Spokes
- Thread starter Gretsch
- Start date
hankmarx
750cc
Hey pbodner, is it on the chain side, rear wheel?
I would replace it as soon as i could.
I might ride the bike to the shop to get it fixed though.
DandyDoug
750cc
There is a long history of broken spokes over on the NTBF and several have filed complaints with NHTSA. Triumph never acknowledged there was a problem as far as I know. They did completely change the rear hub design in 08 or 09.
The easiest fix is to safety wire your spokes together where they cross. This may help prevent a puncture if a spoke breaks. I did mine and don't worry about it now. I do check them several times a year especially before a long ride and when I get home from one. Sometimes I find one or two a bit loose, sometimes not. Checking spokes is something I got used to many years ago so for me it's not really an issue, just regular maintenance.
Another option is to send your wheels to Buchannans or Woody's wheel works. They will rebuild them with stronger/bigger spokes , but the design issue of the hub is still there. Since the bikes are built to a price, some components are not going to be of the highest quality and there in lies the problem.
The easiest fix is to safety wire your spokes together where they cross. This may help prevent a puncture if a spoke breaks. I did mine and don't worry about it now. I do check them several times a year especially before a long ride and when I get home from one. Sometimes I find one or two a bit loose, sometimes not. Checking spokes is something I got used to many years ago so for me it's not really an issue, just regular maintenance.
Another option is to send your wheels to Buchannans or Woody's wheel works. They will rebuild them with stronger/bigger spokes , but the design issue of the hub is still there. Since the bikes are built to a price, some components are not going to be of the highest quality and there in lies the problem.
Gretsch
Rocker
Yeah I remember reading a lot about it on RatNet. I might go for a relace if I decide to powder coat the wheels.
KingBear
Hooligan
I've also read quite a few complaints about spokes, but I don't know how many of them are valid and I'm not convinced that a direct cause/effect has been identified. My suspicion is that the complaints are for the most part anecdotal, and even though we should all be sure to check our bikes for safety there's probably not a latent defect in the design or manufacturing.
I was just told that there are 4 different types of spokes on that particular rear wheel and the cost of the spoke is 4.50 and that the labor is the same as putting on a new tire about an hour to an hour and a half depending on the other spokes and how long it takes to true the wheel.
The spoke that broke is not on the chainside but on the left.
koifarm
Hooligan
Hey Doug, I understand the safety wire thing but could you please post a picture of how you did it?.....I'll have to dig but I think I've got an old safety wire tool from my aircraft days.....I wonder if there is a need to use standard safety wire or galv. elect. fence wire.....
Oxblood
750cc
All I know is that in 8 years of riding bikes with spokes the only two I had break were on my year old (at the time with less miles on it than any other bike I've owned) Triumph.
BlackBonNYC
Two Stroke
so you think triumph started using a completely different hub design starting in 2008 just for fun?
KingBear
Hooligan
No, I'm sure it was a concerted effort at improvement. What I'm trying to say is that I don't know how many real problems there were with the Bonneville spokes relative to the number of bikes they sold, and how common the problem is with spoked wheels in general as compared to the Bonnie in particular. It's impossible to quantify just based on what we read on Internet forums. Also, is the problem with the hub, spoke, or nipple?Based on everything I've read here and on the other forum I can't tell if there's a problem or not, and if so, what it is or how it can be fixed. :d
I'll shut up now.
I'll shut up now.
DandyDoug
750cc
Sorry no camera, but I'll try and explain it.
Where the spokes cross each other I simply put a couple of inches of SS Safety wire in a loop, then put the ends in my safety wire pliers, gave it some spins and trimmed off anything that I felt was too long. Then I bent the twisted part along the axis of one of the spokes. You do need to be mindfull of it being there when you wash the bike, OUCH !! ( don't ask me how I discovered that) LOL
My fix has been done by several others and as far as I know , no one has reported a flat after it was done from a broken spoke. I did not originate the fix, I saw it on another guys bike one day. He had , had a broken spoke and a puncture prior to the fix.
A better way to do the job would be to start at one spoke where they cross, put the loop around the start spoke give it a couple turns and then proceed on to the next etc. It would take some much longer wire and a bit of skill but I think it would be doable.
Where the spokes cross each other I simply put a couple of inches of SS Safety wire in a loop, then put the ends in my safety wire pliers, gave it some spins and trimmed off anything that I felt was too long. Then I bent the twisted part along the axis of one of the spokes. You do need to be mindfull of it being there when you wash the bike, OUCH !! ( don't ask me how I discovered that) LOL
My fix has been done by several others and as far as I know , no one has reported a flat after it was done from a broken spoke. I did not originate the fix, I saw it on another guys bike one day. He had , had a broken spoke and a puncture prior to the fix.
A better way to do the job would be to start at one spoke where they cross, put the loop around the start spoke give it a couple turns and then proceed on to the next etc. It would take some much longer wire and a bit of skill but I think it would be doable.
RumRunner
Street Tracker
This while it may look cleaner, would not be the best option IMO. If you had a problem with this style of saftey wiring, you would not be able to replace one or two spokes without having to re-wrire the entire rim. I would think doing it the way you are would be the best, but rather than have the tail run up the spoke when you're done, I'd have it aim towards the next set of spokes. Then when you start with your next piece of wire you'd daisy chain or hook it around the tail from the previous spokes. This would allow for repairs and be a simpler installation.
Ready to Ride
Scooter
After the 4th nipple broke, while under warranty but with 22,000 + miles, Triumph replaced my rear wheel with a new one with the redesigned hub.
DandyDoug
750cc
Please go over to the NTBF and post this important information in the "Broken Spokes" section.
You may be the first and only person to have accomplished getting the new rear hub from Triumph. To me this clearly say's , they are aware of the problem and we should all get a new rear hub as a matter of principal, whether we have had broken spokes or not.
You may be the first and only person to have accomplished getting the new rear hub from Triumph. To me this clearly say's , they are aware of the problem and we should all get a new rear hub as a matter of principal, whether we have had broken spokes or not.
Ready to Ride
Scooter
I do not believe Triumph replaced the wheel in recognition of a design defect but in response to California's Lemon Laws and the fact the wheel failed four times after dealer repair attempts while under warranty, albeit at 22,000 + miles.
It is also worth noting that the failure mode was not the most common spoke breakage at the bend near the hub, on the left outer spokes, but nipple failures; the nipples seperated at the wheel. An friend who is an engineer suggested that this was result of hydrogen embrittlement caused by process problems during plating of the batch of brass nipples. Oxblood's photo indicates he suffered a nipple failure, not the more common spoke failure, too.
I have previously posted about my experience at the NTBF.