18" wheel broken spoke HELP

[afritts4u]

I broke a spoke last weekend. Tired from riding all day left my bike at my friends house and forgot about the spoke. I?m riding again this weekend and need to fix it fast, or possible ride with it broken.

Because I have a 18" rear wheel on a stock kx500 Hub I cannot find the correct part number or source for a single spoke. I know most of us have 18" rear wheels and must have some sources. Also if I cannot find one in time is it "mot recommended" to ride with a broken spoke?

[Johnniespeed]

I bought my spokes from Buchannon. Perhaps a quick call to them may help out. I will post thier web and phone number when I get home tonight.  If I remember right, they are hard to find on the web, but I have thier catalog at my house.

[Johnniespeed]

Ah yes I remember, they spell it Buchanan.  WWW.buchananspokes.com  I was spelling it wrong again.
 Phone number is 1 626 969 4655  Hope this helps.
  They should link thier correct website to the misspelling and everyone could find them easier.

[KXcam22]

A4,
  You might be able to use a stock 19" spoke & nipple and lengthen the threads with a die (dealer will have).  You would have to take the tire off though to cut it to length and replace the nipple. Cam.

[afritts4u]

Thanks for all the helpfull tips. I cannot find a local dealer or parts supply that will provide a single spoke, only sell in kits.  I think for this weekends ride Im going to have it welded together right on the bike. Then Im probably going to go with new rims and spoks on bolth ends. As far as I know you can weld spokes being S.S.

[Spider]

I've ridden before with missing spokes but, not with as large a bike as the K5. stainless can be welded but I'm not to sure about it holding the stress a spoke endures. If you do get it welded be sure to unplug the CDI to protect it from the voltage spike the welding process causes.

Dale

[afritts4u]

Goot tip on the voltage, I will take off the wheel just to be safe. My last ride I think I rode for about 45min with it broken. At 90+mph though its not worth testing. I will keep you posted on how well the weld holds up. May be usefull for other riders.

[Brett]

You may be best to turn up a sleaveto slide over and then just tack weld at each end.

[afritts4u]

I wire tied the loose spoke to another one. Rode motocross at Lake Ellsinore MX Park. Was launching 50+ footers and the wheel never went out of true. Worked so good I think I will just take all the spokes off, lol.  It will be fixed with a new spoke this week but for those of you who ever wondered if you could ride with a broken spoke, most likely it would be absolutely no problem!

[gowen]

I wire tied the loose spoke to another one. Rode motocross at Lake Ellsinore MX Park. Was launching 50+ footers and the wheel never went out of true. Worked so good I think I will just take all the spokes off, lol.  It will be fixed with a new spoke this week but for those of you who ever wondered if you could ride with a broken spoke, most likely it would be absolutely no problem!

Be careful! I did that and ended up nearly losing my rear for that reason, as it puts quite some power to that tire and it will end up busting all the spokes. Make sure you keep the spokes tight and don't let the losen up.

You might consider upgrading to the Excel spokes, they are about twice as thick as the stock spokes. I've used them for a few years and have yet to even come lose. It costs about $80 and it fits to a stock hub and rim. I also had a 18 inch rim and they fit. Good luck.