Best thing to do is put the front of the bike in a stand and spin the wheel to see if it's actually true.
That's a pretty good bang on that wheel.

It's fixable if the wheel is true and straight.
Local bike shop will know of somebody local that can fix and maybe even put it back straight and true.

Were it me I would t take that chance of riding that.

 

You took a big hit and it's visually bent. I don't know enough to say if its safe but definitely needs to be repaired. I do wonder if the tire/wheel is spinning 100% round in this state.

 

I put it on a stand, still spins normally. Took it out for 50 miles this morning, not noticing any difference in riding and it’s been holding the same PSI. Still gonna call around and see who does repair cuz it bothers me knowing it’s there, but the bike at least rides normally. Considering myself lucky. Can’t have nice things lol

 

Rohn Jon's in Tennesse will repair that for you if you want it repaired.

He took care of much more damage than that for me recently.

 

Rohn Jon's in Tennesse will repair that for you if you want it repaired.

He took care of much more damage than that for me recently.

I appreciate the recommendation, I’m in NC so Imma see if I can find anyone around me that can do it. I don’t see the need to replace the entire wheel, but unsure as to how rim repair goes for motorcycles. What are our wheels made out of anyhow?

 

Reason I ask is some say you shouldn’t repair the wheel if it’s made out of certain material because it could cause micro cracks or that the wheel’s already lost its integrity and can’t be repaired. Others have fixed dings no issue while some just ride on them lol

 

If they are cast aluminum id pass on a repair and take the opportunity by a pair of better wheels. Or just buy a new OEM.

Cast aluminum is not friendly to weld…. or predictable once bent. Not that it means anything to ya, in an attempt to validate my opinion to some degree, I was a welder in many different shops doing lots of different processes for 15 years. now am a Mechanical engineer for an industrial welding shop.

Yes it can be done but if it was mine I wouldn’t run it.

Just My Opinion.

 

If they are cast aluminum id pass on a repair and take the opportunity by a pair of better wheels. Or just buy a new OEM.

Cast aluminum is not friendly to weld…. or predictable once bent. Not that it means anything to ya, in an attempt to validate my opinion to some degree, I was a welder in many different shops doing lots of different processes for 15 years. now am a Mechanical engineer for an industrial welding shop.

Yes it can be done but if it was mine I wouldn’t run it.

Just My Opinion.

Wheels for these things are expensive. Can go through insurance I guess, but would rather not. Between riding, having it on a stand this morning and ensuring no air was leaking out of it I might just see if anything pops up this week and if not just leave it for the time being. If I can’t repair it and am not inclined to drop several hundred on a wheel right now, not sure what else to do lol

 

I wouldn't want to run it either but here in pothole **** (Bohol Philippines) I have seen dozens of guys here running daily on worse rims than that and the sad part is that they are steel stoke type which are fairly easy to repair.

 

Some pics of my bent Galespeed wheels that Rohn Jon repaired. I ran them at Atlanta Motorsports Track last weekend, Barber multiple times and in three WERA races at TallyGP.

 

Some pics of my bent Galespeed wheels that Rohn Jon repaired. I ran them at Atlanta Motorsports Track last weekend, Barber multiple times and in three WERA races at TallyGP.

View attachment 29051 View attachment 29052

Definitely a gnarly bend. Surprised they were able to fix that. Worst case if I gotta send it out I will. It’s really just the one side that bothers me, rotor side the bend is so minuscule I can barely tell it’s there. On the highway hitting higher speeds I didn’t notice anything odd, and this morning doing the speed limit I couldn’t tell anything different. Never really paid close attention to the level of “bumpiness” on the 400, but it didn’t seem out of character in any way.

 

Re the above. The front wheel split when he straightened it. Which he said it would do. He then welded up the split, turned it down and continued truing the wheel (at least I think that is the order of the repair process).

Website showing other repairs he has done:

Motorcycle Wheel Repair, Before and After Pictures + Video

I would ask about straightening the OEM wheel.

 

I found a local place thatll do it, would just have to figure out getting the rim there by itself. At that point between paying 200-300 for the repair and someone else to remove the wheel assembly I would rather pay the $500 deductible through insurance for a new one. I would imagine if anything was seriously damaged or out of order I would’ve noticed it riding this weekend. Checked tire pressure again this morning and it’s within its normal 1-2 PSI fluctuation. Gonna keep an eye on it and see how it fairs by the end of the week. And obviously not hit anything else lol thanks for the help guys!
Edit: if anyone else in NC is curious which shop the quote was from it was Auto Recon Pros in Raleigh.

 

IMO that rim looks fine, nobody will even notice unless you point it out. Since you have been spinning it on the front stand and not seeing any noticeable wobble and not losing air, you are good to go. @Leedle_Juice, I would take it on the highway or track and see how the front end feels at 100mph.😎😎😎. Do some hard braking and see if you feel any vibrations. Hitting potholes and denting your rim definitely sucks. Good luck!

 

No wobble that I could see, spun straight and I paid close attention to the handle bars whilst riding and didn’t notice them moving funny or feeling any excess vibration. Funny enough I did this last night, got on the highway pretty late with no traffic and let her hit 100+ (dont be dumb like me on public roads lol). Felt as she’s always felt at high speed. Braking felt fine, not sure if I did any hard braking but it seemed fine. I’ll probably let it ride, like you said it sucks cuz this is my first new vehicle and I really baby this bike quite a bit; she sits in the living room vs the garage lol

 

@Leedle_Juice,

Thanks for sharing the location in Raleigh. Having options is a good thing.

Kirk

 

If it brings you any peace of mind, my front rim looks like yours (just a tad better though). Done a track day, few canyon rides, 110mph+, holds air just fine, and everything else you said too. I honestly dont know when my bend happened until my tire guy pointed it out a month or two ago.
Not planning on fixing it unless I mess it up even more. In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have jumped that one curb (twice) like an idiot/hooligan.

 

It does help bring some, the more I’ve shown some folks the more I’m told there’s worse and it’s not really noticeable. Buddy of mine showed me a bend much more pronounced than mine on his CBR1K and he’s rode that thing for 4 years like that lol I rode it to work this morning and didn’t feel anything weird in the front end. I’ve sprayed the tire down every morning since the incident to ensure no leaks have formed. Dont feel any vibrations hardly in the handlebars outside of norm, only thing I’ve noticed (and it may be just because I’ve only now started to pay attention to any vibrations) is in my feet on the pegs at certain RPMS but it is likely just the engine and how it’s always felt, doesn’t seem any different than before. Soon as I pull the clutch in it stops lol

 

Fun side note, had her since February and she’s already close to 4k lol

 

Update, put about 2k on the bike since this happened and everything’s still fine. Gonna replace both tires soon, so may have it repaired just for cosmetic reasons if it’s cost effective otherwise will leave it as I plan on buying another bike next year anyhow.