My First Commando...

Status
Not open for further replies.
hobot said:
seems nearly every other spoke nipple is darkly rusted.
Click to expand...

FYI the alternating dark/light nips were only on front wheel which is 45 yrs old now but with only 8350 miles. Very little rust on or inside rim.
The 16" rear is not OEM but could be same age as I've heard some dealerships sold HiRiders with such rears. But this bike did get a makeover of some kind at a Harley Davidson dealer at mid life (1990's) so could have got this rim then. It is in remarkable condition, no external rust of any kind. Very little within and would likely come off with a good clean...I'm not doing it!
Short spokes are likely polished stainless and look very good. Will see if there is interest in the rim with spoke set...
I'm not planning to rebuild front at this time as all seems good. Even bearings feel like butter, same with rears...I just got bearing sets today in case they needed replacing but gonna ride her on these for a bit.
The cush drive is another story...completely annihilated within hub cavities. Got a replacement set. How long do these typically last?
 
hobot said:
seems nearly every other spoke nipple is darkly rusted

I traced these to be the shortest closest spokes to brake rotor so assume its brake heat causing discoloration.
Click to expand...


Tornado said:
FYI the alternating dark/light nips were only on front wheel which is 45 yrs old now but with only 8350 miles.cavities. Got a replacement set. How long do these typically last?
Click to expand...


The Commando disc front wheel used two different gauges of spoke and therefore two different sets of nipples (alternating at the rim) so it would seem more likely the quality of the plating on the (20) rusty nipples wasn't as good.
 
Tornado said:
The cush drive is another story...completely annihilated within hub cavities. Got a replacement set. How long do these typically last?
Click to expand...

Lifetime is highly variable, depending on the material/source and usage of course..
I'm so sick of replacing them, I've taken to using chunks of braided oil feed hose as a substitute.
One guy cuts up car tires.
If you go this route, make the chunks a very tight fit and keep them slightly below the "surface", or you'll wrestle with mounting the wheel all day.
 
I'm in "strategic retreat" from truing the rear wheel. Got her laced up ok yesterday and rigged up a makeshift stand using bench vice to secure hex head of axle bolt and a bicycle mechanics stand to support/clamp threaded end of that bolt.
After getting wheel pretty true as a first swipe, notice two problem spokes. One seemed about 1/4" short and had over 1/2 of its threads still exposed before nipple. Another spoke some distance away had opposite issue, all the thread was into nipple such that no more tension could be applied and 1/8" of threaded end stood proud of nipple head within the rim bead.
Confirm spokes were the correct head angle and lengths were identical to the others. Noted the rim spoke holes for these two were not uniformly spaced from neighbour holes. Quite an obvious spacing difference...the other 16" steel rim that came on bike has no such uneven spacings.

Suggestions? Is rim poorly made or is this strange spacing a normal thing?
 
Not normal, no. Where did the rim come from? Is it new? Any markings?
Are you offsetting the rim to the D/S, with respect to the hub?
 
Rim is WM18x2.15...alloy from Madass in Phillipines....came with stainless spoke set. No markings anywhere on new rim. Unknown manufacturer.
I checked the previous wheel before dismantling for hub offset from drive side hub flange...it was 37.7 mm from flange to rim centerline...will shoot for that once I get initial true on new rim.

The odd spacing on the weird rim holes is quite obvious...1 hole sitting within 1/2" of next on one side, and more than 1" to next on the other side.
 
Don's stuff is usually very good, and he's probably back from lunch right about now to take an email. Here's a pic of the stock WM2-19 40 spoke version with directional dimples and drilling, which makes measuring the "hole-to-hole" distance not so easy. But clearly the holes pointing toward each other are closer than the holes pointing away from each other.
Can you post a pic of the "problem" area?

Also, I think the rim is actually supposed to be offset 1/8-3/16 (~4 mm) toward the timing side, not the drive side, sorry.
 

Attachments

  • My First Commando...
    IMG_0937.webp
    71.4 KB · Views: 329
Last edited:
And, Madass has responded and quickly offered to ship out a fresh rim asap. He didn't need to see these shots...has had this situation before.

I've got lots of other jobs to do on bike to keep me off the streets for awhile, no harm no foul.
 
