Loosening spokes on KTM rear wheel

blakegill57
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35
Joined
10/31/2017
Location
Lewiston, ID US
8/27/2018 7:49pm
Every time I go out and ride I keep ending up with a few loose spokes on my 2017 KTM. Its normally the drive side spokes on the rear wheel. I'm always sure to snug them back up before I go out and ride again but I recently had one spoke fall out. I'm curious if anyone else has had this issue with spokes and if there's anything to do to fix it besides to constantly check and tighten them. New wheelset?? Thanks for any info you may have.
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captmoto
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5122
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4/22/2009
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Rancho Cucamonga, CA US
8/27/2018 10:23pm
If you read MXA test for the last few years they recommend regular spoke checking on KTM and Huskies. Just one of those things.
BR8ES
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1914
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6/3/2018
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Bennett, CO US
8/28/2018 2:49am
Some have had issues, like already said it is constant check thing. Others have has no problems. I didn't want the hassle, so I just relaced with better spokes/nipples.
seth505
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SD, CA US
Fantasy
1048th
8/28/2018 7:00am
That's no fun, definitely make sure you are tightening them incrementally/evenly and go around the wheel doing every 3rd spoke.
CSAR FE
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641
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Tucson, AZ US
8/28/2018 1:34pm Edited Date/Time 8/28/2018 1:36pm
I stayed on top of the wheels on both of my Huskies. None of the spokes ever settled in on either bike, and they all ended up going out of round or getting wobble in them. Definitely the worst factory wheels I've ever experienced.

I bought a set of wheels from Faster USA with A60s and bulldog spokes for both. Problem solved. They're heavier, but they're bomb proof. After the first ride, the spokes settled in and have stayed tight.
1

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FiendzCC
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316
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9/12/2017
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Murrieta, CA US
8/28/2018 8:05pm Edited Date/Time 8/28/2018 8:12pm
The rims are what's causing that, assuming you've torqued the spokes correctly. It'll keep happening too, because the rims are soft as butter due to both cheaper and lighter alloys being used.

The spokes are worth replacing as well though, because one could argue that they don't make enough thread contact within the nipple, which leads to shearing off nipples even if they haven't necessarily been overtightened (they switched to aluminum nipples back in '09 if I remember correctly, which is weaker than steel). Also, the drive side of the rear hub is extremely thin, and they only have a single bearing on that side. The Japanese bikes all come with double bearings on the drive side for strength and durability.


All three things I just listed technically contribute to KTM's weight saving attributes, but they come with downsides that basically domino one component failing into to the next, which you're unfortunately running into.

Hope that all makes sense.
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chump6784
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1687
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5/9/2011
Location
AU
8/29/2018 2:56am
Had a 2012 model with the same problem, it's a ktm thing
blakegill57
Posts
35
Joined
10/31/2017
Location
Lewiston, ID US
8/29/2018 6:17am
FiendzCC wrote:
The rims are what's causing that, assuming you've torqued the spokes correctly. It'll keep happening too, because the rims are soft as butter due to both...
The rims are what's causing that, assuming you've torqued the spokes correctly. It'll keep happening too, because the rims are soft as butter due to both cheaper and lighter alloys being used.

The spokes are worth replacing as well though, because one could argue that they don't make enough thread contact within the nipple, which leads to shearing off nipples even if they haven't necessarily been overtightened (they switched to aluminum nipples back in '09 if I remember correctly, which is weaker than steel). Also, the drive side of the rear hub is extremely thin, and they only have a single bearing on that side. The Japanese bikes all come with double bearings on the drive side for strength and durability.


All three things I just listed technically contribute to KTM's weight saving attributes, but they come with downsides that basically domino one component failing into to the next, which you're unfortunately running into.

Hope that all makes sense.
Thanks for the help. Sounds like I should look into getting different rims and spokes.
mx317
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4531
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
TN US
8/29/2018 8:40am
Take off the rim strip that they use and use a double wrap of duct tape half-width. I had the spoke near the rim lock loosen up and back off and it can't do it with the tape. Mine have not loosened on my 17 450SXF and my new Husky after they took a seat. I will say the Husky has the DID Dirtstar rims which are much higher quality that the unbranded Excel rims and that is a factor.
2
blaze 57
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377
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4/11/2018
Location
Inchelium, WA US
8/29/2018 11:01am
I have the 18.5' 450 factory edition and zero spoke loosening issues. Probably due to the rim change on the new bikes.
1
BobPA
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8023
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10/31/2013
Location
PA US
8/30/2018 4:18am
The spokes on my ‘17 settles after about 20 hours. Have been holding strong for a while now.

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