Motorcycle Wheel Repairs: How to Fix a Bent Rim

Mechanic fixing custom motorcycle wheel

Motorcycle wheel straightening is a process of motorcycle rim repair that can be used to get your bent motorcycle rim back into shape. This blog post will go over the basics of what you need to know about this process, and how it works. It also goes through some possible causes for bent motorcycle rims, and suggests ways to fix them so they don’t happen again!

But first, we often get asked the question ‘can you straighten motorcycle wheels’? To which the answer is almost always: yes, you can! There are a few different ways to go about this process, and the right way will depend on what type of motorcycle rims are on your bike.

If it’s an aluminum wheel then there is a good chance that bending the motorcycle rim back into shape should be relatively easy. An alloy motorcycle wheel repair is a different story completely. A bent wheel is dangerous and will get in the way of a safe ride. Bent wheels can cause a simple wobble side to side or dipping when cornering. Most rims, including used rims and damaged rims, can be safely restored.

In most cases, the reason your wheel is not straight, how bent your motorcycle rims are or what your wheels are made out of will determine whether or not this is a job for the mechanic or yourself.

How To Fix Your Bent Rims Yourself:

Step One – Analysis What Caused The Bent Rim

Worker changing a motorcycle tire

Check the cause of your bent motorcycle rim. Is it a result of a crash? If so, then you shouldn’t waste time with this article and instead should take your motorcycle wheels to see if they can be fixed at a local motorcycle shop or place that specializes in such work. There are some things which just cannot be done by yourself and a motorcycle rim repair of this nature is one of those things!.

However, if your bent motorcycle rim is the result of a more gradual process (such as too much weight on one side of the bike putting pressure on one side of your motorcycle wheel), then there is a good chance that bending the rim back into shape should be relatively easy.

For this reason, it’s worth reading this article and investigating some ways to do just that before you take them off to a professional for repair that could cost as but as a brand new motorcycle wheel!

Step Two – Remove The Motorcycle Wheels & Clean Rim

Worker changing a motorcycle tire

To start the motorcycle rim repair, remove the motorcycle wheels from your motorcycle and place it on a flat surface like a table, bench, or workbench. Clean off any dirt that’s accumulated with some warm soapy water (you can use dishwashing liquid or degreaser) to make sure you’re starting out with clean metal surfaces in order to avoid getting dirt trapped in the motorcycle rim.

Step Three – Bend Motorcycle Rim Into Place

Worker changing a motorcycle tire

Use a rubber mallet to gently tap the motorcycle wheel back into shape, working from one side of the bend to the other so as not to cause damage on any parts of your motorcycle rims that are already straight or which have been damaged by previous accidents. When you’re done it should be as straight or a little straighter than it was before. Motorcycle rim repair takes time and smaller taps are better.

Step Four – Evaluate If More Motorcycle Wheel Repair Is Needed

nice rims

Remove the motorcycle wheel from its original place and try turning it to see if you’ve fixed the bent wheel. If there is still an issue, repeat steps two, three, and four on the other side until both sides are aligned with one another. Once this has been done, use the rubber mallet to gently tap in any final corrections.

Conclusion

You should see a noticeable difference in how straight your bike’s wheels are when you’re done with this process compared to the bent wheel you started with. And if you’re still not happy with the wheel repair then it’s best to go back and do another pass-through for your wheel repair.

This is a way to fix bent wheels on a motorcycle without needing to buy new parts or having a mechanic deal with a wheel repair! Follow these steps and let your bike sit overnight in order to make sure the wheel has enough time to cool off before riding it again. This process can be done who wants a wheel repair completed in under an hour.

Now as promised, this motorcycle wheel repair article has taught you how to fix a bent motorcycle wheel in 5 minutes, but it can take a while longer to do the actual motorcycle wheel repair itself. Take your time with the motorcycle wheel repair, damaged motorcycle rims are a patient person’s game!

DISCLAIMER: if you are unsure about repairing your motorcycle yourself, please seek professional advice. This advice is general in nature and should not be used as a professional opinion. If you are unsure of how your rim was bent, have completely broken motorcycle wheels, or require an alloy wheel repair contact a professional mechanic.

About The Author

daniel and sarah on motorcycle

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