Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?

pat76r90 · Post by **pat76r90** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 5:55 am

Bike in question is a 76 R90, with undetermined alloy wheels, 7 spoke. First front tire change, found a tube inside. I searched and found an old(long) thread. Personally, I don't like running tubes in alloy rims, been running the rear tubeless with no problem. What do the rest of you folks run?

Major Softie · Post by **Major Softie** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:52 am

This is something that was hashed out a lot on the old forum. The opinions usually fall into two camps: those who think the added safety of a tubeless tire that is far less prone to sudden deflation is totally worth it, and those who think the lack of a safety bead and the much smaller chance of INSTANT deflation from the bead popping off on a pothole or something to be completely not worth the risk.

Sadly, both camps are right.

Depending on the size of the stem hole in your wheels, fitting a tubeless valve stem may or may not be practical, and may or may not require machining.

ME 109 · Post by **ME 109** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 6:12 pm

Undetermined wheel. How can we give comment?

SteveD · Post by **SteveD** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:35 pm

Major Softie wrote:... the lack of a safety bead and the much smaller chance of INSTANT deflation from the bead popping off on a pothole or something to be completely not worth the risk.

On snowflakes, the Michelins are difficult to get off. Might this tyre be the tyre to use to reduce that issue?

Major Softie · Post by **Major Softie** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 10:20 pm

SteveD wrote:
Major Softie wrote:... the lack of a safety bead and the much smaller chance of INSTANT deflation from the bead popping off on a pothole or something to be completely not worth the risk.
On snowflakes, the Michelins are difficult to get off. Might this tyre be the tyre to use to reduce that issue?

That gets a huge "Maybe, who knows?"

It's possible.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:14 pm

ME 109 wrote:Undetermined wheel. How can we give comment?

'deed

pat76r90 · Post by **pat76r90** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 6:46 am

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-R-Series-/2 ... 1407202757

If this link works, this bike on ebay has the same wheels, at least they look the same.

I did fit an 8mm valve and mounted it tubeless, seems to work well. From what the Major is saying, this bike is dangerous either way. Ain't love grand?

Ever do some bit of routine maintenance on a bike, only to have some totally unrelated failure the next time you ride it? My daily commute involves the NYS thruway, and while high speed testing the new tire, suddenly I am running out of gas. Got off, headed back home, it cleared up on its own, I turned around again, and it's been fine ever since. Think I'll clean the petcocks.

khittner1 · Post by **khittner1** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 6:58 am

Lesters, then. Let the knowledge flow.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:43 am

pat76r90 wrote:Ever do some bit of routine maintenance on a bike, only to have some totally unrelated failure the next time you ride it? My daily commute involves the NYS thruway, and while high speed testing the new tire, suddenly I am running out of gas. Got off, headed back home, it cleared up on its own, I turned around again, and it's been fine ever since. Think I'll clean the petcocks.

Duane wrote:It is a good idea to measure the number of seconds that it takes to fill a fixed volume container from each petcock. Record it for future comparison. An Everbest will flow 100 cc of fuel in about 12-15 seconds with a half full tank. Only when it would get up to around 20 seconds would I remove the petcock to investigate it further. A full tank will flow more fuel than a low one, so take that into account in your flow measurements.

Notice the appearance of normal flow, as you need to be able to recognize it. Later when you have some high speed problem, you will be able to easily check to see if it is fuel flow related. If you pull the fuel line off often and let the fuel flow freely, you will eventually learn to see what is "normal" and what is "too little".

If you think that you may be seeing less fuel flow than you want, here is a quick test. Remove the lower end of the fuel line at the petcock that you want to check. Use air pressure to try to blow any dirt upwards and back into the fuel tank. Be sure to clean out both main and reserve positions. Now test the flow again. If it has improved, then you have just proven that the fuel flow system was clogged up. You haven't fixed anything at all, only temporarily relieved it. This might get you home, but you must drain and clean the entire fuel system soon.

The above is from this page, near the bottom:
http://www.w6rec.com/duane/bmw/petcock/index.htm

As Duane sez:

Anytime you have a question, Google "BMW motorcycle yourquestionhere" and you will probably find "my" [Duane's] website near the top

https://www.google.com/search?sourceid= ... .24054j0j7

melville · Post by **melville** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 9:30 am

Also check to see if the gas cap is properly venting--should it act like it's out of fuel again, open the gas cap while still going down the road. If the situation improves, the gas cap vent may be clogged.

There is also a chance the float level is too low if you are starving at speed under load.

Boxerworks.com

Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?

Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?

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Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?

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