Good news, too bad you were so deep in before noticed, we all guilty of excitement by times .... I have a set of wheels Don built up for me including the one piece rear axle, and am very pleased, glad no issues with getting things sorted ...
Craig
 
Yup. As this was a first ever wheel build for me, I would not of noticed anything amiss with spoke hole spacing. It was a good learning exercise and gives me encouragement I was not doing something incorrect. I trusted my gut that something was wrong once those spokes didn't lie right.
 
I laced new spokes in my old bike and it took me a couple days, but I can see when you figure it out, it shouldn't take a couple hours. I certainly got it well within the recommended specs. It's not that hard. Keep us posted.
 
Bummer, I doubt I would have noticed drilling spacing being off until well into the job.
Central Wheel sent me alloy rims and stainless spokes for the Commando.
I was almost finished, true within 10 thou EA way and at 45 inch pounds (55 was the goal) when one spoke nipple stripped.
I replaced it and then another one let go.
Turned out the nipples supplied were incorrect. They were one gauge larger than the spokes supplied. This was only about 15 thou difference as I recall. The nipples threaded on fine but were slightly loose.
I doubt I would have found that problem without the spoke torque wrench.
I'm pretty sure my earlier wheel builds done without the torque wrench finished up at less than 45 inch pounds.
55 is a lot!

Glen
 
The shock loads hitting road lips at hwy speed requires spokes as tight as can tolerate. Not good to just go by torque as each nipple is a bit differently bound by the rim hole angle/finish. The nipple head should be smacked/shocked/vibed to apply final hi torque and small adjustable wrench, adjusted tight, each bite, has more secure grip than preformed wrench. Once rim about perfect best practice is to to tap spokes to tune about same. Each row of same length and attachment of spokes tuned similar then go to next row. Very tedious as wheel can get out of round, so best compromising back and forth till happy or too frustrated to continue.

BTW both my Combats had alternating nipples darker on the ones most connected to brake rotor heat. If a bad finish batch they'd all look similar but distinctly didn't in my 2 Combats, one I left as is. On my 1st Combat before relacing I sliver painted the dark ones as had begun to rust.
 
hobot said:
BTW both my Combats had alternating nipples darker on the ones most connected to brake rotor heat.
Click to expand...

I think the disc would probably melt before brake heat reached the nipples. :D The fact that they are two different sets of nipples alternating at the rim could have had something to do with it.
 
Madass got the replacement shipped out today...great service there.
Today I worked on completing f/r brake rebuilds. New SS pistons in caliper. MC 1/2" piston installed...then as I went to mount on bike discovered the hard line section was nowhere to be found. Had it with caliper on bench a few weeks back. If I can't find it will have to fab a new one from local auto parts store or order a new stock one and wait some more.
 
Just a guess, but even if yr local auto parts store has the correct pcs to make the hard line, don't you need some kind of flaring tool? More power to you, if you can make it happen! L.A.B. cd prob tell you what the "thread pattern" is. I think the hole in the caliper is UNF 3/8-24, but the other end?

I've become an expert at losing things like this in my own garage, so don't feel too bad. It's around there somewhere, just hard to see, right?
Glad to hear yr rim is on the way.
 
I've made up hard lines some years/decades ago when working on an old VW Rabbit...flaring tools are not hard to use and pretty cheap. There's also possibly a pre-made up pipe with correct end fittings of similar length at local auto stores...
Will give the work bench a thorough fine tooth combing...
 
A good policy on strip down is the standard bag and tag procedure, makes everything hard to misplace , hope you find your pipe , no fun driving around looking for parts ....
Craig
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

CH53MechWest
1974 JPN was my first motorcycle.
Replies
8
Views
1,187
ILLF8ED
ILLF8ED
mean gene
My first hot rod Norton
7 8 9 10 11 12
Replies
230
Views
18,891
mean gene
mean gene
Blewdy Yaink
  • Locked
The first Commando Production Racer (?)
2
Replies
33
Views
4,722
grandpaul
grandpaul
M
  • Locked
First Commando purchase books
2
Replies
35
Views
3,986
Eljahara
Eljahara
xbacksideslider
Bought my first Triumph - Stuck Slides
Replies
17
Views
2,288
xbacksideslider
xbacksideslider
Back
Top