Wheel Spoke Tension Adjustment

Shows how to adjust off-road motor cycle wheel spoke tension using a torque wrench. If working on an old bike make sure that none of the spoke nipples are seized before adjustment.
Torque Setting = 5.4Nm
Spoke head = 6.8mm

[@matt3122]

I had 1 spoke break. I fixed it. I just had 2 more break. I have warp 9 sm wheels on a WR250R. What can I do to fix this problem? I tension the spokes by the sound test and by feel I’d say the are 3-4ft/lbs. I try not to over tighten them at all. Thanks.

[@Bimmere]

Hey just did the first torque on my bike (5hrs) and the rears weren’t too bad, but is it normal that the fronts were super loose? Like had to go around the wheel 6x using this method and only half a turn at a time? The rear took only 3 rotations to get all at 6nm (according to owners manual)

[@TokyoOffroad]

Wow, your front sounds like it was very loose. The rear sounds pretty normal. It's lucky you checked and adjusted them...

[@palmpilote]

I am interested in the orange protection cover of Tubliss valve. What is that? Any pros or cons?

[@TokyoOffroad]

Chieh-Nan Wang - DRC air valve mud guards. They help prevent dirt and water getting into the rim, without putting stress in the valve. They can be used with tube tires too, not just the Tubliss high pressure valve stem.

[@user-uh2sd3um3w]

Hello Mark. I have a question. I am curious about the tightening torque of a ktm husqvarna enduro spoke wheel. Is 5.4nm right?

[@TokyoOffroad]

Yes, 5.4Nm. Please make sure that the spoke nipple is clean and not seized.

[@miro_s]

Hoping that you’re still monitoring this old video, here is a technical question. As in your case, when I go around the wheel some spokes are torqued and other aren’t. If the wheel is true, tightening only some spokes, would it not pull it off centre? Do i need to worry? How can I make sure that doesn’t happen? Thanks.

[@TokyoOffroad]

If you’re worried about the wheel being out of true you can attach something (Eg a chop stick) to one of the fork tubes, or swing arm so you can monitor how out of true the wheel is. For off-road wheels they don’t need to be that true and within about +/-1mm will be fine.

[@michaelsteven1090]

Hey there, who makes the front disc cover?

[@TokyoOffroad]

Michael Steven the one in the video is an Acerbis plastic guard. However, I recently replaced it with a Pro Carbon Racing carbon fiber guard which is really nice.

[@LETSG0WVU]

Just went through this procedure on my 18 350 EXCF. Specifically on the front the spokes were extremely loose and needed to go around at least 4-5 times in the skip 3 pattern to bring them to the 6 Nm mark using a torque wrench. I’ve read various things online saying KTM is notorious for loose spokes but this seemed excessive. Only about 12 hours on the bike and this was the first go at the spokes. Interested to know what others think.

[@DoctorGoodnight]

LETSG0WVU mine have been similar on the last two KTMs

[@gregoryooley5159]

@@DoctorGoodnight I sell KTMs and we show every dirt/adv customer how to check and adjust spoke tension and advise them to check their spokes before every ride for the first 6 rides. It's not ideal and needs to be remedied by KTM, but it's also a pretty easy thing to keep an eye on.

[@frankloschiavo]

Hey mate, my rear wheel has a wobble. I started with loosening all the spokes and went around and true'd the wheel using the zip tie method. I then went back over with the torque wrench set at 6nm (as per ktm spec) and the wobble is back. What is the trick to trueing vs torquing?

[@TokyoOffroad]

If the rim is bent it may not be possible to correct easily. If slight you could ignore it, or try to true it by loosing the spokes on one side of the bent area and tightening on the other. When finished it's still important that all spokes have an equal tension as this is what keeps the wheel strong and less likely to go out of true further.

[@frankloschiavo]

@@TokyoOffroad thanks mate. I always look forward to hearing from you. So equal tension would require the torque wrench and this is where it untrue's. I also have 1 spoke that won't budge. I've tried penetrating fluid, vice grips. I'm hesitant to use heat as I'm running tubeless and think it could melt the tape. Thoughts?

[@TokyoOffroad]

@@frankloschiavo Yes, using a torque wrench on spokes is only a good method if the spoke nipples and threaded part of the spoke are in good condition and move freely. If any of the the nipples are seized they will need to be freed. When I rebuild wheels I use some anti-seize to help prevent issues. A different method to test the spoke tension which may work better if it's an older wheel with corroded nipple is to listen to the sound of each spoke with tapped with a spoke wrench and to make them all sound a similar note.

[@2wheels4life27]

that dry lube would prob be good on the carb slide to eh?

[@TokyoOffroad]

My recommendation would be to not use any lube on the carb slide. Clean and dry the slide before assembly and assuming it's not damaged you should have no issues.

[@2wheels4life27]

ya i got the lectron on mine it works awesome i just figured since it was dry it couldnt hurt but thats why i asked cause ive never used dry lube, first time ive ever herd of it.

[@TokyoOffroad]

The PTFE dry lube is ideal for lubing the throttle tube as it won't attract dirt like oil and grease will. One can is less than $10 and will last many years. Highly recommended. In the US on Amazon WD40 and Dupont appear to be the most popular dry lube brands. Will add some links to the Throttle Maintenance video description...

[@palmpilote]

I like using Wurth PTFE dry lube. Very nice!

[@chariflakchiri]

Are all dirt bike spoke nipples the same, no matter the wheel brand/size or bike brand? Do they all torque to the same spec?

[@TokyoOffroad]

Charif Lakchiri- KTM off-road spoke nipples are all 6.8mm. Other brands use different size spoke nipples. Regarding the spoke tension torque setting, 5.4Nm should be fine for any wheel.

[@Pickle_Surpr1se]

The North America 17 300 XC-W owners manual lists the spoke tension torque spec at 6 Nm, I figure that the difference between 5.4 Nm and 6 Nm is negligible. Is 5.4 Nm what most wheels recommend?

[@mattiassjogren2840]

Tokyo Offroad , using a 6.9mm spoke wrench on a ktm off-road wheel (6.8mm spoke nipples), is it going to cause any damage to the spoke nipples or is the 0.01mm difference negligible?

[@xaviermajoral8923]

@@mattiassjogren2840 did you used a 6.9mm spoke wrench finally? or a 6.8, I'm not sure what to do on a 2019 exc..

[@mattiassjogren2840]

@@xaviermajoral8923 i used the 6,9mm and no problem at all

[@66AGW]

Hello!why is so important to keep the wheels straight?you are using the bike only for off road or not?

[@TokyoOffroad]

66AGW - The main reason to keep the spokes adjusted correctly is that it adds a lot of strength to the wheels which is particularly important when riding off-road while riding on rough terrain.

[@66AGW]

@@TokyoOffroad my wheels has dents on them and all the pro riders told me not to replace them because i will bent them on the next ride.they must be tight right and that's it

[@TokyoOffroad]

66AGW - Yes, I wouldn’t worry about dents, unless they are causing issues. Just keep the spokes tight and the rims running reasonably straight and you should be fine.