Tire balancing
Tourer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 345
Likes: 3
I havent balanced my current front tire or the past two rear tires that Ive had. I am running custom billet aluminum wheels, so there may me a difference if youre running the stock cast aluminum wheels. My tires have worn very well and I dont notice any vibration, even at interstate speeds. Im going to need a new front tire soon and I dont have any plans to balance that one.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 173
From: Simi Valley, CA
I do balance my tires...
But that said, on my Duece the rear wheel is hard to keep weights on at high speeds due to the configuration of the wheel. There is no flat surface perpendicular to the vertical centerline of the wheel to apply the weights to. On every road trip I've been on with that bike the weights have come off (until I started bonding them on with RTV rather than relying on the tape). I've never been able to tell the weights came off until I looked and saw them missing. By ride quality, I could never tell.
So I'm kinda with you on your observation.
But that said, on my Duece the rear wheel is hard to keep weights on at high speeds due to the configuration of the wheel. There is no flat surface perpendicular to the vertical centerline of the wheel to apply the weights to. On every road trip I've been on with that bike the weights have come off (until I started bonding them on with RTV rather than relying on the tape). I've never been able to tell the weights came off until I looked and saw them missing. By ride quality, I could never tell.
So I'm kinda with you on your observation.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 731
Likes: 7
From: Windsor Ontario
I balanced my tires by first mounting them with the balance dot aligned with the air valve on the rim, and then doing a 'static' balance by spinning the wheel and seeing where it stops. Add weights if required.
Works for me.
Works for me.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 173
From: Simi Valley, CA
Unless you check the balance of the wheel first and find the actual heavy point of the wheel, aligning the dot with the valve stem may or may not help, and will actually hurt in many (if not most) cases.
Not one of the wheels (4) on my current bikes is heaviest at the valve stem. In the attached pics (rear wheel from my 2011 Limited) you can see the valve stem is nearly 180 degrees from the actual heavy point.
Last edited by 2black1s; Jun 16, 2013 at 11:19 PM.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,873
Likes: 13
From: NW Arkansas
I've balanced every motorcycle of my own forever and aligning the dot with the valve stem is a complete fallacy.
Unless you check the balance of the wheel first and find the actual heavy point of the wheel, aligning the dot with the valve stem may or may not help, and will actually hurt in many (if not most) cases.
Not one of the wheels (4) on my current bikes is heaviest at the valve stem. In the attached pics (rear wheel from my 2011 Limited) you can see the valve stem is nearly 180 degrees from the actual heavy point.
Unless you check the balance of the wheel first and find the actual heavy point of the wheel, aligning the dot with the valve stem may or may not help, and will actually hurt in many (if not most) cases.
Not one of the wheels (4) on my current bikes is heaviest at the valve stem. In the attached pics (rear wheel from my 2011 Limited) you can see the valve stem is nearly 180 degrees from the actual heavy point.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,846
Likes: 173
From: Simi Valley, CA
Last edited by 2black1s; Jun 17, 2013 at 11:10 AM.
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