Front Rim

[Gaston]

I hit a very large pothole on a fine California highway this morning in the dark. it has bent one side of the edge of my rim. Can I fix this myself? What is the best way to go about it? Does the tire have to be taken off to get the edge straightened?

[MartyWadd]

A lot of people might advise against this, but....
I did the same thing to my rear rim about 15,000 miles ago. Dent was so bad, that when the tire pressure was just a little bit low, and the bike was turning at low speed, you could hear the 'hiss-hiss-hiss' as air leaked out from between the rim and tire. Anyway, I just banged it out. I used a heavy hammer and a block of wood (so I wouldn't chip the paint) and just banged for 3 minutes. Working out fine, so far. You could get them straightened, which I think will be between $175-250 per wheel.
Good luck whatever you do.

[Rog(UK) - Yorkshire Dales]

There are two issues I would consider here if it were me; 1. Money. 2. Safety.

If I could get it professionally repaired for say, £50, would I go ahead and get it done? If I would, then I would ask the reason WHY I would be prepared to spend that money rather than try to mend it myself. If the answer is that the end result is a wheel which I would not have to worry about being safe then it's the correct course of action to take.

Following on from that; if the cost is £300, should the decision be affected in any way. Remember, the question has already been asked as to why I would be willing to pay £50 to have it repaired. (It's SAFE).

If I were not prepared to spend £300 to have the wheel repaired professionally (or buy a new/secondhand wheel) but chose to repair the wheel myself after asking those questions, then I think I would have to ask myself, "DO I FEEL LUCKY"

[Gaston]

there are a couple of other things I'm considering;
the damage is not critical, meaning that the tire hasn't lost any pressure and the bead is not exposed from the damage. There is no fracture in the metal.
I have fixed a rim before, but not on this bike and not in several years.
If I tap the rim and get it cleaned up, and don't damage the rim - if it eases back into place, I'll fix it, if it becomes damaged, I'd of had to replace it anyway.

I'm going to research repair costs this afternoon.

Thanks for the good thoughts and the advice on the process.

I'll let you know what I end up doing...

[RideandDrive]

I damaged my front rim on my 2004 severely. I sent it to Woody's Wheel Works in Denver, CO and they overhauled to new for $150.

They are liked by a bunch of GS guys over at advrider.

[r1150rider]

I once bought a '94 Ducati Monster 'cuz it was a screamin' deal, but it had a bent front wheel (still held air, though). I have an acquiantence who has a motorcycle collision repair shop, he charged me $40 to straighten the rim and it took him about 30 minutes. He used a big thick steel "table" and some carefully placed hydraulic jacks... painful to watch (had to bend it the opposite direction way beyond "straight") but when he was done it was spot on.

[Sit]

I was in your shoes last fall, but both my rims took hits from a large rock. The lip on the rear was dented, and I thought just the lip on the front was dented. What I didnt know was the very center of the rim was dented too. This caused the rim to start to flatten after several hundred miles later. Not fun riding on a wheel that is rapidly becoming square! I took the wheel off myself, had the tire removed, took the rotors off and sent the rims to a place called frame straight

http://www.framestraightsystem.com/index.htm

For $140 per rim plus shipping there and back, my rims are good as new. For less than the cost of one new rim, both are back to new. Being that the rims are aluminum, I would not ride on them, knowing what I know now, if I had the same kind of damage to them again. I would call for a tow and end the ride. By the time I got home the rim had a visible flat side on it. I would be leary of just banging on an aluminum rim that I would crack it and cause more damage. Better in my opinion to pay someone who knows what they are doing.

[Gaston]

Hi SitR,

good advice. After getting home and cleaning off the tire, the bend is not easily spotted. To find it again I had to run my hand along the wheel. I first noticed it from the pavement on the wheel maybe from the edge of the pot hole. It is only on one side of the front rim, a good sign, and it is very minor, thank goodness. I'm going to have a shop look at it when I get back from my next business trip.