Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

where can i get spokes for my 79 cr125 18 in. rear wheel and 80 21 front i would like s.s. but anything new would do thought about getting my old ones nickel plated wow i have got some extream prices anybody got any ideas thanks jd

found this on the first page in this section. redrocket suggested http://www.buchananspokes.com/ and the site looks good from what i can tell.

i have been to there website but did'nt see any vintage stuff only harley i will call them today

Call them or have a local shop call and order for you. I ordered SS 8 Gauge for a 74 CR125.
They need to know which hubs and rims and they will calculate the spoke.

Expect to pay around $80 bucks a wheel for SS spokes.

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One is not enough.

I was in the same mess with my wheels. OE spokes are scarce and the ones that are still available go for
as much as $10 each (that would be $720 for spokes!). I decided to replate my originals. It is time
consuming and labor intensive but cost less than $30 total. I duplicated the original Honda process of
zinc plating on the spokes and cad plating on the spoke nipples and washers. I have included some
pics showing the before (straight off the bike), the middle (wire brushed, cleaned and polished), and
finished (freshly plated and ready to install).

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R

nice job on the spokes were did you get the stuff to do them with i called buchanan today about 93.00 per wheel i'am not shure what i'am going to do how about more information about how you did your spokes i'am shure others will want to know allso thanks jd

They advertise all the time in AHRMA's Vintage Views...

...I got my spokes from Wheel Works when they laced up an Excel rim.

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Michael Stiles
1979 Honda CR250R Elsinore | 2006 Husqvarna SM510R | 2007 Service Honda CR500R-AF

Sorry, but I wrote the whole process up and went to post it and found the site had kicked me out.
I guess Nathan has a session timer and this procedure takes longer to write than what I was
allowed, big waste of time.

Instead, here is a link to a website that sells plating equipment http://www.caswellplating.com/index.html
and has a lot of useful info. Take a look to see how it's done. Let me know if you want to proceed
and I will post how to prep your parts and "home make" most everything you need.

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R

I don't know if it times out, but I have noticed that if I try to change the size of my internet explorer box, this site kicks me back to home page......??.... Anyway, I've learned that for anything requiring much thought and effort, I normally write it first in Word and then cut and paste it to the "reply" box on this site.
I have spare wheels for salvage parts. But it is sometimes difficult to remove and reuse 32-year old spokes.

That's a good idea, I guess I will write it up again and cut and paste.

You are right about the 30+ year old spokes. Many of the spokes on my '74
resto weren't worth the effort and had to be replaced. This '79 is obviously
a low time, well cared for example and I have been able to restore vs. replace
most items. One trick I use to get those rusted spoke nipples loose is to spray
a penetrant on and around the threads, let it sit overnight then use a pencil
torch to heat while turning with a spoke wrench, works 90% of the time.

One last thing I would like to point out to anybody contemplating restoring
vs. replacing spokes. The stock spokes on early CRs were not much (strength
wise) to begin with, and have gone down hill due to age ever since. If you
are building a rider/racer, I highly recommend you replace the spokes and the
rims with modern equivalents, that way at least you won't get a DNF due to wheel
problems.

dogger

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R

Dogger
Good job on the spokes... I'm interested in any info/advice you have on doing this. I've seen the Caswell site and wondered if it was worth looking into. I have a coffee can full of of old spokes and more time than $$ ........
thanks

Here is the detailed procedure I promised. If you have any questions, you can post them here or PM me, I'll do my best to answer.

dogger


The following is a step by step guide to restoring OEM spokes.

Clean the spoke, spoke nipples and washers in a solvent based parts washer then dry.

Use a “fine” wirebrush on a bench grinder or polishing motor to remove rust and surface corrosion from the components. Follow the wirebrushing with polishing using a sisal wheel and #80 (black) emory paste to as high a shine as possible. Note that some discoloration will remain but is not a concern because it will be covered with the plating process. To gain better and safer access, thread the spoke nipples on a spoke to wirebrush and polish, use needle nose pliers to hold the washers for these steps. Wash all the polished parts thoroughly in a solvent based parts washer to remove the polishing compounds. The more time spent on these steps the nicer the finished product will be.

For the plating process you will need the following items:
1 gal wide mouth container (deep enough to submerge a spoke)
1 gal distilled water
KCL (potassium chloride) available from water softener supply
Zinc Anode available at Eastwood
Gold chromate solution available at Caswell
DC power supply rated at 1.5 mV available from Radio Shack
Positive and negative leads with alligator clips Radio Shack again
8 ga. or larger electrical wire
Acetone
Clothes pins
Nitrile gloves

Mix the KCL with the distilled water at 1:20 (1 gal = 3.8 L so 190 ml or ≈ 6.5 oz of KCL/gal). This a weak conductive solution to provide a median for the transfer of Zinc from the sacrificial anode to the part being plated. Pour the solution in the wide mouth container, submerge a portion of the zinc anode in the container and clip to the rim with a clothes pin. The larger the part to be plated, the more of the anode should be submerged in the solution and vice versa. Attach the positive lead from the power supply to the anode. Strip the insulation from the 8 ga wire and remove several copper wires, cut the wires to about 8”. Wrap the copper wire around the threaded portion of the spoke leaving enough to double over and clip to the rim of the container opposite the anode. With the spoke totally submerged in the solution, attach the negative lead to the wire from the spoke. Plug in the power supply. You will see a foaming action occur around the submerged spoke as the zinc is deposited. 2 to 5 minutes at 1.5 mV should be enough. Unplug the power supply and remove the lead from the spoke wire. Remove the spoke from the solution and rinse with fresh water. The spoke should have a dull uniform silver finish if done right. The finish can be polished out with a flitz ball and some metal polish or by hand with simichrome.

For the spoke nipples and washers, the same steps as above are done except the part is removed from the fresh water rinse, dried, then placed in the gold chromate solution until the desired color is achieved.

_________________
1973 CR250M
1979 CR250R
1993 CR250R
2008 CR500R
2009 CR250R