Broken spokes -> NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE!!!

[Cormanus]

Can’t say I blame him. That would have been really scary. I wonder what happened. It looks like the result of a significant impact.

[Lord Popgun]

From what very little I know, spokes usually break from fatigue. Maybe one let go, then the load is taken up by the rest and they start to go then more.

Maybe there is a wheel expert here and they can shed some light on this.

The only broken spoke problem I had was on my bicycle. It was strange to me though. A whole lot of spokes on both wheels had broken in various places along the spoke shaft. This after sitting in the garage for the winter. The bike shop just said it happens and relaced the wheels. Looked like maybe corrosion, but from what? I only rode it in nice weather.

[max]

Not good news and thanks for the heads-up Riko, i'm not good with wheels but a quick search on yt found this;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD4am9PHY70

seems like a good test to begin with.
Something odd in Riko's video; every OTHER spoke seems to have failed and in the "drive" direction.

.

[Bazbro_imp]

Thanks, Cormanus. I'm actually using my 'phone - Samsung Galaxy S8+
I've tried to move away from using my computer and so far it's working well. This video problem is an unusual hiccup, annoying more than anything.

[the Ferret]

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.

[Stichill_imp]

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.

ferret can you post a link?

[the Ferret]

STichill my wife is asleep in by the computer, I'm on my ipad. Just google "Broken spokes BMW GS", lots of info

Wait think I have this figured out..here's one

https://motorbikewriter.com/crash-prompt...eel-probe/

[Stichill_imp]

Holy Spokes! I mean Holy Smokes!

Thanks for the link, ferret!

P.S. The image of ferret on an iPad cracks me up!

[GoldOxide_imp]

It is too bad this happens on bikes well into the 21st century. There really is no excuse. In addition, I reckon in the case of BMW they would be over-engineered enough to manage a few weaken spokes without a cascade failure.

[Cormanus]

Isn't that a bit hash, GO? Surely it's in the nature of spokes to fail from time to time. They're slender little things and there's lots of them on every wheel. One gets out of kilter and then the process Ferret describes follows. It's a good reason not to have them, I reckon.