Removing spokes from 18 inch'

Qawls

Been Around the Block
Hi guys, interested to know if you can lace tires yourself or if it's best to leave it to the experts? Trying to cut costs, I'm looking to remove the spokes to clean em up and also to spray the rims themselves. Is it hard/ possible to do without the right equipment. Should I just leave it to the experts?

Cheers!
 
Oh and also any possible techniques for removing the spokes in the first place? :-[
I'm new to this obviously! Thanks guys.
 
Youtube. Once you learn to do one wheel, you'll be surprised how fast you lace succeeding wheels. Buy or make a truing stand. I bought one from Harbor Freight for something like $30. If the original spokes are fused to the nipples, cut 'em off. Seeing as how some OEM spokes are hard to come by (unless you have the bank to hit up Buchannans), I would try Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, or a similar product first.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENrRl2FyNTw
 
Lacing the spokes are not too difficult. The hard part is truing them once you have them laced. If you decide to have someone do it, you'll be hard pressed to find someone to do it.

On my '72 CB350, I have 36 spokes. There are 9 sets of four spokes. So, it's a pattern that repeats 9 times. There are two types of spokes: inner and outer spokes. If you're going to replace the spokes (about $100 for both front & rear sets), you can just cut off the old spokes. To remove the spokes without cutting, you'll have to pull the tire and tube off the rim. Once done, you'll see the protective rubber strip running around the rim. Remove that and replace it later ($4). Using a common (straight) screw driver, unscrew the nipples to free up the spokes. If they're rusted or the head is stripped out, use a small wrench to turn the nipples loose as the lower part of the nipple is hex shaped. Once all the nipples are removed, pull the rim away and start threading out the old spokes.

Before you start, take LOTS of photos so you can see the pattern and how it works. Also, do not disassemble both wheels at the same time. Keep one as a pattern for the other. Once you have the first one done up, use that as the pattern to relace the other wheel.

Truing the wheel is the hard part. I was fortunate enough to find someone in town who's an old school repair shop. He doesn't do bikes, just bike part repair. He only charged me $30 for each wheel to true them. Truing them requires tightening from all sides equally so that your wheel is round and straight (true). If a few spokes are loose, your wheel can be out of round and/or not straight.

Do a google search for relacing and truing wire wheels. There are some good articles and videos on how to do it.
 
Great response already hitting up Youtube! Is it possible to clean the spokes with those products as well as removing them? What would you say the best method would be for cleaning spokes?
 
No need for taking pics. The rim shows you where to insert inner spokes. Insert one, skip three holes, insert next and so on and so on... Mine were pretty bad, so I used sand paper. It can be rough on the fingers and tedious as hell. Some dudes paint or powder coat. I did the laborious searching on Ebay and calling dealerships to find my KZ spokes. Fell 8 short so I had to use the originals. Picked the best of and spread them out amongst the NOS spokes. Ha! Also, on my KZ, I didn't realize that spokes were different lengths for KZ's only a year or two apart. Luckily, I was able to return mine and find another seller with the right spokes. Dealerships can charge up to $9.00 per spoke! Buchanan's spokes can run you $100 (each wheel) or more because they make them per order.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1_AdHG7fGY
 
So you're suggesting that it's probably best that I buy a new set of spokes? I guess it would be a lot less work, hmm decisions, decisions. I guess if I'm doing it myself I'm saving money so using these funds to buy a new set of spokes wouldn't be a bad idea.
 
Now, changing tires is a whole different story. I'd rather lace and true three sets of wheels than remove and mount one motorcycle tire! I won't even mention mounting a sport bike rear tire by hand.
 
Qawls said:
So you're suggesting that it's probably best that I buy a new set of spokes? I guess it would be a lot less work, hmm decisions, decisions. I guess if I'm doing it myself I'm saving money so using these funds to buy a new set of spokes wouldn't be a bad idea.

How bad are they?
 
Hmm they're not bad, I might just do it myself and get the experts to change the tires. I want to recycle as much as possible and it doesn't really bother me if it takes a lot of time. Let's just call it a challenge, I found another thread were a guy has done just that and his wheels look spot on!
 
Take a bolt cutter or angle grinder to the spokes. Start fresh with new spokes. An old bicycle trick that I learned and am going to use on mine is to true them in the forks/swingarm. Use a piece of chalk to mark the rims where they are out of true and adjust tension in the spokes in the bad areas to get them true. Better to tighten than loosen.
 
mach said:
Take a bolt cutter or angle grinder to the spokes. Start fresh with new spokes. An old bicycle trick that I learned and am going to use on mine is to true them in the forks/swingarm. Use a piece of chalk to mark the rims where they are out of true and adjust tension in the spokes in the bad areas to get them true. Better to tighten than loosen.

That's actually a mad idea using the swing arm! Thanks a lot man, I didn't really want to buy a truing stand as this is my first build. Kudos!
 
Sure, I know what you mean. There's plenty of elbow grease required in this game. So far, I've learned that wheels in good condition can be challenging to find and that includes spokes. With my CB 750 project, I got to make one good front wheel out of three, the original and two that were supposed to be in "good useable condition) and purchased off ebay. I was fortunate that the spokes were in remarkable condition. With my KZ project, the wheels and spokes were covered in a nice crust of rust. I got tired of searching for decent rims, got burned on one purchase, and ended up powder coating the originals. Luckily, they turned out nicely. But, I think my experiences have been pretty typical of what builders of cafe bikes encounter.
 
Yeah I don't know man, I think I will buy a new set but it's gonna cost me haven't found many decent sets for sale that would fit my cb360 is there an online store that you could direct me to possibly. Something that does ship internationally please!
 
You have options.

Lowest cost:
(If they spokes and rim are OK but dull and not rust pitted)
Clean up what you have and spray the hub, spokes and rim with good quality rattle can silver.

Most expensive but "best":
(if the rim or spokes are rust pitted or you just want the best quaility)
Cut out spokes and replace them with stainless steel spokes from Bucahanan into a new rim and with a painted or polished hub.

Middle of the road answer is that spokes can be re-plated with zinc if they are dull bit not pitted. We have done that dozens of times. It does save the original parts and is a little cheaper than SS spokes, but not cheap.

I have tried all three approaches at different times and it depends on what's available and the budget. I tend to buy used aluminum rims and polish them and polish the hub and use plated spokes.
 
Hmm not too interested in buying new rims/ spokes, my budget is pretty low already. I'm following another build (CB360), and what this guy has done is very impressive! I think I may just follow what he has done. To be honest I don't really like the idea of using a rattle can for anything, even though I'm sure in some cases it may look better than a professional job. I want this build to look super clean!

Check it out...
http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=33763.0
 
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