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Front wheel damaged + nationwide backorder

B

brobbins671440

Guest
Guest
I've got a '21 C-14 and recently hit a huge pothole, putting a pretty nice dent in the front wheel, didnt find any other (apparent) damage.
I did fing a previous thread suggesting sending the wheel to Woody's which may end up being the route I'll take.

Irritatingly, Kawasaki doesn't have an ETA for a new ($800 to $1000) wheel if one was inclined to get this repaired at the shop or just wanted to replace with a new wheel. :mad:

So question is, is there another wheel that would work, say from a ZX-14 or the like? Missing the prime cycle weather here in AZ!!!

1678488480273.jpeg
 
danmcdermott said:
Did you loose pressure with that? You must have....
Click to expand...
After hitting the hole and while getting properly situated back to the bike, the low pressure light came on. I pulled off the interstate assuming a flat tire. TPMS showed 29 pounds still, and being like 8 miles from work I rode on (6am and not much traffic). When I pulled in to the parking lot it was under 10 pounds.
 
brobbins671440 said:
I did see that but it states '08-11 Concours 14, not sure if anything changed after that?
Buy yeah, for the price a little paint would do the job!
Click to expand...
08-11 used silver wheels. 12-22 used black. Other than that, I don't believe there's a difference. But, I could be wrong.
 
Ebay has already been suggested and I think that's your best bet. I picked up a spare rear wheel and rotor on Ebay for cheap.
 
brobbins671440 said:
I did see that but it states '08-11 Concours 14, not sure if anything changed after that?
Buy yeah, for the price a little paint would do the job!
Click to expand...
I would look for someone who powder coats wheels. Might be a titch more than paint, but they will prep and offer a finish that will last much longer.
 
Was looking at front wheel parts diagrams for C-14 and ZX-14 ('21). Everything appears to be the same except ZX-14 doesn't have a TPMS sensor, slightly different part numbers for axle parts - and slightly different spoke pattern.
 
No problem so far, It's been about eight years,

An HD shop broke both TPS units, which was a $500.00 screw-up.

I go to the dealer now for tire changes. They have a Sat morning deal for tire replacement, no appointment, first come, first serve. I get there early and play with my phone(y)
 
If you can confirm that the ZX-14 front wheel is the same, here's one/black on Ebay with a good tire.

www.ebay.com

12 Kawasaki Ninja ZX14R Front Wheel Rim & Tire 120/70-17 ZX1400F ABS | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12 Kawasaki Ninja ZX14R Front Wheel Rim & Tire 120/70-17 ZX1400F ABS at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

Here's a wheel only.
www.ebay.com

2012 Kawasaki ZX1400 ZX14R Ninja Front 17x3.5 Wheel Rim -Read 41073-0573-18F | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2012 Kawasaki ZX1400 ZX14R Ninja Front 17x3.5 Wheel Rim -Read 41073-0573-18F at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
 
cuda said:
I had my 2011 wheels powder coated because black is easier to care for and looks better.
Click to expand...
:sick: :poop: 🤮

Keith S said:
How about this?

eBay - ZX-14 & Concours 14 front

Slap on some black silver paint on the back wheel and you're back in better business.
Click to expand...
FIFY
C'mon folks, the guy is looking for our advice, you all are better than that...everybody knows that the silver wheels look better than the black ones even when dirty. The black ones just look like silver wheels covered in thick dirt.
 
cuda said:
What do you have to lose?

A heat gun, propane torch, and a rubber mallet or brass hammer are other options.
Click to expand...
While I will tackle many jobs for myself and others I’m not touching taking a dent out of an aluminum alloy wheel, no matter the size. I am sure many have tried and succeeded to some degree to fix dents or bent wheels and have experienced no negative results. When there is a negative result, the result could be loss of control of your machine and future.

Having the awareness of metal properties (previous lifetime I was licensed in metallurgy and welding) the multiple warnings within the article provided should be heeded unless you are a professional and have the tools, experience necessary to image cracks in metal - see below as one of the many warnings:

FAQs​

Is It Safe to Fix a Bent Aluminum Motorcycle Rim Yourself?​

While it may be convenient to do so, it’s not recommended. A garage fix for something as dangerous as a bent rim will only put your health at risk. Of course, your garage fix won’t be as perfect as your mechanic’s. And perfection is what you want.

This is only my point of view, I don’t know your experience and your limit for risk, I would recommend not fixing this wheel at home.

