taking dirt completely over sierra nevada "henness pass"

[Dash Weeks]

Attachments :It's not really stage two... but I'm kinda just waiting for 5PM to come around. I have been working on my wheels. Yep they got sand blasted and painted too. The hubs and rims are OD Green and the spokes are Flat Black. I upgraded my spokes to Buchanan stainless steel spokes and nipples. I found that they were the same price as the stock replacement and the stock ones that I pulled out were rusted. So why not. I'll dig out the invoice for specifics if there is a need. The spokes and nipples got the high heat paint since it is so durable, I haven't been able to scratch or chip them with my rather manly handling. Rocks will be another thing but I'll just have my force field on when I'm riding so rocks won't scratch my paint-job. Ok so the first pic is of my baking rack with the front spokes. The second is the first lace of the Front Wheel and the last pic is of the laced rear wheel. I used my favorite grease on the threads since SS will gall. I also ran all the nipples so that the very first thread cut in the spoke is visible. Next I completed the rear end of the swing arm and installed all the wheel bearings. I set up the rear wheel on the swing arm and will begin truing that first and hopefully tonight. I have two dial indicators for radial and lateral run-out. I don't have a pic of the set-up yet but we'll see how ambitious I am tonight. I am planning on taking the spokes to 45 inch-pounds and I have the measured offsets from when I dis-assembled the wheels. Not to mention that I have another KLR in the garage for reference. That torque setting is 10# higher than the stock recommended torque but is 35# lower than the 80 in-# that Buchanan recommends. I have the stock rims as they are in excellent shape and Talon doesn't make a hub for us yet. I chose that # from some research... I don't want to go to 80 since I am unsure that the stock rim and hub can handle it. I don't want to go with 35# since these are Heavier gage spokes than stock and I have to stress them properly for a strong, durable wheel. If there is a better number that has been tried and tested, I would like to hear about it. MX wheels with Excel, Talon and Bulldog parts are torqued to 45-50 in-# Comments and experiences are welcome ... but I'm sitting down with a 6er of Fat Tire and Metallica Cranked ... Have to get relaxed for this as frustration is the first killer of a good wheel. LaterZ Dash

[Caroline and Scott Obermuller]

My wife and I did quite a bit of the Henness Pass in our Geo Metro. Got lost off on a side road that began to go down a steep single lane haul road and barely got back up. Had the throttle pinned in first and hoped we didn't meet any of the dirt bikes coming the other way that we had seen when we were going down the road. I will have to go back and run the whole thing someday. It is quite a ride.

[Shane]

MCN has a great 5 part PDF on wheel building here. http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/technical.asp