loose spokes on front wheel of my zong

[Pabesco]

hi guys hope all is well, just a quick question, i noticed a few loose spokes on my front wheel of my zong 200 , is this normal or do i have to correct right away and is there risk of breaking and causing damage?
if it needs to be corrected right away im sure i will have to remove the tire and liner but is there a specific tension to place on each spoke?
Also is the only way to get a bigger rear wheel for the zong is to have one built or can one be bought?
thanks guys.

[wilserchinarider]

Ok...first off read this thread here... http://www.chinariders.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=14826

What I believe you need to do is carefully and very gradually tighten the loose spokes a very small amount at a time without throwing the wheel out of round or alignment. Go slow and take your time and monitor your progress by spinning the wheel to keep it true....good luck and be patient.

[SpudRider]

WCR beat me to the punch! :lol: I suggest you follow his advice. ;)

No one sells a larger rear wheel for your Zong. If you want a larger rear wheel you must either perform a swingarm conversion, or build a custom wheel. ;)

Spud :)

[Pabesco]

Thank you both very much and I will do as advised and not to appare ignorant but I assume the tire has to be completely removed.

Spud i saw a swing arm on eBay for the Yamaha at a reasonable price , do you suggest it's better to do the conversion then get a larger wheel or just have one built, I'm thinking that if I have one built and something happens to the wheel then I would have to do it again as compared to being able to find other wheels ready to purchase for the Yamaha, am I on the right track?
Thanks again guys

[Wild_Alaskan]

no the tire does not need to be removed

[Pabesco]

Thank you very much for the help. I'll be getting on this right away and I will be sure. To follow ur directions and those on the link u sent Slow and patient. Thanks again

[SpudRider]

Thank you both very much and I will do as advised and not to appare ignorant but I assume the tire has to be completely removed...
No, you don't even need to remove the wheel from the motorcycle. ;)
...Spud i saw a swing arm on eBay for the Yamaha at a reasonable price , do you suggest it's better to do the conversion then get a larger wheel or just have one built, I'm thinking that if I have one built and something happens to the wheel then I would have to do it again as compared to being able to find other wheels ready to purchase for the Yamaha, am I on the right track?
Thanks again guys
Building a custom wheel is easily the least expensive, least time-consuming option. Swingarm conversions are more expensive, and will require considerably more labor. ;)

Once a custom wheel is built, it doesn't require any more work. The custom wheel is easy to repair; just order a few spare spokes when the wheel is built. ;)

Spud :)

[Pabesco]

Great to hear. Thanks once again. I'll get back to you for advice on this as soon as I put some funds together

[Pabesco]

I ordered a proper wrench to do the adjustment, I will lightly tighten the really loose ones with a spanner for right now so I don't have any breakage,

[450-WheelieBoyz]

i remember reading a post on Chinariders, someone that said he wished he never touched his spokes...he tightened his spokes and his wheel was no longer "true"....

best of luck

[Pabesco]

Thank you for the warning. I also read that post and decided to ask the experts. Spud, weldngrind etc. They advised me as to how to tighten them without causing a problem. I'll give it a try and hopefully. It tighten anything g too much. Thanks again

[SpudRider]

i remember reading a post on Chinariders, someone that said he wished he never touched his spokes...he tightened his spokes and his wheel was no longer "true"....

best of luck
You got to keep the spokes tight or the wheel will fail. :( I tighten my spokes every time I remove a wheel for any purpose. I also periodically check the tightness of the spokes when the wheels are on the motorcycle. ;)

Spud :)

[Pabesco]

I checked them on the bike and I have 6 that are loose, I will slowly tighten them one at at time as advised and will post the resulte tomorrow.
Thanks for all the advise guys.

[obso]

i remember reading a post on Chinariders, someone that said he wished he never touched his spokes...he tightened his spokes and his wheel was no longer "true"....

best of luck

It took me all of an hour to learn and true my first wheel, it's not rocket science. Once you know how to do that you can now lace and true your own rims which is incredibly useful.


Pabesco: Check the rear wheel too. I bought my zong with 2500miles and both rims had very loose spokes (I could tighten them with my fingers!).

[SpudRider]

Inspect your spokes, and tighten them every time the wheel is removed. ;) Loose spokes will damage your wheels, so keep all the spokes tight.

Spud :)

[Pabesco]

Thank you guys, I can't wait to get te funds to order te grueling stand, rim and spokes. I ordered a new rear hub to build te new wheel around and looking forwarded to this