[RoadKing]

Do any of you laced wheel riders have issues with your back wheel spokes?? I have had nothing but trouble ... loose, broken, etc. At this point I am considering the expensive option of custom wheels but before I drop the coin I wanted to know if there were any words of wisdom on the sharp looking but troublesome laced wheels. I ride a RK Classic and have thought about putting a solid disk on the back only ... heck, you don't really see that wheel anyway.

[chucktx]

how do you ride your bike?? pretty hard?? how often do you check your spokes?? if ya hammer on the rear wheel alot the spokes are going to loosen up. hard stopping will also do the same. spokes do loosen up, they are not something to ignore. they should be checked at least monthly....or after each trip down the strip. if you dont want to maintain spokes, your best option is a disc.
chuck

[fatboyvtwin]

On my 2004 Road King Classic I have 10,500 miles. I checked my spokes every 1,000 miles up to 5,000. Then I just checked them at 10,000 miles. The book says to check them at every 15,000 miles there after. I think that is to far in between checkings. I will check them at every 5,000 miles just to be safe. Chucktx is right when he asks how hard you ride, how hard do you stop, etc. One of the most important factors in spoke life is how many pot holes have you ran into? The constant slamming and jarring of the rims are the major factor in the life of the spoke. How many miles do you have on your bike? If the miles are high, (50,000-70,000) maybe its time to break the rims down and relace them. If your bike has low miles, there is something seriously wrong. I would relace the rims and true it up. If you don't have the proper machine or tools I would take it to a dealership and have them do the work for you. Of all the times I have checked my spokes I have never had one loose in over 10,000 miles. Keep in mind that the tires and rims are the only things keeping you from having a good time or becoming a wad of road rash. Ride Safe, David.