Lamonster Approved Wheel Balancers for your Spyder

[Lamonster]

We have good stock now.

Lamonster Garage has been working exclusively with Centramatic in developing a wheel balancer for the Can Am Spyder. This project has taken over a year with many prototype units and redesigns. When we first started the project there were a limited amount of wheels on the market for the Spyder. The first set we made worked great on some of the wheels, but not all of them. There were clearance issues with the caliper and taper of the back of the wheel. After we worked that out we had to determine the right amount of weight to add to the rings to get the best effect and to overcome a tire that needed a lot of weight to balance. It's not unusual for a Spyder tire to take 3 to 4 oz to balance out. I had two front tires on my F3 that had a bounce I couldn't get rid of. I could see it in my fenders and sometimes it shook so badly, I thought it was going to break my fender supports. After changing to new tires it was better but still had a shake and that was with 3.5 oz of weight. After getting the finished product a few months ago I was pleased to see the fenders no longer shook and the ride was smooth as glass. Both Joan and I have ridden many thousands of miles since then will great results.
http://www.lamonstergarage.com/lamonster-approved-wheel-balancers-full-set/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i8WRuKfBkQ&feature=youtu.be

http://cdn3.bigcommerce.com/s-1dz5qu/products/319/images/1408/IMG_2252__44130.1490016767.1280.1280.jpg?c=2

[trikermutha]

I have my set and getting ready to install soon. :thumbup:

All I was worried about was the rear clearance.

[Bob Denman]

This looks like a very interesting and useful product! :thumbup:
I have never been comfortable with pumping a tire full of beads or goop. to balance them. I sort of figured that changing that tire would always be a huge mess! :yikes:
This solves that issue completely! :2thumbs:

[Igofshn]

BB's are a lot cheaper and do the same thing.

[Y Rider]

I have a 2011 RTL with 14" front wheels. According to your video the wheel balancers won't work on 14" wheels. Is there going to be a version that will work?

[papanorm]

I had them on my Goldwing for years and never had a problem. I enjoyed wheels that were always balanced as well as a more stable bike. Centramatic makes a fine product.


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[jcthorne]

BB's are a lot cheaper and do the same thing.


No,
they do not.

First they wear and end up as steel dust in the tires. Second they settle out each time you slow or stop and cause shimmy each time you take off or speed up as they rebalance. There was a lot of research that went into these balancers and the product has been on the market in the heavy equipment and other motorcycle markets for years. Its well proven. Not a new fad. Read up. Your comment and ones like it have been hashed out over and over in other markets where these have launched. They eventually fade as the product proves itself in yet another application. The difficulty was fitting these to the Spyder, took a great deal of trial and refit and testing.

The centramatic balancers are a one time permanent solution.

[armyspydervet]

BB's are a lot cheaper and do the same thing.
Thanks, but no thanks.

[wyliec]

I'll stick with RideOn. That was the flavor of the day when I first came on here, and my ride has been smooth all that time.

[wyliec]

I didn't realize we had to get permission to post.

[Igofshn]

No,
they do not.

First they wear and end up as steel dust in the tires. Second they settle out each time you slow or stop and cause shimmy each time you take off or speed up as they rebalance. There was a lot of research that went into these balancers and the product has been on the market in the heavy equipment and other motorcycle markets for years. Its well proven. Not a new fad. Read up. Your comment and ones like it have been hashed out over and over in other markets where these have launched. They eventually fade as the product proves itself in yet another application. The difficulty was fitting these to the Spyder, took a great deal of trial and refit and testing.

The centramatic balancers are a one time permanent solution.
Definitely not speaking from experience.

[jcthorne]

Having used both dynabeads and centramatic balancers, I can tell you first hand there is a big difference in actual use. Easier install and one time purchase are just additional benefits. Before these were available to Spyder owners, in tire balancers were about the best you could do. Time moves on, better products become available.

I can tell you if you try them, you will notice the difference. Its not subtle.

Look, I don't make money off Lamont selling these. Was just involved in the product development and have prior history with them. I have seen this same set of arguments and discussions in the Gold Wing and Harley Forums. Old news. If you have not tried them, you have no valid opinion. Loose beads in a tire vs heavy metal in a viscous fluid, contained in a tight circle react very differently during driving dynamics. Value for the money is a different issue and we each place a different scale on that.

Its much like sway bars. They work, not doubt about it. Worth is for each person to decide.

