Straightening bent BMW rims

KTMphil

KTMphil

Senior member
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Location
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikes
2007 KTM 990 Adventure Suzuki DRZ 400
12,000 kms to Siberia and we found some man size potholes. At speed hitting them even with 30 psi in the tires, the shock loading bent the rims.


New rims have been ordered, in the mean time these need to be corrected

P_20151106_124811.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Rear wheel has one big ding causing the tire to bulge in that area. Cockpit, Hang Dong have seen this 100 times and have their methods for trying to correct things.


First small hammer and some wood tp protect the rim


P_20151106_120200.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



P_20151106_120216.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Better but still a bit square


P_20151106_120555.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Using a heavier plastic mallet to try get the rear rim more round


P_20151106_121108.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Concerned about banging the brake rotor that has to come off


P_20151106_121423.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



A big swing the brake rotor out of the way, almost true again after he was done

P_20151106_121629.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
Front rim had 2 massive dings and at 60 km/hr felt like it was square

P_20151106_124800.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Gentle bashes at first see if it would bend back

P_20151106_124859.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Not budging so some big swings


P_20151106_124901.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Still not budging, so time for the double handed sledge hammer


P_20151106_125241.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Obviously the black annodizing on the rim didnt like this very much

P_20151106_125244.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



THis big swing got the rim to bend back, amazing how robust these rims are


P_20151106_125306.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



The rebound from the hit


P_20151106_125309.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



Mostly round again, time to mask them up and black spray the pounded rim area


P_20151106_130701.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



P_20151106_130722.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




P_20151106_130942.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr
 
How Did the other Bikes Fare Phil ? .... Just unlucky or is it a design fault ?
 
Black anodized? Maybe when the rims are aluminium but steel rims are normally not anodized?!

What a rude way to try and get the rims back into shape, note to self not to bring any rims to Cockpit.
Remove the tires, apply heat, using a suitable anvil and it should be possible to get the rims back into a reasonable shape.
 
brake034 said:
Black anodized? Maybe when the rims are aluminium but steel rims are normally not anodized?!

What a rude way to try and get the rims back into shape, note to self not to bring any rims to Cockpit.
Remove the tires, apply heat, using a suitable anvil and it should be possible to get the rims back into a reasonable shape.
Click to expand...


Pretty sure the rims will by Ally even on this type of bike .
Totally with u on the repair method though .... think i would have kept it secret 55555. Can u imagine if the work hardening ( real stuff ) caused the rim to break on the way home !
 
All the energy the boys try to put in with the hammer is absorbed by the bottom tire they are working on. They could not even straighten a bend nail that way.....
 
brake034 said:
All the energy the boys try to put in with the hammer is absorbed by the bottom tire they are working on. They could not even straighten a bend nail that way.....
Click to expand...



So why did they straighten then?


22793588166_7a1e47c51b_b.jpg
 
Because of the sheer force they put in it. With the tires off and working on a hard surface they could have done it with less force.
 
brake034 said:
Because of the sheer force they put in it. With the tires off and working on a hard surface they could have done it with less force.
Click to expand...


This was a quick and easy trail to see if they would bend back until the new Excel rims arrive and did the job.
 
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