Balancing act

[Zombie Master]

Thought I'd continue this thread with a new start.
1984 R100 with snowflake wheels, drum brake.
We were discussing balancing wheels.
I'm going to be installing Michelin Pilot Activ in 4.00 18 /3.25 19 Or if I can't get those, I'll try the new Bridgestone B46 in the same size.
They cost about the same. The only reason I'd go for the B46 is that they are a new model, so I know they will be fresh. When ordering tires, you never know how old they are before you get them.

After reading your cautions about internal wheel balancing methods, I've rejected that approach.

Not sure why my local dealer can't balance these wheels, but he says he can't.

Is there something unusual about these wheels?

The dealer is able to balance my other bikes no problem.

A friend has this wheel balance stand that I can use:

https://www.amazon.ca/Venom-Motorcycle- ... 6528&psc=1

Would I need to do any adaptation for my wheels? Or does a stand like this have enough adjustment to fit?

I plan to install new seals on the front, so I'll be purging the old grease. I can oil the bearing for balancing, then fit the new seal with new grease.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

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[gspd]

ZM said: "you never know how old they are before you get them".

That's why you should always ask first
no, seriously now...
Condition is more important than age.

Somewhere on every tire you will see DOT and a serial number.
The last 4 digits are the week and year of manufacture.
ex DOT468789071820 was produced in the 18th week of 2020.
I've bought tires that were older date than the worn ones being replaced. Sometimes that's all I could get 'right now'.
I prefer a new tire that's less than 2 years old if I have the choice, but would not hesitate to buy a new 3 or 4 year old tire if the price is right. An unused tire normally has a longer shelf life than a used tire because it still has a protective coating.

In reality, there are millions of vehicles legally on the road with tires way more than 10 years old, and I'm sure some of you reading this have such tires on one or more of your vehicles. Condition is more important than age. Small cracks are not acceptable; they lead to big ones. Check out some tire dates next time you're at a classic bike (or car) meet, it'll scare you.

The balancing stand in the link you posted should work fine.
Actual wheel bearings, even when new, have too much friction to really do the job quickly and accurately.
Maybe your dealer doesn't have the right type of weights for your wheel? What else makes it different than any other wheel to balance?

[melville]

Boy, my guy was able to mount and balance Pilot Actifs on the snowflakes on my /7 no problem (except for the below). Little stick on weights. Steel nowadays and not lead. Work was done in California--may be different elsewhere.

The Pilot Actifs are reportedly a problem to mount on snowflakes. My guy said he went to 100 psi and walked away slowly and left them overnight to seat the beads. He and I blamed the new powdercoat on the wheels, but I've heard since that they are also a tight fit on OG painted wheels.

[Zombie Master]

Somewhere on every tire you will see DOT and a serial number.
The last 4 digits are the week and year of manufacture.

Yea I know this, but unless the tires are in stock, the dealer says he has no way to know how old they will be....and that sucks.

Last time he had them in stock they were 5 years old, I had him order a new set, and they were already 2 years old.

The balancing stand in the link you posted should work fine.

Will I need to come up some kind of adapter that wouldn't be included in this balance stand?

Actual wheel bearings, even when new, have too much friction to really do the job quickly and accurately.
Maybe your dealer doesn't have the right type of weights for your wheel? What else makes it different than any other wheel to balance?

Not sure why he can't balance them. I have a number of clip on OEM weights around that I could use.

[Zombie Master]

Boy, my guy was able to mount and balance Pilot Actifs on the snowflakes on my /7 no problem (except for the below). Little stick on weights. Steel nowadays and not lead. Work was done in California--may be different elsewhere.

The Pilot Actifs are reportedly a problem to mount on snowflakes. My guy said he went to 100 psi and walked away slowly and left them overnight to seat the beads. He and I blamed the new powdercoat on the wheels, but I've heard since that they are also a tight fit on OG painted wheels.

Yea I read on Snowbum that the Pilot Actifs can be a problem. I've been running Bridgestone S11's 120/90/18 on the rear. I'm going to reinstall my original top hat spacer and go back to OEM sizes. The New B46 Bridgestones now come in 4.00/18.

Bless his heart, but the Snowbum site takes a lot of time to read and reasearch!

[Rob Frankham]

Most 'dynamic' wheel balancers used by dealers require different adaptors for different types of wheel, bearing in mind that the wheel has to be clamped so that it can't rotate on it's own bearings. If your guy didn't have the right adaptor for the snowflakes, he's going to say he can't do it rather than pay out for a set of adaptors he'll use maybe once in five years.

The stand geatured in the link will work just fine provided it will take the wheel diameter. It probably will. It doesn't rely on the wheels own bearings. The whole shaft rotates on the bearings at either side. If the wheel does decide to rotate on it's own bearings as well, it doesn't matter at all... just make sure the two cone shaped adaptors are tightly pressed into the bearings otherwise it won't be accurate.

Best practice is to set up a marker somewhere near the edge of the tire then spin the wheel and see where it comes naturally to rest. You need the wheel to complete at least one full revolution. Mark the point where it comes to rest lightly on the tyre and repeat at least ten times. Stand back and see where the marks are. If they are evenly distributed around the tyre, then the wheel is balanced (although it's worth repeating it a few times to be sure). If they're not take the average position of the marksand put weight on the rim at a point exactly opposite that point, erase the marks and repeat the process as many times as it takes until you do get the marks all round the tyre. With experience you will be able to estimate how much weight you need to apply and you'll only need to do the testing two or three times... but don't be surprised if, at the start, you need to do it ten or even more times. It can be a long drawn out process and patience is essential otherwise you're wasting your time.

Rob

[daz]

It does not hurt to check the balance of the rim first without the tire.

[Zombie Master]

It does not hurt to check the balance of the rim first without the tire.

Why is dat?

[barryh]

It does not hurt to check the balance of the rim first without the tire.

Why is dat?

Because if you identify the heavy point on the wheel you can position the heavy spot on the tire on the opposite side in order to minimise the balance weights needed.

[daz]

I guess not all tires have the little dot indicating the heavy point. But most do. The point your air valve comes through the rim may be most heavy (or not).