Motorcycle wheel

The wheel carries the tyre, the brake disc and, at the rear, the sprocket or drive flange, and rotates on bearings around the axle. Main types:

• cast wheels, usually aluminium alloy, common on road bikes and suited to tubeless tyres;
• spoked wheels, with steel spokes and an aluminium or steel rim, standard on motocross, enduro and many adventure bikes because they flex and survive impacts;
• forged aluminium or magnesium and carbon wheels, lighter and expensive, used for performance.

Check wheel bearings for play, rims for dents and cracks, and on spoked wheels the spoke tension, especially when the bike is new or after hard off-road use. A bent rim can cause vibration and air loss.