tightened until the end of the thread is covered by the nipple and then progressively tighten them up until the produce a "ring" when hit with a spanner After lacing the wheel you put it in the trueing stand and can move the wheel rim by undoing groups of 4 spokes and tigthening the opposite 4. When you have trued it, hit the head of each nipple with a hammer and drift to finally seat the nipple in it's recess and just check the tension on the spokes one last time. It is quite time consuming if you've never done it before but there is a great pleasure in getting one sorted, if you don't get it sorted at least you have saved a bit of money when you take it to your wheelbuilder as the lacing is usually the time consuming part, not the trueing.
