Spokes

[hughes]

Hey Guys,

On my rear wheel I have loose spoke and the nipple is froze up. Any idea's on how to free up the nipple And what are ya'll using for spoke wrenches What size wrench would I need to buy Thanks

[gowen]

hughes, I had the same issue with my '90 kx500. I tried to soak the nipples with wd40, which was unsuccessful, ended up respoking the wheel with thicker spokes.

[hughes]

What do you use for a spoke wrench

[KXcam22]

Hughes,
  Try Liquid Wrench. It is much better at penetrating stuff than WD40 (which is also a lubricant). Also gunpowder solvent penetrates very well.  As for spoke wrenches, I never seem to find the right size so I always end up enlarging an old one to fit.  If you do buy one, try to get one of the tall ones (more wrench surface area) as the nipples are quite soft and distort easily when you torque on them. I always use a short one and my nipples are twisted (I sound twisted). Cam.

[machine]

Hughes;

If you can use that Bridgeport again.
Just mic the flats and machine your own!

[teamgreen500]

The easiest fix is to pull the wheel, cut the spoke and put a new one in. While your at it, you might just want to respoke the wheel with some good s/s spokes.

Good Luck,

Manny

[hughes]

Machine you had a good idea. I'll try ya'lls tips on freeing up this nipple. I would like to have new rims and spokes before this fall rolls around. Waiting for new kick starter to arrive and now I am back in Florida again for buisness. Looks to be the end of Feb. before I can work on my bike or ride. Thanks Guy's.

[Rick]

I simply got tired of rounding off spoke nipples, so use a 10" Craftsman Crescent Wrench.  The jaws don't move around at all, and are large enough to hold the entire nipple.  No more stripped nipples.

Rick

[hughes]

Thanks Rick,

I will try the small crescent wrench.