At least now, thanks to Lamont and others, the Spyder community has the choice of a better option. The crappy Kenda tires make it all the more useful on newer bikes. I suppose there is some down side to making Kenda tires last longer.

[PaladinLV]

I'm so thankful we have these "experts" with Engineering degrees to explain who is correct and who is not!
Well as the saying goes, "Opinions are like A--holes. Everybody has one!" ;)

AJ

[SpyderSteveFL]

I appreciate Lamont always looking to improve things. Sure it can be frustrating investing in something and months later there is something different or better, but that's life. There's no need to argue about different methods or technologies. To me it's simple - understand the options and make a choice. What works for one doesn't always work for another. I really do hate coming to this community and watching people cop attitudes, name call and hurl insults. So, with all that said... I'd like to just understand better...

I too have Ride-On in my tires as it was recommended about a year ago. I am about ready to change tires so this option has an appeal. I can put these and not worry about some other internal tire stuff like Ride-On, etc. or, I can do Ride-On again. I do like the instant road hazard fix aspect of the Ride-On or AmerSeal as Lamonster is currently recommending so that begs the question to me if I will put something in tire anyway, why not just Ride-On again and get the balancing aspect again. Yes, one negative they say about Ride-On is when tire is not spun in a while the stuff settles and there can be a little time for it to even out again. That hasn't typically been an issue for me because here in FL I am riding usually AT LEAST once a week usually more 365 days a year. The Ride-On does seem to smooth things out.

So here's the real thing for me... Ride-On, at least for me, riding often enough, is always 'ready' and working, no thuds or start up time. Looking at the demonstration video on the Centramatics it looks like they balance perfectly at speed, probably highway speed but they seem to wobble starting up or slowing down. So it looks like this would be perfect for full time highway riding, but what about city riding with alot of < 50mph stop and go? It almost seems the Centramatics will constantly be spinning up and settling almost always being out of balance? I can see the application on trucks traveling cross country all the time but I am concerned about local riding.

Anyone have experience with these and real life experience in stop/go riding? Do you not notice anything at slower speeds or is there 'wobble' at ramp up/slow down periods?

[jcthorne]

I appreciate Lamont always looking to improve things. Sure it can be frustrating investing in something and months later there is something different or better, but that's life. There's no need to argue about different methods or technologies. To me it's simple - understand the options and make a choice. What works for one doesn't always work for another. I really do hate coming to this community and watching people cop attitudes, name call and hurl insults. So, with all that said... I'd like to just understand better...

I too have Ride-On in my tires as it was recommended about a year ago. I am about ready to change tires so this option has an appeal. I can put these and not worry about some other internal tire stuff like Ride-On, etc. or, I can do Ride-On again. I do like the instant road hazard fix aspect of the Ride-On or AmerSeal as Lamonster is currently recommending so that begs the question to me if I will put something in tire anyway, why not just Ride-On again and get the balancing aspect again. Yes, one negative they say about Ride-On is when tire is not spun in a while the stuff settles and there can be a little time for it to even out again. That hasn't typically been an issue for me because here in FL I am riding usually AT LEAST once a week usually more 365 days a year. The Ride-On does seem to smooth things out.

So here's the real thing for me... Ride-On, at least for me, riding often enough, is always 'ready' and working, no thuds or start up time. Looking at the demonstration video on the Centramatics it looks like they balance perfectly at speed, probably highway speed but they seem to wobble starting up or slowing down. So it looks like this would be perfect for full time highway riding, but what about city riding with alot of < 50mph stop and go? It almost seems the Centramatics will constantly be spinning up and settling almost always being out of balance? I can see the application on trucks traveling cross country all the time but I am concerned about local riding.

Anyone have experience with these and real life experience in stop/go riding? Do you not notice anything at slower speeds or is there 'wobble' at ramp up/slow down periods?

With the dyna beads I noticed the wobble at low speeds. With the centramatics there is none, or far far less.

[PMK]

Correct me if wrong,

Centramatic should perform a balance better than gel or beads within a tire, simply because the balance disc is round, unlike a tire with a perpetually moving flat spot.

In regards to Centramatic balancers, yes these are a dynamic balance simply on account of motion.

In regards to the Centramatic balancer, the balance is accomplished on a single rotating plane, which is a step up from a rotating conventional static balance where all weights are applied in the same rotational plane.

Compared to a balance using weights, done as a common dynamic balance on a car, the weights are installed on two rotating planes, one on the rims inboard edge and one on the rims outboard edge or similar. Doing this type balance overcomes precession or rotating wobble.

