This artical was taken from a UK based motorcycle mag called Motorcycle News........

SCANNED COPY HERE

TRIUMPH has ordered dealers to inspect all Bonneville Wheels
after reports of a catastrophic fault which an MCN reader
says could have killed him. Alastair Sutcliffe had just stopped at a motorway service station when his Bonneville suffered a blow-out as a result of a broken spoke puncturing the inner tube. Sutcliffe, a 57-year-old
retired motor engineer from Prescot, Merseyside, said: “My wife and I could well have been killed if we had not
pulled off the motorway at that point.” Mark Swepson of Triumph’s warranty department confirmed to MCN last week that reports had been received of snapping spokes on the ’s worldwide best-selling model, and that a “reminder” had been issued to all dealers to check condition and
tightness during servicing. He denied there was a fault and claimed it was “a wear and tear issue”. But Howard Bartle, a wheel builder of 40 years who has had to replace broken spokes on three Bonnevilles, said there could be a problem arising from the model’s wheel construction.
He said: “All the heads of the spokes face outwards where they join the hub. On a traditional, standard-built wheel
they are alternate.” Bartle said the design “could develop
a problem” because it places extra stress on spokes at the points where they cross one another. The design is
necessary due to the Bonneville’s wide wheel hubs, according to Bartle, but the problem could be addressed with
stronger spokes. He said: “They are stainless steel. Stainless steel is a more brittle material. It can get work-
hardened and fracture.” He added that Harley-Davidsons
also have wide wheel hubs, but get round the problem by using thicker spokes. He said: “You could uprate the
Bonneville spokes by fitting heavier ones and I’m sure it would be quite successful.” Sutcliffe said: “Triumph's warranty department said they could solve the problem by fitting mild steel spokes, but that would result in rusting”. He added: “I would suggest a recall on all Bonnevilles, particularly as some will not be serviced by main agents. People could be Out there riding death traps. It is not sufficient to just recommend that agents check
tightness when servicing.” Triumph refused to disclose the
number of reports of broken spokes or give an official explanation for the notice to dealers last week. Swepson
claimed it was “probably because spokes were found to be loose or not tightened properly”.

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Last edited by spud; 10/13/2006 4:28 PM.
"I just can't put it down" Regards Andy AKA Spud