[aadi.xiii]

Hello members, this is my first post and I'm new here so kindly excuse and correct and mistakes that you spot. thank you

So recently I was returning home at night on the pune Bangalore highway when my I encountered a pothole while riding my motorcycle.

I ride a 2019 Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X and the bike is in very good conditon.
Well, as a rider who has clocked over 17k kilometres on the bike, i instantly felt that something’s wrong and could feel the throttle response dropping bit by bit.
Initially i thought that something’s wrong like the engine has some leaks but then i quickly realised that the tyre pressure is dropping. Slowed down and parked on the side of the road and checked both the wheels only to find out that both alloys have to been damaged to a certain extent. I'll uploads the photos of the same. Temporarily ,I’ve put tubes in my tubeless tyres because the bike is my daily driver and as a student, I can’t have another vehicle till this one gets repaired. I'd really be glad if our fellow members can check the images of the damaged alloys and recommend whether the alloys can be repaired or I shall have to replace both the alloys.
thank you

(the one with the tyre is the front alloy while the one without the tyre is the rear alloy)

[ebonho]

All depends on the expertise of the guy who does it. Usually 2 to 3 whacks with a hammer to a properly placed block of wood. Then clean the bead and grease it a bit and re-fit the tyre. If it holds, it will hold indefinitely. If not, then 9 out of 10 chances are that further intervention is not going to work either. All the best.

[aargee]

One multiple choice question:
a. Unreliable + Risk + Economic = Ride in Anxiety
b. Reliable + Certainity + Expensive = Ride with Peace of Mind

What do you choose?

[IshaanIan]

Considering it is a made in India product, new rims would cost only about 10k so I’d cough up the dough and get new rims if I were you. They can be mended as well but it won’t be the same.

[rajeevsulu]

Hi
Seeing that it is your daily ride and that you cannot be without a bike for even a day, I suggest you replace the rims. It is a sure shot remedy. You can go back to the tubeless tyres and a lot of peace.
Cheers
Rajeevsulu

[Gordon]

If the alloys from the Classic 350 BS6 are the same size and fit for the TBX, then the wheels would cost you around 6750 (front) and 6300 (rear). If not, then the TBX wheels would probably be in this ball park and you can buy them individually, instead of a set.

Overall new alloy would cost approximately 6750 + 6300 + labour.

EDIT: other option is switch to spoked steel rims, spokes and the wheel hub. It'll probably be 1/3rd the cost of the alloys with labour i assume.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by aadi.xiii

Well, as a rider who has clocked over 17k kilometres on the bike, i instantly felt that something’s wrong and could feel the throttle response dropping bit by bit.

With that much damage I am surprised the bike did not throw you off.Riding with two bend rims is like riding a bucking horse.

Rims can be mended, steel and alloys alike. Although steel is much more easy to fix. But as others pointed out, for peace of mind you might want to get new ones.

Jeroen

[antz.bin]

You can probably claim insurance. This is accidental damage after all.

If you have zero depreciation insurance, this should be relatively painless. The loss in terms of NCB will definitely lower than the 13k you are looking at to replace both the rims.

Do the right thing, use your insurance. That is what you bought it for.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

You can probably claim insurance. This is accidental damage after all.

If you have zero depreciation insurance, this should be relatively painless. The loss in terms of NCB will definitely lower than the 13k you are looking at to replace both the rims.

Do the right thing, use your insurance. That is what you bought it for.

I totally agree with this philosophy.

The NCB and the physical hassle of making a claim and getting an inspection done by an assessor is in my opinion by design by insurance companies to keep the vast bulk of small claims from being made.

If you look back then over a 10 year period and the amount of premium you have spent on insuring all your vehicles PLUS paying out of pocket for small damages, you realise what a giant con it is.