Is the Centramatic balancing disc able to accomplish dual plane anti precession type balance control? On a narrow aspect ratio of diameter to width, single plane balance seems adequate. The wider the aspect ratio, it would seem the greater the need for an inner and outer balancing disc. Granted, the rear wheel is wheel mounted to reduce precession.

The gel type product has capability to flow laterally effectively providing dual plane balance.

Not bagging on the product or concept. Simply wanting to understand it more. Based on experience, I find that a two plane balance out performs a single plane balance with solid weights. Just curious if these can outperform an accurate two plane balance with solid weights.

[PMK]

To be accurate about use and added expense. It seems that gel type balance products could be used in a replacement tire, simply by using a squeegy to scrape from the old tire, and apply into the new tire before mounting.

Correct or incorrect?

[Bob Denman]

To be accurate about use and added expense. It seems that gel type balance products could be used in a replacement tire, simply by using a squeegy to scrape from the old tire, and apply into the new tire before mounting.

Correct or incorrect?

How would you transfer it into the new tire? :dontknow:
Don't you stand to have it run out?
(Unless you are VERY careful about how the tire is handled?)

[wyliec]

How would you transfer it into the new tire? :dontknow:
Don't you stand to have it run out?
(Unless you are VERY careful about how the tire is handled?)

The few times I had my tires changed, I purchased new RideOn. After the tire sits, and I don't know the exact time, the RideOn puddles at the bottom of the tire. I guess if you want to save money, you could scoop it out and reuse. Then again, when you put the tire on the machine to install on the rim, some may come out.

I'm sure Lamont's balancer is better. It was just an alternative I mentioned after someone else did.

[PMK]

How would you transfer it into the new tire? :dontknow:
Don't you stand to have it run out?
(Unless you are VERY careful about how the tire is handled?)

I don't want to dillute the Centramatic topic, but I did not have issue when I changed Rafaels tire. Rafael wore out Kenda rear #1. I installed my worn, but still with some life left oem Kenda onto his RTS. To balance it with use a bottle of Ride On. When I installed Rafaels Yokohama, I noticed the Ride On was gelled in the cool tire. Nothing ran or drained or leaked from inside the tire. Had I thought of it, I could easily have scraped it out of the old tire and placed it into the new Yokohama, saving him the cost of a bottle of Ride On. Assuming it can be done.

[papanorm]

I remember reading that Ride On doesn't recommend reusing their product out of an old tyre


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[jcthorne]

Final version Centramatic balancers installed!

145134

[bmccaffrey]

YIKES

THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY

[Lamonster]

Joan and I rode over 400 miles yesterday and the ride was smooth as glass. Remember I went from thinking my fender mounts were going to break to this. I'm very pleased with the results.

We good stock now too if you've been waiting :doorag:

[Bob Denman]

Hi Lamont!
The front ones look pretty easy to install. :thumbup:
If the rear one hides behind the disc; I'm guessing that it's a chore best undertaken during a tire change? :dontknow:

[Lamonster]

Hi Lamont!
The front ones look pretty easy to install. :thumbup:
If the rear one hides behind the disc; I'm guessing that it's a chore best undertaken during a tire change? :dontknow:
Unless you have a fairly new tire with issues I would wait till you change the rear tire. Same amount of work other than removing the rotor.

I didn't think this was going to turn into a oil thread but it did. There are a lot smarter guys on this board than me for sure. All I know is I've used the Ride On for years and it does work as a balancer. It will get a violent hop if it's been sitting in the cold and after seeing a good friend with a flat in the parking lot of a hotel in Durango from a small nail and the tire had Ride On in it I quit using it and recommending it. The sealant I use now works as I proved for myself with a drill. The balancer also works as I've experienced from having wheels that shook so bad I thought my fenders were going to break off.

These aren't cheap but they are a one time purchase that can be used over and over no matter how many tires you go through and can be transferred from Spyder to Spyder. Do what works best for you.

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

i use counteract balancing beads on suv's & light trucks. i know they work on m/c & spyders. i will probable test it
this spring when i bring bike in for balance. i was told to use 2oz. and they are the solid beads that don't break up
into dust.

[trikermutha]

JME- I used the Counteract Beads and don't work on the Spyder. It made the ride worse.

Hope to install the Centramatic balancers soon.

