KDXRIDER.NET

Hi everyone,

So I noticed a ton of play in my rear wheel the other day. So I took it off and all of the spokes are VERY loose. I tried to tighten them but none are budging. I brought it to my local dealership and they quoted me $300 to fix the wheel and replace the barrings. Are they trying to scam me? Any suggestions for what I can do myself?

Thanks!

Did they say how they were going to "fix" it?

Check some videos on lacing a wheel and see if it is something you think you are comfortable with.

If you enjoy getting your hands dirty, you can get new spokes, nipples and bearings and do it yourself for substantially less then $300.

Spokes are an item of maintenance, like just about everything else on your bike.

Spoke tightening and wheel truing can be a time consuming and fussy job if its not something you do every day, but Its a skill every dirt bike rider should acquire.

Most likely the dealer is figuring a worst case scenario, and is quoting repairs accordingly. He may find that the spokes are so seized they need to be replaced.

If I were you, the first thing I would do is get a PROPER spoke wrench, not one of those multi-slot one size fits all things. I got my wrench set at Cycle Gear. In the past I've used a 6" Crescent wrench, but a proper spoke wrench is so much better. Of course removing the tire and tube first goes without saying

Next, give all the nipples a good soaking in penetrating oil, and let them sit for a few days. P B Blaster penetrating oil works pretty good, however I have found that a 50/50 mix of Acetone and ATF Type F works twice as good.

Once you get all the nipples loose and turning, you next need to tighten the spokes and true up the wheel. There's all kinds of info available on the web and at the library, so do some research to learn how to do it. You may find you have to bite the bullet and replace the spokes, but you should be able to do this yourself.

On my KDX, both wheels are laced up in a cross 2 pattern, while my other bikes are laced up cross 3.

Good luck.