348 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Summary • A motorcycle wheel rotates on an axle and supports the rubber tire. It also serves as a secondary shock absorber, softening bumps and other imperfections in the road. • Three types of wheels are used on today’s motorcycles: wire wheels, cast wheels, and stamped wheels. • The wire wheel uses a hub suspended from spokes. The spokes are attached to the rim in a crisscross pattern. The spokes are secured to the rim by the spoke nipples. The motorcycle’s weight is supported by the upper spokes. • A cast wheel is manufactured by pouring molten metal (usually aluminum or magnesium alloy) into a mold. This makes the hub, spokes, and rim all one piece. • A stamped wheel consists of separate parts (hub, spokes, rim) fastened together. Unlike the cast wheel, the stamped wheel is either bolted or riveted together. • The correct choice of tire tread and size is essential to the safety of a motorcycle. • There are two types of tires: tube and tubeless. • Tube tires use an air-filled tube within the tire’s casing. • Tubeless tires have a rubber layer (inner liner), which prevents air from filtering through, glued to the inside. This acts in place of a tube. It also has a special bead area that, together with the rim, makes a tube unnecessary. • Three types of motorcycle tires are available: bias-ply, bias-belted, and radial. Review Questions Answer the following questions using the information provided in this chapter. 1. A wheel rotates on a(n) _____ and supports the tire. A. hub B. spoke C. rim D. axle 2. True or False? As the wire wheel rotates, weight transfers from spoke to spoke. 3. True or False? A cross-two spoke crossing pattern is stronger than a cross-three pattern. 4. Which type of wheel is made all in one piece? A. Cast. B. Stamped. C. Spoked. D. Wire. 5. True or False? Wheel bearing grease does not need to be replaced. 6. Frequency of cleaning and repacking wheel bearings is determined by _____. A. riding conditions B. method of bearing removal C. type of grease used D. None of the above. 7. When inspecting bearings, _____ indicates a problem that requires the bearing to be replaced. A. roughness B. catching C. smooth rotation D. Both A and B. 8. True or False? One way to check for loose spokes is to listen for variation in tone when tapping a spoke with a wrench. 9. True or False? Building a wire wheel using a hub, spokes, and rim is called wheel truing.