Topic: Who has trued a wheel?

[Don R]

 For those that have done it, what is your preference for tolerance for wobble and hop?  I've read different opinions on how close they should be. Anywhere from .5mm to 5mm.  I'm thinking I like within .5mm or around .020" either way.
 The one I'm doing is a 16" Made in England built harley rim for the drag bike, it has a wide spot near the weld but I read that is common.  This one is practice for my18" rear.

[banzaibob]

.020" up and down, side to side is considered good. However, it is not impossible to have new rims with new spokes have less than .002-.003".  Many steel rims will have the reading jump around the welded seams, I ignore those. 
 

[Mini Mo]

Like Banzai said, the rim will jump at the weld. Hopefully when you laced them you kept track of how many turns per nipple and kept them consistent. This really helps.

Take the hop out first and then center it side to side. I've done 5 sets of rims in the last couple of years and .002 - .003 is definitely achievable. In fact I think factory tolerance is in the .020 range

[AJK]

A good way i found to start off was to delace a bicycle wheel and relace it up. A bicycle wheel is harder to do than a motorcycle wheel, so practicing on one & getting it right makes it a good idea because it gets easier for the m/c wheel. An opportunity to get a good feel for what needs to be done. Motorcycle rims don't flex anywhere near as much as a bicycle rim.

Install the inner spokes first, then the outer spokes. Ensure spoke lube or oil is on the nipples.

0.5mm for radial runout and 0.5mm for lateral runout is good enough, as mentioned above.

The rim will have a kink where it is joined/welded. Don't try and get that perfect as you won't be able to. On that, just aim for a good average.

Basically there are 4 items that need iterating through. They are:
(1) Radial runout
(2) Lateral runout
(3) Dish
(4) Tension

Go through steps 1 to 4, then repeat. Keep going until all 1 & 2 are within 0.5mm & the wheel is centered & the spokes have equal and firm tension. You will find that through each iteration, things will take more and more shape. Don't try and get everything perfect first go around. Start rough and it'll come together every iteration.

Fit a new tyre, balance and it will be like a bought one.

I've done both mine to within 0.5mm they are extremely smooth at highway speeds, no different in smoothness to my 2002 blackbird.

[lucky]

For those that have done it, what is your preference for tolerance for wobble and hop?  I've read different opinions on how close they should be. Anywhere from .5mm to 5mm.  I'm thinking I like within .5mm or around .020" either way.
 The one I'm doing is a 16" Made in England built harley rim for the drag bike, it has a wide spot near the weld but I read that is common.  This one is practice for my18" rear.

Honda rims were .008 thousands within true from the factory.
I used to work in a Honda dealership and customers would bring in Harley rims.
Some rims were off up to 1/8 inch where the two ends met and the weld was placed.
It made them hard to true up.


.020 thousandths within true is fine.

[strynboen]

 i do mine ca1 mm in all direksions a bit more in the veld place. it vork fine.. ..but i just use a stick..and press it closer and closer to it cloce fit all vay raund..and up/down...the rim must also be at senter of the hub

have made a cut in the stick so it can messure both side and up/down at same time..its easyer  to use then mikrometer ..

[PeWe]

It is easier with new rims and spokes. Nothing bent to correct.
Last time (2013) I found some threads here to make things easier.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=19575.25

I trued the wheels with the axis rested on 2 jack stands in the kitchen. Marker pen and Dial indicator this time, before only marker pen writing on the rims making the higher points visible.
Holding marker pen stable resting against the stand and slowly go closer to the rotating rim until it hits. It should be an even line all around... Clean with alcohol and do it again between adjustments.
Dial indicator show the wobbling wheel in mm.

I think my goal was under 1mm and I could go around 0.5mm except for the bump at the weld that bumped extra on one of the rims. This could not be adjusted just accepted it.

[scotts73]

I go with 1mm both dimensions as well.  Might need a weight or two to balance but usually smooth as glass when done.

[bwaller]

Don, there can be a huge difference between rim manufacturers. Some welded joints are rather poor and can make the rim look out of true, but rarely has an effect. One of my front Excel valenced is horrible but can't be felt. I just use a couple pieces of tape to mark the section I'm focusing on. I also prefer stationary pointers for both radial & lateral runout and just check with a dial indicator when I see I'm getting close. With a good rim you can get to within a few thou. Depending on how fast you turn it 0.020" might not be noticed, but try for less.

[Don R]

Thanks for taking time to post the photos and the tips, I'm using an old swingarm for a stand. It's looking good, closer than .010" but I'll tweak it some more. I didn't find a good lacing and truing thread in tips and tricks maybe we should make one.
 I did find a great article on hondachoppers for the 16" wheel and my spokes were in/out unlike the ones some have used. A friend has a truing stand, I called him for advise, he's never used it.