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Bent wheel - ugh.


John in VA

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Back from a ride yesterday to find I have a bent front wheel. Tire shows no damage. I rode around today for 50 mi. and no air leakage (always maintain 40F/42R) and no vibration/imbalance at speed. New wheel is crazy expensive. There's a shop in the area that fixes bent m/c and auto wheels for $200 but is that safe? Would you bite the bullet and buy/install a new wheel? Or just ride??

 

Btw, PR4 wear is at 7200 mi.

 

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Have you considered filing an insurance claim? When I bent the front wheel on my 04 RT the estimate from the dealer was about $1800. I filed a claim and don't regret it at all. I had people telling me that my insurance would go up. Well it did about 2 years later for about $10 a year. I think I made the right choice.

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That's too bad. Same thing happened to me on my RT's maiden voyage south. I did ride it fifteen hundred miles with no issues. Had it repaired when I got back but also had to have it re-powder coated. The fix & coating was somewhere in the six hundred dollar range. Soon as I saw the bent rim I had an instant flashback to the nice lady in the sales department that tried to sell me wheel coverage. She failed. :ohboy:

 

Pat

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Evening John

 

Without removing the tire & fully inspecting the damage there is no way to tell from an internet picture if it is repairable.

 

The good news is that most are reparable unless the alloy is cracked or severely distorted.

 

If you chose to have that wheel repaired you will need to find a qualified shop as it has more damage then just the bead area (see arrows for subtle distortion in the center area)

 

 

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Helpful responses from all, thanks. I'm considering getting it fixed locally or just taking it to the dealer and getting a new wheel installed under insurance. By far the largest portion of my premium is for collision coverage so maybe I should just get that back after the deductible.

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Motobricker

I hit a baseball sized rock with my 08RT couple of years ago, really bent the wheel. I would no recommend fixing a bent wheel. Remember that is only one of two on your bike, is it worth the risk??

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I would not hesitate to have it repaired locally. I have done that on two V Strom rims and they were perfect after repair. I even put them on a stand and tested runout before mounting. As DR said, as long as there isn't cracking there is a good chance they are repairable.

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Like I mentioned, I had to have the rim re-powder coated. Now I had mine custom coated gloss black when new. Point is, they will probably damage the finish on the rim when fixing which would drive the cost closer to a new replacement.

 

 

Pat

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I bent my front wheel on a pothole. Filed with insurance and was totally covered with no deductible or rate increase.

My dealer let me have the old wheel which I had repaired to like new at Woody's. Added rotors and bearings and

now had a spare front. I bought a used rear wheel from salvage yard so I ended up with a full set of spare

wheels which always have a new set of fun tyres mounted ready for a trips. :thumbsup:

The only drawback is the grief the wife gives me about the spares living in the front hall closet. :rofl:

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If no issues with air loss, vibrations or wiggles, I'd leave it as it is. If you must get a replacement, check rubbersideup.com, they may have something that will suffice.

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