Wheel care

1. Bed the brakes. Build speed, drag the brake for 5–6 seconds to build heat, then squeeze harder until the bike stops. 6–7 runs should bring a clear improvement.
2. Ride 20 minutes, then tighten every spoke to 44 inch-pounds.
3. Ride another 20 minutes and check again. Some spokes will need a touch, others will be fine.
4. Ride an hour and check once more. The spokes are now seated.
5. Tighten all the sprocket bolts.

Then check the spokes after every ride for the next 5–10 rides, and once every 3–5 rides for the life of the wheel.

A loose spoke lets the rim move, and a rim that moves breaks spokes and nipples. Check them with the wheel on the bike: lift it, spin it, and go around every spoke.

• With the torque wrench, set 44 in-lb and tighten each spoke until it clicks. Work around the wheel in order rather than finishing one spoke at a time, so the rim stays centered.
• With a plain spoke wrench, a seated spoke rings when you tap it; a dull thud means loose. Snug it a little at a time and tap again.
• Spokes that keep coming loose in one spot, or a wheel that won't hold torque, usually mean a bent rim. See Bent or damaged.

Check them with the wheel off the ground: hold the tire at the top and bottom and rock it. Side-to-side play at the rim, or a rough, notchy feel when you spin the wheel slowly by hand, means the bearings are done. Grinding, or a wheel that won't spin freely, is past due.

• Every Warp 9 hub ships with its bearings, seals and inner distance tube installed.
• Replacement kits are sold by bike under Bearings & spacers, and single bearings are available if you only need one.
• Press new bearings in square, on the outer race only, with the seals facing out. Pressure-washing straight at the hub pushes water past the seals and shortens bearing life.

Supermoto sizes: a 17 x 3.50 front takes a 120/70-17 (110/70-17 on the CRF250L/300L and WR250R/X), a 17 x 4.25 rear takes a 150/60-17, and a 17 x 5.00 rear takes a 160/70-17. Our spoked off-road rims don't have the safety bead a tubeless tire needs, so don't convert them.

• Rim locks keep a low-pressure tire from spinning on the rim. Run the rim-lock nut snug, not crushed, and check it when you check the spokes.
• A rim strip under the tube keeps the nipples from chafing it. Lube both beads before you mount the tire.
• A valve stem puller gets the stem through the rim without pinching the tube.

• Rinse mud off before it dries, with a soft brush around the nipples and the hub.
• Skip acid wheel cleaners, oven cleaner and anything that strips oxidation: they dull and stain anodizing. A pressure washer is fine on the rim and spokes; keep it away from the hub seals and the rotor.
• Dry the wheel and spin it. A light coat of silicone spray on a rag keeps mud from sticking next time; keep it off the rotor and brake pads.
• Colors can differ a shade between anodizing batches. That's the finish, not wear.

A spoke running loose takes its neighbours with it, and a bent rim won't hold spoke tension. Pull the wheel and look before the next ride.

• One or two broken spokes: replace them and re-tension the whole wheel.
• Bent rim: we straighten MX rims for $100 and supermoto rims for $125 per wheel, and fix spokes, a hub or a rotor after an actual failure for $60.
• Clean the wheel before you send it; very dirty wheels may get a cleaning fee.