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

JME- I used the Counteract Beads and don't work on the Spyder. It made the ride worse.

Hope to install the Centramatic balancers soon.

Sorry to hear that, i will still test them out myself, do you know how much they put in?

[trikermutha]

Sorry to hear that, i will still test them out myself, do you know how much they put in?

I put in what was recommended 2 oz each front and 3 oz rear. Pain in ass to get in valve stem too. Good Luck:thumbup:

Hope to get my Centramatics on and tested soon once the weather breaks..

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

I put in what was recommended 2 oz each front and 3 oz rear. Pain in ass to get in valve stem too. Good Luck:thumbup:

Hope to get my Centramatics on and tested soon once the weather breaks..

did you pull the old weights off first?

[trikermutha]

did you pull the old weights off first?
Yep and then wasted more money having the rebalanced :banghead:

[bodymanpainter]

Joan and I rode over 400 miles yesterday and the ride was smooth as glass. Remember I went from thinking my fender mounts were going to break to this. I'm very pleased with the results.

We good stock now too if you've been waiting :doorag:

Thanks, I just ordered one set for my F3-T.
Toby

[Purple Guy]

I put a set of Vee Rubber VTR-350 Arachnid Tires on the front last year and tried balancing them with beads, sucked!
Removed the beads and went with sticky weights which were better but still not balanced.
The tires still have 80% tread left but I was thinking of taking the hit and replacing them with a tire that can actually be balanced!
After seeing this product I figure why not keep the tires that still have lots of life left and use the cash I was going to pay for new tires to cover half the cost of these balancers that I'll have for years to come! :thumbup:

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I put a set of Vee Rubber VTR-350 Arachnid Tires on the front last year and tried balancing them with beads, sucked!
Removed the beads and went with sticky weights which were better but still not balanced.
The tires still have 80% tread left but I was thinking of taking the hit and replacing them with a tire that can actually be balanced!
After seeing this product I figure why not keep the tires that still have lots of life left and use the cash I was going to pay for new tires to cover half the cost of these balancers that I'll have for years to come! :thumbup:
Should work unless your Arachnids are out of round. Then replacing is the only solution. If beads and weights didn't balance them I'm skeptical that the Centramatics will either.

[Purple Guy]

Should work unless your Arachnids are out of round. Then replacing is the only solution. If beads and weights didn't balance them I'm skeptical that the Centramatics will either.

I hope they do, if not they'll be recycled!

[sandman53]

Unless you have a fairly new tire with issues I would wait till you change the rear tire. Same amount of work other than removing the rotor.

I didn't think this was going to turn into a oil thread but it did. There are a lot smarter guys on this board than me for sure. All I know is I've used the Ride On for years and it does work as a balancer. It will get a violent hop if it's been sitting in the cold and after seeing a good friend with a flat in the parking lot of a hotel in Durango from a small nail and the tire had Ride On in it I quit using it and recommending it. The sealant I use now works as I proved for myself with a drill. The balancer also works as I've experienced from having wheels that shook so bad I thought my fenders were going to break off.

These aren't cheap but they are a one time purchase that can be used over and over no matter how many tires you go through and can be transferred from Spyder to Spyder. Do what works best for you.
What sealant do you now use?

[Hokiev]

What sealant do you now use?

This is what he sells posted on the web site so I would assume he would be using as well.

http://www.lamonstergarage.com/lamonster-approved-tire-sealant/

[Buckskin]

I come from the Gold Wing crowd. I was a dealer for them for the last 4-5 years. Installed them at Wing Ding the second year they were out. These things work! In the case of a bike, there is a combination of a flywheel/gyro effect and being mounted at the axle it helped the bike in counter steering. No Gyro here but the flywheel effect is still present. Used Dyna Beads for years before that as I exchange GL1800 wheels for chrome ones. The physics is pretty much the same but the effect inside a wheel OD is not the same as being mounted on the center hub of an axle. The balancers begin to work at about 15 mph. I don't think a lot of us take off and slowly ramp up speed but give it the gas and pass right though that range. The effect is pretty much immediate. I have these on my 2014 RT and I pulled off close to 2-3 oz of weights and the ride is glass smooth. If you trade up to a newer model, pretty likely you will take this off and install on the new bike.
You will enjoy more tire longevity and for those that might be feeling a little something in the handlebars, it's gone.
Buckskin


I appreciate Lamont always looking to improve things. Sure it can be frustrating investing in something and months later there is something different or better, but that's life. There's no need to argue about different methods or technologies. To me it's simple - understand the options and make a choice. What works for one doesn't always work for another. I really do hate coming to this community and watching people cop attitudes, name call and hurl insults. So, with all that said... I'd like to just understand better...

