Balancing Tires??

jkevinlilly · Post by **jkevinlilly** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:16 pm

What is an easy way to balance tires in the "home" workshop?? I called the local motorcycle shop today and asked them how much it would be to mount and balance two tires if I dropped the wheels and tires off with them one day.

$75!!!

That is a 50% percent increase on the price I considered on the high side just two years ago. I've never tried balancing my own, but I think it is the right time to start.

Kevin

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:14 pm

Kevin, that's outrageous. My local shop did the job for $25.00 -- $12.50 per wheel. And that included removing the old rock hard tires, mounting new tires and tubes and balancing.
Shop around a little, even if you have to go some miles.

jkevinlilly · Post by **jkevinlilly** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:00 pm

Chris,
I agree with your well thought out and worded response, "That's outrageous."

I found this using google, what are your guys opinions??

http://tidyville.roadstarclinic.com/balance.html

Kevin

advant63 · Post by **advant63** » Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:14 pm

kevin, use a pair of jackstands and your axle bolt. car ramps are a great idea too.

Wayne Meuir · Post by **Wayne Meuir** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:59 am

Kevin, Cycle Gear charges $30 per wheel to mount and balance here if you do not buy tyhe tires from them.

Balancing is easy but time consuming. Use jack stands and the axle. Make sure the axle is very clean and free of grease, etc. Also make sure it is dead level and spin it very slowly.

Wayne

rngdng · Post by **rngdng** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:12 pm

I rarely balance mine. I can't feel the difference between one that's balanced and one that's not unless it's GROSSLY out of balance.

Lane

TLRam1 · Post by **TLRam1** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 4:15 pm

I use the No-mar Balancer, certainly other less expensive was to make to make one.

http://www.nomartirechanger.com/product/show/9

jkevinlilly · Post by **jkevinlilly** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 5:31 pm

OK, time for a beer break.

Thanks Terry, I think I'll stick with the jack stand method for now. I don't plan on changing tires as often as h20kettle, so it would take me a while to pay for a factory tool.

Two questions:

1. Does the front tire come off the rim so much easier than the rear due to the larger diameter, or due to the different construction between the tires?

2. Lane, are you the one that wrapped a couple layers of "the handymans secret weapon" around the front rim on Pinky to protect the tube from the spoke heads, or was it another PO??

Kevin

rngdng · Post by **rngdng** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:19 pm

That was me. Strapping tape is great for rim strips. Duct tape, too. It works.

Lane

jkevinlilly · Post by **jkevinlilly** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:47 pm

Figured you were the culprit.

Just wanted to let you know it worked fine in case you were just experimenting. Looks like it was just put on the wheel, I figure it will work for another tire, at least.

Kevin

tz375 · Post by **tz375** » Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:46 pm

I have never understood what the drama is on this subject. No. I'm not being a smart arse. It's just not that hard most of the time.

It takes time and isn't a nice clean job, and it's easy to lose skin on sprockets etc, but it's not very hard.

Of course I have had to throw away more than one new tube in my time - after I pinched it, but my batting average isn't so bad.

It's not hard if you have a decent set of tire irons and are patient. The hardest parts are breaking the bead on an old tire and getting a new one to seat evenly.

On my bikes, taking the front wheel off and not dropping the bike is usually harder than changing tires.

For balancing I just use stick on weights and don't bother with dynamic balancing even on a race bike. I do like them to be balanced though and on a light bike it can be quite noticeable. A GT750 probably has enough mass to dampen any vibrations from the tires.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:21 am

Kevin - answer to question #1. Most modern tires are meant to be used tubeless - on sealed mag type rims. However on an old stock smoker with spokes a tube MUST be used. By nature, the tubeless type tire has a way heavier side wall and are meant to fit tighter than a tube type tire
Lane probably had BT45's on Pinky. The BT45 front is a tube type tire but the rear isn't. That's why the front is easier to remove.
I put a set of new Pirelli tires on the Buffalo when I had it. Rear tire was a bi*ch - but doable. Had to inflate the tire 3 times to get the side wall to seat correctly on the rim.
After pinching a tube or 2, I found a better method. After the first side of the tire is on, work the tube in and get the valve straight and install the nut. Then partially inflate the tube to about 10 pounds or so. Use lots and lots of heavily soaped water applied with a brush. I found that with some air in the tube the tire iron tip would slip over the tube as opposed to pinching it against the rim.
Some will argue that soap is not the thing to use but it works great. And when it dries, the tire really sticks to the rim. Green Slime is a totally unnecessary extra expense.

jkevinlilly · Post by **jkevinlilly** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:23 pm

Thanks for the help guys. I have been out of touch for the last week, I had to send my personal laptop off for hardware repairs, and naturally the work computer network will not allow me to access forums.

I ended up balancing the tires on to wooden two chairs in the kitchen. Worked fine, and was a lot cheaper than a store bought balancer. Note: When doing this you need a 12-pack on each chair so they don't turn over.

I wish I had seen your post first Chis, I think I slightly pinched the front tube, even being careful. I have lost about 6-8 lbs of air in about 8 days. I'm going to keep an eye on it since it will probubly continue. At least the front one is a lot easier to pull back off the bike than the back one.

Kevin

Wayne Meuir · Post by **Wayne Meuir** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:27 am

NAPA sells a product commonly referred to as "tire snot" that can be applied to the bead of a tire to make it seat onto the rim easier and it works really well.

Wayne

jkevinlilly · Post by **jkevinlilly** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 4:58 pm

I used soapy watter in a windex bottle, and a big hammer, finally got the bead right..

Kevin