Vital Tech Tip: How To Build A Complete Wheel 8

From a former wheel engineer this is the most legit wheel building content I have ever come across. Superb video and technical content. Awesome job.

For bicycle wheels, a lot of the time we would use a tension meter to know we were in the right place. Why is that not needed for moto wheels?

I ran a bicycle shop for 15 years before I became a motorcycle mechanic and don't know why we don't use tension meters on motorcycle wheels. I don't recall ever seeing a motorcycle spoke tension meter either. We mostly rely on spoke nipple torque (3-4 ft/ibs). KTM service manuals say to tap the spoke with a screwdriver and you should hear a "high pitch". It seems that somewhere in my travels I have even seen a service manual spec the "note" ( C,D, etc) but can't recall the specific one. Its crude compared to a bicycle wheel.

A few reasons. The diameter of the spoke, and the tensions ~3-5X that of a bicycle spoke become prohibitive in using a deflection method to measure spoke tension.

I really appreciate the tech tip vids. I would have liked to have seen the technique for adjusting the dish if the wheel hadn’t been at spec initially. Thanks.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to get too in depth on the video. To correct the dish I recommend tightening or pulling the side that needs to be dished when the wheel is at 3/4 tension. Tighten the spokes on one side of the rim 1/4 to 1/2 turn and check the dish. Repeat the process if necessary until the wheel is in spec.

Great video

Thanks
Well done