Rim Locks

[Seabass]

I had some disposable income to burn and decided to have some black Excel rims put on my '05 WR 450. When they came back from the shop they were built at I found only one of the rim locks were installed (I'm talkin' 'bout the rear, which came with two). The guy who put my wheels together told me it would be no problem at all running one rim lock but I don't know if I believe him. Any advice?

[RCannon]

One works very well. The YZ series only uses one.

Personally I believe two is overkill. It makes tire changing worse than ....well, tire changing should be.

[storm 800]

With only 1 you just reduced your rotating mass A lot!

[Seabass]

With only 1 you just reduced your rotating mass A lot!

....and is this a good thing?

[jbrooks26]

One will probably be sufficient unless you are going to be running at low tire pressures. I have had tires spin when running low with only one rim lock installed. As long as the tire pressure is up you should not have any problems. I would get the second one back from him if he kept it, it is yours! Then if you do have problems you will have it to re-install. Hope this helps.

Josh

[Seabass]

One will probably be sufficient unless you are going to be running at low tire pressures. I have had tires spin when running low with only one rim lock installed. As long as the tire pressure is up you should not have any problems. I would get the second one back from him if he kept it, it is yours! Then if you do have problems you will have it to re-install. Hope this helps.

Josh

Thanks Josh!

[Joe Reitman]

My KX250 only has one and I have spun it on the rim enough to moderately angle the valve stem. This was with a 12t front sprocket, Pro Circuit Pipe, aftermarket reeds, brand new Pirelli MT16, fresh top end, and hammering it repeatedly in very high traction conditions. My point is, the WR does not hit nearly as hard as the 2 smoker, and one should be more than adequate as long as you tighten it properly. For added insurance, don't tighten the valve stem nut- Leave it out against the valve cap.

[Eric Zite]

I used to spin the rear tire all the time on my WR426. I was constantly cutting valve stems.

Since I put the second rim lock in I have had ZERO problems.

Two may be overkill but out here in the desert (Arizona) "better safe than sorry" is my motto.

[chipwich]

IMHO one is fine, unless you never have to change your tires yourself. Changing tires is much easier, especially on the trail. KTMs come with only one for a reason. Keep the lock nut on the tube loose, I.E. backed out to the valve cap, and all is well should tube slide. I also replace the inner tube rim saver with duct tape after cleaning the rim. This will help prevent the tube from spinning as well as block the second now open rim lock hole. Use the one closest to the valve stem and put balance weights opposite. Now you have a balanced easy to change wheel/tire combo. With the rim lock and valve stem on the same side they don't fight each other when pulling the bead over the rim.

This has probably been mentioned here before, but after 33 years of riding I just learned another trick from a long time AA rider. When doing tire changes pull one bead over the rim, flip the wheel, then pull the other bead over the rim, so now the wheel is actually inside the tire. Now rotate the wheel 90 degrees inside the tire and pull it out the side. Comes right out. This save you from pulling 2 beads over the same side of the rim. MUCH easier, again IMHO.

[Joe Reitman]

This has probably been mentioned here before, but after 33 years of riding I just learned another trick from a long time AA rider. When doing tire changes pull one bead over the rim, flip the wheel, then pull the other bead over the rim, so now the wheel is actually inside the tire. Now rotate the wheel 90 degrees inside the tire and pull it out the side. Comes right out. This save you from pulling 2 beads over the same side of the rim. MUCH easier, again IMHO.

Learned the same- I think the details are on TWMX somewhere. More good tricks on mounting new one there. Tube in tire first, then mount. Use bead butter or similar. Warm tire under hood first to soften. Etc.

[fish525]

Hey Scott get the outher one put in just think what it will look like after 35 miles with no air in it just think about what we run on

[BEAN329]

I have many races on just one rim lock, plus i run between 12 and 13 lbs of air. No problem at all.

[vantolr]

One will probably be sufficient unless you are going to be running at low tire pressures. I have had tires spin when running low with only one rim lock installed. As long as the tire pressure is up you should not have any problems. I would get the second one back from him if he kept it, it is yours! Then if you do have problems you will have it to re-install. Hope this helps.

Josh

That makes sense, Josh. I've often wondered about the 2 v. 1 rim locks issue myself. Since I tend to run my tires a little underinflated in the deep, sandy trails of Michigan, I guess this is an advantage.