Loose spokes
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 710
Likes: 2
From: San Bruno
Loose spokes
so while riding on saturday i noticed a wobble in my bars that wasnt there before. when i got home i was checking my tire pressure and noticed most (if not all) of the spokes on my rear wheel were loose. called the dealer and spoke to a mechanic and right off the bat he asks, "do you do alot of holeshots?" and i prettymuch knew right away why my spokes were loose on only the back.... so i guess hard launches will make the spokes loosen up. ive never heard this before but thinking about it i guess its very possible. mechanic was nice enough to mention that admitting to holeshots wouldnt let my warranty cover the work and said he was willing to forget the conversation we had and to set up an appointment to have them fix it under warranty. just goes to show not all dealerships are crooks. but im wondering if theres a way i can tighten them, or would i have to worry about them being un-balanced? once my deal goes through on the mags and i get them powdercoated, ill be throwing them on. but if i leave the rear wheel the way it is would i have to worry about spokes falling off the wheel or the wheel failing causing me to wreck?
Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 950
Likes: 0
From: ENGLAND
some one else has mentioned this problem on here in the last few weeks ,
big adventure bikes have spoked wheels without to much trouble , there heavy , have high torque motors and bounce about a bit off road as well , so i think it might be a quality control issue at the moco
big adventure bikes have spoked wheels without to much trouble , there heavy , have high torque motors and bounce about a bit off road as well , so i think it might be a quality control issue at the moco
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 9,278
Likes: 1,138
From: southeast PA
You can use a spoke wrench to tighten them. I would not ride it with all the spokes loose, but that's just me. Do all the hole shots you want, just keep an eye on them.
Make it part of your new-to-be habit of checking all the fittings on a regular basis.
Make it part of your new-to-be habit of checking all the fittings on a regular basis.
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Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 710
Likes: 2
From: San Bruno
well im switching over to a solid dyna mag. but it looks like itll be a while before i get a chance to change them since ill need to get them powdercoated before i can put them on.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6,642
Likes: 48
From: Ogden, UT
Problem is that once you tighten spoke you stand the chance of elongating the holes in the hub. Check those very carefully and if you see them out of round, time for at least a new hub. The spoke don't general get loose due to unscrewing, they are loose because the hole is no longer round.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,971
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From: In front of the computer for now.
If you're going to tighten your own spokes, make sure you do it in a truing stand and do it right.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,243
Likes: 14
From: Right where I belong!
Thats the one part of the 1K service check I have yet to complete. I think I am going to take it to an Indy cause I just dont feel like buying the tools/jack right now. Reading through the service manual it didnt say anything about a truing stand, just said you have to get the wheel off the ground. Not that a truing stand isnt the best way to go......
Stage I
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Just purchased a 2012 FLSTC and it's already back in the shop for loose spokes. The trouble is, the rear wheel is on back order and HD has no idea when it will come off of back order. If the wheel is on back order and they can't tell you when it will be available, kind of think that there are a lot of bikes with this issue. Sounds like they should do a recall and maybe put solid wheels on these bikes.