Thursday, 6 December 2012

Correct Methods Are Needed For Motorcycle Wheel Repair

By Tim Kiv


Not all wheels for a motorcycle can be re-engineered to meet safety specifications once they have been damaged by potholes and scrapes against curbs and road debris. When extreme damage occurs it is probably better for riders to buy another tire rather than risk death or injury. A motorcycle wheel repair process requires a different machining tool than the mounted machine process that is used on wheels for automobiles.

Restoring the tire to original condition is possible but not probable and most technicians will try to return the tire in usable condition. The scooter repairman realizes that a lot is riding on his opinion, and thorough checks are completed before any determination is turned over to the customer.

Wheels for motorcycles must stand up to high performance standards due to the high number of spins that the unit will experience during a normal ride. The tire and alloy frame will have to be checked out thoroughly before a true estimate of damage can be done.

The spin test will reveal how much stress is placed on a tire when it is not rated at full use capacity. Wheels will be viewed carefully for evidence of cracking. Some cracks are clearly cosmetic and are repaired with welding.

Different settings of hydraulic pressure and heat will be used for testing to accommodate different tire sizes that apply to different bike models. Pressures might differ more if bikes such as dirt bikes have accessories attached that add weight to the vehicle.

Two types of inspections are done before any repair task can begin. The entire wheeling assembly must be checked for lateral soundness for vertical motion to rule on the degree that the tire wobbles. At this point, visible damage such as twisted frames or broken spokes are possible.

Then the technician will complete a vertical damage check to rule on radial soundness by using metric measurements and spinning techniques to determine how much the tire is out of round. From this point, hydraulic pressure will be applied to correct each discrepancy and determine what kind of motorcycle wheel repair will be necessary.




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