Recommend Wheel lacing/rebuilding service? Harley Star Hub

[sirhrmechanic]

Looking to have a 16" star hub wheel relaced. There is a rusted through spot on the rim and it's just too tired to attempt repair.

Can anyone recommend a good re-lacer?

Thanks and cheers, Sirhr

[rigb]

I've heard good things about Bill's Custom Cycle in Bloomsburg PA. Also Bucannon has a good reputation, they are down South I think. I'm sure someone else on here knows where they are. Brian.

[Chris Haynes]

http://www.buchananspokes.net/about/about_us.asp

[portagepan]

Just find somebady who works on dirt bikes. They know laced wheels. I haven't done one myself,(too lazy). I give a guy $35 and he does the bearing spacing, lacing and trueing. Most dealers do too.
Mike

[overthehillhank]

just had my front wheel on my 47 fortyfive laced up. came out great. i no a guy in up state New york thats a wiz on wheels. u still looking for someone. he did it in a day. and i had it back. unreal huh. overthehillhank

[Paquette]

Jim & Larry Phillips do great work on wheels and hubs. I believe they are in the club roster--

[exeric]

I mean this with all due respect; but have you thought of doing it yourself? Harley-Davidson manuals give you all of the information you need with good illustrations and concise directions. I paid for wheel lacing once and vowed never again. I have done all of the wheels on all of my motorcycles ever since. If this is a hobby that you really love, you should be doing this yourself.

[t-jacobs]

Wheel Lacing

I have a 64 FLH. I had a guy near me relace my wheels and he did a good job except for the one wheel. I took my bike to have it judged and a sharp judge pointed out that the grease fitting in the hub was in line with the air valve stem. I lost a 1/4 point for this. The judge told me that he believed Harleys theory was if the grease fitting came loose and flew off it could take out the valve stem while riding. If you look in the service manual under "Respoking Wheels" it says to place the rim over the hub with the tire valve hole at 90 to 180 degrees from the hub grease fitting.
Just something you may want to mention to whoever laces your rims. Another one of many lessons I learned the hard way.

[sirhrmechanic]

Hi Eric: No disrespect taken. But I have learned over many years of doing most of my own mechanical work that certain things are best left to people who do them every day. I probably could learn to lace a wheel... but the time it would take me, to set up to do one wheel, I can do 10 other things... and probably still not be as good as someone who has a knack and the gear and the parts for it.

At my shop (car not bike) we do engine babbiting and line boring and some really high end unique work. But we still send the cranks out to be ground and the cylinders out to be bored and honed. Because guys who do that every day and use their machines all the time, know exactly how to do the job right and do it cost-effectively.

But certainly it's a job that can be done at home w. time and careful attention to detail. So you are right on about that and we shouldn't discourage others from taking on the challenge!

Cheers, Sirhr

[exeric]

Sirhr, time is as valuable as money, and with a business like yours, time must be at a premium. I'm in the same boat with my job so I shouldn't be telling people what they should be doing. However, with nice new spokes and rims, 16" Harley wheels almost fall together.

[billpedalino]

Grease fitting knocking the valve stem off !!! No disrespect intended but, the laws of phsics simply don't support that......

[sirhrmechanic]

Bill Wrote: "Grease fitting knocking the valve stem off !!! No disrespect intended but, the laws of phsics simply don't support that...... "

Bill: I am with you on that. I read it with some level of... 'really??' It was an interesting theory the judge had, but even if they were inline, the odds of one hitting the other while the wheel is rotating are just too small to contemplate.

My two theories (and they are just that) would be:

1: Balance (but if this were the case, the instructions would be to fit the valve 180 degrees off. And realistically, a zerk fitting at the inner hub does not have a massive effect on balance on a wheel at the RPM's we are talking about.

2. (And perhaps a more realistic explanation to the HD service instruction) is that by putting the Zerk fitting and the air valve stem 90-180 degrees off-axis, you prevent people from accidentally putting grease in the air hole or or air in the grease hole. If it's not obviously in your face as you stand there with a grease gun or an air nozzle... you probably won't accidentally fill it with the wrong stuff. Never under-estimate the inability of an owner to mis-read instructions ;-)

If someone has the real answer... I would love to know. But those would be my theories.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[t-jacobs]

Wheel lacing

Hey guys,

I did'nt say I believed thier was a one in a zillion chance the grease fitting could take out the valve stem, but I was just stating what the judge told me and I did'nt have a better answer at the time to dispute his story.

[sirhrmechanic]

Hi T-Jacobs....

Definitely this one is on the judge's head and noone attributes that 'theory' to you!

But with the offset requirement being in the H-D service instructions, there must have been some reason. It would be interesting to see if there is a good explanation out there!

Thanks for posting the info in the first place. It's things like this that make restoration work interesting and raise to the level of 'archaeology for everyone.' I never would have thought of a detail like that in the first place.

Cheers, Sirhr.

[sailfish]

Genuine cycle vintage parts does rebuild an star hubs and relacing.