Cheers, Doc

[aargee]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

You can probably claim insurance. This is accidental damage after all

While it's a good solution, one has to be very careful doing so because the surveyor knows inside out of everything by the very look of a damage, especially if they're experienced folks from ICICI/Oriental etc

There're 2 aspects in to this approach:
1. For sure: Most ASC & insurance surveyor have good rapport with each other because the ASC deals with the specific insurance company for their new vehicles {and renewals} - so this is not much of a concern due to continuous business rapport between ASC <surveyor> Insurance Company
2. The second & most important half being: a good rapport that we have with the ASC

Only when the above two works out:
a. ASC writes {compelling & convincing} statement in the claim letter
b. The surveyor also submits the claim in such a way that the insurance company cannot reject/suspect the claim

Points 1 & 2 are very important because, as customers we never get a chance to see the surveyor & bound to accept what ASC says; for any rejection, ASC are bound to play a blame game on surveyor. Even if we get to meet the surveyor he would place the blame on the insurance company. The claim letter here also plays a vital role because what sounds convincing to us may not sound so to the surveyor, hence the word convincing in bold.

[vattyboy]

1. Yes, they can be repaired very easily, the main thing is to find a shop which can repair them accurately.

I got my bent rims repaired in Pune, Ahmedabad and Surat and between these cities, I have found a good shop in Surat which repairs the bent rims as good as new.

Finding a good shop is challenging as the reviews on Google regarding all the shops are good and due to that I got my bent rim repaired in Pune and Ahmedabad but there were still wobbling issues in the car above 100 kmph. Again Pune and Ahmedabad may have some good shops but where I went they were not good at all.

Car rims bent repairs charges vary from Rs 1500 to 2500.

2. Generally, most companies don't cover the rims in zero Depp cover because the rims protection cover is sold separately.

But you can try to claim them in insurance. Generally, the insurance surveyor has good relations with the ASS so he passes the claim without any issues.
But again depends on luck also.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by aadi.xiii

I'd really be glad if our fellow members can check the images of the damaged alloys and recommend whether the alloys can be repaired

Few years back I had damged steel rim of my car in one of the pothole. I got it straightened in a shop called Krishna Tyres, near Dange Chowk, PCMC. They had some machine with rollers which kept it turning till it was back in shape.

I am not sure if alloy rim can be straightened but you can search google maps for thier location and contact and check if they can help.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by vattyboy

I got my bent rims repaired in Pune, Ahmedabad and Surat and between these cities, I have found a good shop in Surat which repairs the bent rims as good as new.

Finding a good shop is challenging as the reviews on Google regarding all the shops are good and due to that I got my bent rim repaired in Pune and Ahmedabad but there were still wobbling issues in the car above 100 kmph. Again Pune and Ahmedabad may have some good shops but where I went they were not good at all.

Can you share the details of the shop/s you went to in Poona please.

Originally Posted by shipnil

Few years back I had damged steel rim of my car in one of the pothole. I got it straightened in a shop called Krishna Tyres, near Dange Chowk, PCMC. They had some machine with rollers which kept it turning till it was back in shape.

Thanks Shipnil. Currently I have a bit of a flat-out section on the right of my front Duke 390 rim. Holding air perfectly, touch wood. So do not plan to finger unnecessarily. Probably from a hit a long time ago.

Cheers, Doc

[anjan_c2007]

As many have observed and suggested I would be in favour of replacement rather than repairs. Repairs advisable only and if only you get customer feedback from someone you know well about some such repair jobs he has undertaken. Not otherwise.

Yes, spending on new spoke-steel rims is a better option as you are riding perhaps on the same road again and again. And with new alloys, such a story can get repeated for sure.

[AngelEyes]

It's advisable to replace the damaged rim rather than attempting to repair it. Last year, I successfully filed an insurance claim and acquired a new alloy wheel for my Octavia. However, the process was far from easy as the insurance surveyor outright rejected my claim, despite presenting dash cam footage as evidence. Both of the front alloys on my car had significant dents.

I had to escalate the matter to a regional ICICI head, and eventually, after a month's time, my claim was approved, but only for one alloy.

Subsequently, I had the dent removed at a tire shop, but the result was far from the original shape, and during the process, the guy caused numerous scratches. Consequently, I had to get the entire rim repainted.