Wayne, Carol & Blue
 
I am a boilermaker by profession, I have already repaired several wheels but it is still not at the reach of the first coming, the aluminum is not easy to work, especially in the heating and final stabilization
 
2andblue said:
While I will tackle many jobs for myself and others I’m not touching taking a dent out of an aluminum alloy wheel, no matter the size. I am sure many have tried and succeeded to some degree to fix dents or bent wheels and have experienced no negative results. When there is a negative result, the result could be loss of control of your machine and future.

Having the awareness of metal properties (previous lifetime I was licensed in metallurgy and welding) the multiple warnings within the article provided should be heeded unless you are a professional and have the tools, experience necessary to image cracks in metal - see below as one of the many warnings:

FAQs​

Is It Safe to Fix a Bent Aluminum Motorcycle Rim Yourself?​

While it may be convenient to do so, it’s not recommended. A garage fix for something as dangerous as a bent rim will only put your health at risk. Of course, your garage fix won’t be as perfect as your mechanic’s. And perfection is what you want.

This is only my point of view, I don’t know your experience and your limit for risk, I would recommend not fixing this wheel at home.

Wayne, Carol & Blue
Click to expand...
Especially a front wheel. I have rode out several flat rear tires at highway speeds. One flat front on a 900 KZ. It was scary, nothing like a flat rear tire IMO.
 
cuda said:
Marty, I DON"T like sitting on the ground cleaning anything anymore....

Google is YOUR friend.
Click to expand...
HA! well there are at least two things we can agree on cuda, 1) sitting on the ground cleaning a wheel is not something I do either. It gets cleaned when I change a tire (while it's up high on the HF changer), and it gets hosed/pressure washed (staying away from wheel bearing areas) occasionally and that's it.

2) Yes Google is your friend, a very nosy and data gathering friend, but a friend none the less. It, as well as Alta Vista (remember that one?), Yahoo, and even Bing, but mostly Google have kept me informed, and saved me a lot of money over the last two decades.

However, that shiny silver wheel edge contrasted next to the tire black will always* (that means even when dirty*) look better than a black edge.
Not my opinion, simply a fact.
lying-nose-joypixels.gif
 
The question I couldn't get a definitive answer to on Google was whether or not the 21 ZX wheel would fit the C14. Was hoping someone on here had already done this.

So far, looks to be a good fit and I love the thinner spokes! Just need to pull the valve stem and (hopefully) drop the TPMS sensor in, then mount the new rubber and ride!

I did discover that the rear wheel took a little bit of a hit, very small version of this dent and not losing air so I think I'll leave it alone for now.

I do think a silver edge would look pretty cool...

1679524348680.jpeg
 
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brobbins671440 said:
The question I couldn't get a definitive answer to on Google was whether or not the 21 ZX wheel would fit the C14. Was hoping someone on here had already done this.

So far, looks to be a good fit and I love the thinner spokes! Just need to pull the valve stem and (hopefully) drop the TPMS sensor in, then mount the new rubber and ride!

I did discover that the rear wheel took a little bit of a hit, very small version of this dent and not losing air so I think I'll leave it alone for now.

I do think a silver edge would look pretty cool...

View attachment 35311
Click to expand...
Good luck! Glad that the project has gone well so far. I wonder if the ZX wheel is lighter.
 
brobbins671440 said:
I've got a '21 C-14 and recently hit a huge pothole, putting a pretty nice dent in the front wheel, didnt find any other (apparent) damage.
I did fing a previous thread suggesting sending the wheel to Woody's which may end up being the route I'll take.

Irritatingly, Kawasaki doesn't have an ETA for a new ($800 to $1000) wheel if one was inclined to get this repaired at the shop or just wanted to replace with a new wheel. :mad:

So question is, is there another wheel that would work, say from a ZX-14 or the like? Missing the prime cycle weather here in AZ!!!

View attachment 35252
Click to expand...
 
Was just going to post that there are companies that repair these wheels and ususally for a very reasonable cost and then I saw that Gixer had just posted the same thing. If you go to a high end auto repair shop they will most likely be able to direct you to a local shop for repair.
 
I've had two bent (cast aluminum) wheels repaired by Frame Straight and one repaired by Woody's. Both shops did a excellent job, for a very reasonable price, the wheels were as good as new with a total indicated runout of .004. Even though you got a great wheel from the ZX14, I would still consider fixing your stock wheel and selling it to offset the money you spent on the ZX wheel.
 
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