05-17-2019, 04:57 PM
(05-17-2019, 10:47 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: That's a shame that happened.
Spoke breakage is not common but not rare either. The early Bonnevilles 2000-2003 had the issue so often the forums were asking for a recall. It happened to my 2003 Centenial Edition Bonnie as well. I went around a left hander and felt a pop, then more pops and the back end got all wobbly. Had probably a dozen or so broken spokes all together. Triumph thankfully paid for a new wheel.
Right now there is a internet blog of a guy on a BMW GS who's front wheel spokes all disintegrated on him. More reports of similar problems followed. They are wanting a recall on BMW spoked wheels.
Spokes are like the span of a bridge. EAch spoke shares and spreads the pressure between them. If one spoke goes, that puts extra pressure on the remaining spokes, which end up flexing more than they are designed and then another breaks, putting even more pressure on the remaining spokes. pretty soon it's a lost cause and most break.
Spokes look good, they flex making the ride softer, but they also sometimes break.
Had the same experience with the rear wheel of my Kawa LTD 750 Twin. I bought the bike 1998, build in 1983, as a used one and when it was over 20 years old nearly all spokes broke on a ride with two up. All were too much rusted. I managed to ride the Kawa home very slowly and it felt like riding on eggs....not so amusing.
Afterwards I bought a fitting intact used wheel for the LTD, which I found on ebay.
And than later I changed the Kawa for a W650 and so on, also having spoke wheels but never had in issue with them again. Also not with my following W800 and the Bullet. But in my youth they were present with a Velosolex and a Hercules 100 only to name a few. So to say common problems.
I'm glad that my CB has wheels I don't have to worry about. They probably will last forever, may spoke wheels look better or not. They do.
Wisedrum