Bike wheels get bent after going over a pothole: Repair or replace?

This is on my RE Thunderbird 350X with tubeless tyres.

BHPian aadi.xiii recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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

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

I ride a 2019 Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X and the bike is in very good condition.

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

Initially, I thought that something was wrong like the engine had some leaks but then I quickly realised that the tyre pressure was dropping. Slowed down parked on the side of the road and checked both wheels only to find out that both alloys had been damaged to a certain extent. I'll upload 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 could check the images of the damaged alloys and recommend whether the alloys can be repaired or if I shall have to replace both alloys.

Thank you

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

Here's what BHPian ebonho had to say on the matter:

It 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.

Here's what BHPian aargee had to say on the matter:

One multiple-choice question:

• Unreliable + Risk + Economic = Ride in Anxiety
• Reliable + Certainty + Expensive = Ride with Peace of Mind

What do you choose?

Here's what BHPian antz.bin had to say on the matter:

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 be 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.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.