Arby
03-28-2006, 01:49 PM
Since there appears to be some interest in dual sport/thumperadventure touring, I thought I'd share an easy inexpensive trick I read about some years ago in a dirt bike mag.
Those of us with spoke type rims may find ourselves in off road conditions that require low tire pressure. (Such as a lot of mud or deep sand. Often we find out the hard way, via inner tubes with the valve stem pulled out because our rear tires "spun " on the rim , that we need off road atyle rim locks. Just about all motocross and off road bikes come with them as standard equipment.
Since most of the thumper dual sports are first cousins to real off road bikes, finding an off road rim lock to fit our bikes is not difficult. Just buy one from an off road model closest to your dual sport.
The problem is how to effectively balance a tire that is now a pound or so out of balance.
After mounting your tire with the new rim lock installed, reinstall the wheel assembly on the bike. Leave the chain off for now, if it's an endless or linkless chain just let it drape over the swingarm. Either gently pry the brake pads all the way back to the retracted position, or remove them completely.
Just tighten the rear axle slightly to make sure everything is aligned properly.
At this point the wheel should spin freely, with no interference from the chain or brake pads. Double check to be sure.
After spinning the wheel by hand, eventually it will stop with the heavy spot closest to the floor. spin it several times, the spot with the rim lock will be on bottom every time. If it isn't, check again for interference.
Now you're ready to balance your tire.
Get a roll of silver solder. No, don't use that old roll of acid core solder that was in your fathers stuff when you cleaned out his stuff for your mother. Any hardware store will sell silver solder. It comes in a roll about 2-3 inches in dia., the strips are pliable and about the size of spaghetti noodles.
After having spun the tire and allowing it to stop with its' heavyest spot down, cut a piece off the silver solder(about 3-4 inches should do) and tightly wrap it around the spoke directly opposite the rim lock.(That is: the lightest side of the wheel.
The silver solder should extend about an inch and a half up the spoke, using the rim and spoke nipple as the base.
Keep adding solder to the spokes on either side of the first one you did untill the rim begins to stop,after being spun, on its own , with the rim lock at different places each time.
This requires patience, but the goal is to have the silver solder cancel out the weight of the rim lock. If you do this correctly, the rim lock be at a different location everytime you spin the wheel and allow it to stop on it's own.
Your tire is now balanced.
I've used this tip for years now, it is effective and trouble free. It does not cause problems with the spokes at all.
If changing tires, just double check the balance, fine tune as needed and you're good to go.
Of course, if you've got access to more advanced equipment, then use it. But the silver solder will still be effective balancing material.
BTW, don't forget to install the chain, pump up the brakes, and tighten the axle.
This will work just as well for spoke rims without the rimlocks.
The original author of this tip was an old school desert, m/x/flat track racer. He said he balanced all his race bike tires this way, that it improved the high speed handling in the dirt, including jumps. John Hately, I believe, is his name.
Bob
Those of us with spoke type rims may find ourselves in off road conditions that require low tire pressure. (Such as a lot of mud or deep sand. Often we find out the hard way, via inner tubes with the valve stem pulled out because our rear tires "spun " on the rim , that we need off road atyle rim locks. Just about all motocross and off road bikes come with them as standard equipment.
Since most of the thumper dual sports are first cousins to real off road bikes, finding an off road rim lock to fit our bikes is not difficult. Just buy one from an off road model closest to your dual sport.
The problem is how to effectively balance a tire that is now a pound or so out of balance.
After mounting your tire with the new rim lock installed, reinstall the wheel assembly on the bike. Leave the chain off for now, if it's an endless or linkless chain just let it drape over the swingarm. Either gently pry the brake pads all the way back to the retracted position, or remove them completely.
Just tighten the rear axle slightly to make sure everything is aligned properly.
At this point the wheel should spin freely, with no interference from the chain or brake pads. Double check to be sure.
After spinning the wheel by hand, eventually it will stop with the heavy spot closest to the floor. spin it several times, the spot with the rim lock will be on bottom every time. If it isn't, check again for interference.
Now you're ready to balance your tire.
Get a roll of silver solder. No, don't use that old roll of acid core solder that was in your fathers stuff when you cleaned out his stuff for your mother. Any hardware store will sell silver solder. It comes in a roll about 2-3 inches in dia., the strips are pliable and about the size of spaghetti noodles.
After having spun the tire and allowing it to stop with its' heavyest spot down, cut a piece off the silver solder(about 3-4 inches should do) and tightly wrap it around the spoke directly opposite the rim lock.(That is: the lightest side of the wheel.
The silver solder should extend about an inch and a half up the spoke, using the rim and spoke nipple as the base.
Keep adding solder to the spokes on either side of the first one you did untill the rim begins to stop,after being spun, on its own , with the rim lock at different places each time.
This requires patience, but the goal is to have the silver solder cancel out the weight of the rim lock. If you do this correctly, the rim lock be at a different location everytime you spin the wheel and allow it to stop on it's own.
Your tire is now balanced.
I've used this tip for years now, it is effective and trouble free. It does not cause problems with the spokes at all.
If changing tires, just double check the balance, fine tune as needed and you're good to go.
Of course, if you've got access to more advanced equipment, then use it. But the silver solder will still be effective balancing material.
BTW, don't forget to install the chain, pump up the brakes, and tighten the axle.
This will work just as well for spoke rims without the rimlocks.
The original author of this tip was an old school desert, m/x/flat track racer. He said he balanced all his race bike tires this way, that it improved the high speed handling in the dirt, including jumps. John Hately, I believe, is his name.
Bob