Motorcycle Technical ArticlesMotorcycle wheels

Straightening Motorcycle Wheels

Did you ever wonder how a motorcycle wheel is straightened?  I didn’t even realize that they could be straightened.

Mark Moran owns M.C. Wheel, in Gilsum, New Hampshire.  Mark can straighten most (over 95%) of the wheels they receive, and all their work is guaranteed.

M.C. Wheel has straightened over 15,000 wheels over the last 10 years or so, without a single failure due to the straightening process they use (this does not include wheels that are beyond a safe repair).

They do not charge for wheels that are beyond repair.  By the way, M.C. Wheel also straightens automobile wheels.

Mark designed and built all of the machinery used to straighten wheels at his shop. He can bring damaged wheels within 0.5mm tolerance, which is below factory specifications.

For more information, contact visit the M.C. Wheel website, or contact Mark at 124 Old Gilsum Rd., Gilsum, NH 03448, Phone number is 888-629-4335.

Mark sent us some photos of the motorcycle wheel straightening process.  Here’s a step by step description of the wheel straightening process they use:

Photo 1 – We have the wheel jigged up, and are reading the in and out spots with a dial indicator. As you can see there’s a bend were the lip is bent up and in. This type of damage is caused by hitting a pothole. This wheel also has a few other bends you can’t see, including a center bend, a U-shaped warp, and another pothole bend like the one you can see in this photo.
Photo 2 – Here we’re reading the side to side damage. We mark all these spots so we can determine the best way to proceed with the straightening process.
Photo 3 – Here we’re giving one of the pothole bends a pull out as well as rolling the lip down.
Photo 4 – Here we’re fine tuning rolling down the damaged lip.
Photo 5 – This photo shows how the U-shaped warp is being pushed out.
Photo 6 – Here we’re using a striker to relax the metal during a pull.
Photo 7 – This is one of the final stages of finishing the wheel where we’re working the lip to get it within 10 thousandths of an inch.
Photo 8 – This is the finished wheel with the exception of any cosmetic work the customer my want done.

 

Photos courtesy of Mark Moran of M.C. Wheel

3 Comments

  1. john watson
    July 22, 2020
    Reply

    Could you give me a quote for my council as I have damaged my front wheel on a pothole its a bmwk1200gt 2008 it would have to be pick up and return to tyneside
    With tyres and discs attached.
    It isn’t split and not a sharp dent.
    Its running out about 2.5mm over about 300 mm kind regards john

  2. Steve Fortier
    September 1, 2020
    Reply

    Was wondering if you could give me an estimate on front and rear wheel from a 2018 Triumph Street Triple. The dents in the wheels are not too bad. Didn’t pop the tire. I can send pictures if that’s better. I live in Utah so wasn’t sure if it would be worth it with shipping cost.

  3. Richard Jansky
    November 28, 2021
    Reply

    Hi Marc,can you fix dents on aluminium rims from a 1968 BMW,rims only,no spokes or hub?

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