Lets talk Spokes, folks...

[Guest]

So I tore my wheels down to rims, hubs and a pile of crusty spokes. I'm bringing the hubs and rims in to get powder coated, but figured buying new spokes would be a hell of a lot easier than cleaning up the old ones, and would probably be a good idea on a bike this age. Any good links or deals on spoke sets?

[Chum]

Great idea. Keep us posted on the outcome with pictures and such. I've contemplated the idea of such a wheel rebuild on my KZ650 but am just too intimidated.
Try these guys http://www.buchananspokes.net/

I've never used them but I have spoken to a rep there and they seem really helpful.

[salty_monk]

Buchanan are good but pricey.... Maybe something here that will fit: http://www.mikesxs.net/products-56.html#products

[Chum]

Salty, how does a person know if those rims are compatible with their hubs? Thanks.

[Nessism]

Salty, how does a person know if those rims are compatible with their hubs? Thanks.

As long as the spoke count is correct, you should be okay. At least that's the case with bicycle wheels.

[Chum]

Is there no difference in spoke diameter?

[Nessism]

Is there no difference in spoke diameter?

There is. You asked about rims though.

[Chum]

My concern is whether or not the spokes that are compatible with the rims that you kindly link us to are compatible with my hub. Thanks for your time

[Big Rich]

Spokes are usually compatible with hubs with no issues. It is the nipple diameter in the rim that can mess you up. Older nipples are usually a smaller diameter (with rims to match). So when you get new spokes & nipples, sometimes they are too big for older rims.

[Big T]

My wheel guy had to drill my original 78 rims to accept the Buchanon spoke nipples

[Joe Nardy]

There are several factors to consider when building spoke wheels. Spoke length and diameter are important. Stock spokes are usually thinner than aftermarket spokes like the ones from Buchanan's. This may require drilling out the spoke nipple holes, as Todd mentioned. Also, if you are switching rims the drop center depth may be different, requiring different spoke lengths. I discussed this with Buchanan's as I was thinking of purchasing rims. They said their rims had a deeper drop center than OEM rims so shorter spokes would be necessary. Also, beware that the spokes have different bend angles. The spokes that go in from the inside of the hub have a different angle than the ones that go in from the outside. This is important to know as one type will work for inside and outside but the other will only work for one. I think the inside spokes will work for both but the outside will not work for the inside. Be sure to take a close look at the spokes and separate them before building the wheel.

I have another set of hubs I am considering building up and would be interested in using Mike's XS rims and spokes. Since their spokes are meant to be used with Yamaha hubs it would be necessary to measure the spoke lengths to see if they have any that would work. This would also require measuring the drop center depth and comparing to stock rims to be sure the length is correct. Since you will be using stock rims and hubs this will not be a concern. You would just need to see if they have any spokes of the same length and nipple diameter.

Thanks,
Joe

[Havoc1231]

Sorry for my lack of participation in this thread. Just got back from a week and a half vacation. I'm planning on using the original hubs and spokes, which are currently out for powder coat. For the most part I'm not thinking of having too much "flash" on this bike, so I might just stick with the original spokes and just give them a good once, twice, three times the lady over with a scouring pad and a soak in carb part cleaner. I was hoping to avoid this labor intensive task by just picking up some OEM replacements so I don't have to do any of the aforementioned drilling and fiddling around with my nice new powdered rims. I'll measure mine and see what the diameters and lengths are to see if the buchanan sets will work. If not, it'll be off to good ol' ebay I guess. Thanks for all the input.

[xxBenJamminxx]

If your planning on cleaning up your old ones, Id recommend using Luster Lace. They worked great for really cleaning up all my dirt bike spokes I had a few years ago. Also great for polishing alot of round hard to get to areas/places.

Also not sure if they make spokes for street bike applications but "Bulldog" brand spokes are the only kind that we (me and my buddies) used that did not bend on us while racing and riding hard.

[Havoc1231]

Thanks Ben. Actually just got a call from the powder coat place saying the rust on the rims was not just on the surface but all the way through, so it seems like I'll be buying all new wheels. It seems like the easiest thing would be to buy a whole wheel, rather than just buying new rims and spokes for my hubs. We'll see which option is more in my price range.