Three sizes of spokes - how do I know which goes where?

[dragonaut]

I recently found the rear wheel on the 2012 S10 I bought in April has a spoke missing. I suspect it has been like that all along and I just didn't notice. I bought a new spoke set (aggravating that one has to spend so much money and buy so much extra stuff, but I digress) and as I had heard there are indeed three different sizes in the spoke set. Sixteen of one size and eight each of the other two. The size variation is quite small and I have no idea how one is supposed to tell which spoke to use. Is it just - if it fits, use it?

I've never owned another motorcycle with spoke wheels before and they already seem to be more of a pain in the ass than I bargained for.

 

[Longdog Cymru]

Yes, I wish my S10 had cast alloy wheels too! Failing that, I wonder if you could get the wheels rebuilt using a BMW type rim? Much cleaner and easier to clean too!

 

[OldRider]

There are a total of 32 spokes. The 16 that come from the INSIDE of the hub to the rim are all the same There are 8 outer spokes on each side. The 8 spokes that come from the LEFT side of the hub are just a little longer than the 8 that come from the RIGHT side of the hub. This means that there are (3) different length spokes in the rear wheel. 8=165mm, 8=168mm and 16=163mm.

 

[dragonaut]

There are a total of 32 spokes. The 16 that come from the INSIDE of the hub to the rim are all the same There are 8 outer spokes on each side. The 8 spokes that come from the LEFT side of the hub are just a little longer than the 8 that come from the RIGHT side of the hub. This means that there are (3) different length spokes in the rear wheel. 8=165mm, 8=168mm and 16=163mm.

That is just the info I needed! Thank you very much. It would be nice if they showed you that in the service manual, parts diagram, or something...

 

[jwrands]

On my bike (2013), I found that the LONG spoke goes on the RIGHT (rotor side), and the MEDIUM spoke goes on the LEFT. So double check the spoke arrangement on your bike. It would be interesting to know if anyone else's wheel is set up like this.

Also, is it more typical for the spokes on one side of the wheel to come loose more frequently than the others? I had a nipple fall off on one of my outer left spokes. I'd guess that this is because the driving force stretches the outer left side more than the others.

 

[OldRider]

The problem with the S10 wheel is that it only has 32 spokes. The more spokes a spokes crosses, the stronger the wheel is. The Tenere should have a 40 spoke wheel on both ends.