I too have Ride-On in my tires as it was recommended about a year ago. I am about ready to change tires so this option has an appeal. I can put these and not worry about some other internal tire stuff like Ride-On, etc. or, I can do Ride-On again. I do like the instant road hazard fix aspect of the Ride-On or AmerSeal as Lamonster is currently recommending so that begs the question to me if I will put something in tire anyway, why not just Ride-On again and get the balancing aspect again. Yes, one negative they say about Ride-On is when tire is not spun in a while the stuff settles and there can be a little time for it to even out again. That hasn't typically been an issue for me because here in FL I am riding usually AT LEAST once a week usually more 365 days a year. The Ride-On does seem to smooth things out.

So here's the real thing for me... Ride-On, at least for me, riding often enough, is always 'ready' and working, no thuds or start up time. Looking at the demonstration video on the Centramatics it looks like they balance perfectly at speed, probably highway speed but they seem to wobble starting up or slowing down. So it looks like this would be perfect for full time highway riding, but what about city riding with alot of < 50mph stop and go? It almost seems the Centramatics will constantly be spinning up and settling almost always being out of balance? I can see the application on trucks traveling cross country all the time but I am concerned about local riding.

Anyone have experience with these and real life experience in stop/go riding? Do you not notice anything at slower speeds or is there 'wobble' at ramp up/slow down periods?

[jcthorne]

Rode a few hundred miles the last couple days with the Centramatic balancers installed. Quite amazing actually. Lots of small vibrations that I had never associated with the wheels and tires are just GONE. The bike almost felt numb at first. MUCH smoother ride. The fenders are dead still going down the road. These are staying on my bike. Major improvement. Very impressed. I never got anything like this from dynabeads or ride on. Also there is NO wobble or twitchiness as starting up from a stop.

[Y Rider]

Hoping they come out with a version for 14" wheels for my 2011 RTL. Currently they will only fit on 15" wheels. :(

[bodymanpainter]

Rode a few hundred miles the last couple days with the Centramatic balancers installed. Quite amazing actually. Lots of small vibrations that I had never associated with the wheels and tires are just GONE. The bike almost felt numb at first. MUCH smoother ride. The fenders are dead still going down the road. These are staying on my bike. Major improvement. Very impressed. I never got anything like this from dynabeads or ride on. Also there is NO wobble or twitchiness as starting up from a stop.

Just installed them on the front of my F3-T and can tell some difference in the ride already. I will install the rear next week
after I install a new rear tire. I like them so far!
Toby

[donnellpj]

Joan and I rode over 400 miles yesterday and the ride was smooth as glass. Remember I went from thinking my fender mounts were going to break to this. I'm very pleased with the results.

We good stock now too if you've been waiting :doorag:


Lamont, I had some questions about these balancers before I had found your video, so I called Centramatic. I spoke to a gentleman who said that it would be OK to dynamically balance the wheels/tires first as the weights would not play havoc with the wheel balancer's, that they would work in tandem. He did say that using tire beads is a no no, that they would definitely work against the balancers, but dynamic balance initially was okay, especially when putting new tires on.

Thoughts on that? Thanks.

--Pete

[Lamonster]

Lamont, I had some questions about these balancers before I had found your video, so I called Centramatic. I spoke to a gentleman who said that it would be OK to dynamically balance the wheels/tires first as the weights would not play havoc with the wheel balancer's, that they would work in tandem. He did say that using tire beads is a no no, that they would definitely work against the balancers, but dynamic balance initially was okay, especially when putting new tires on.

Thoughts on that? Thanks.

--Pete

He deals with BIG trucks and I did the testing on the Spyder. Do what you like but I got the best results with the wheel weights off and that is what I was told from the motorcycle dealer of these units. You can always take them off later I guess.

By the way we have another large order showing up this week and we will be installing them on the front at Spyderfest. The feedback has been great :doorag:

[Lamonster]

Hoping they come out with a version for 14" wheels for my 2011 RTL. Currently they will only fit on 15" wheels. :(

I have a prototype here that may fit. I need to get a Spyder with a 14" wheel in the shop to make sure it works. If it does we should have those soon too.

[Peteoz]

Rode a few hundred miles the last couple days with the Centramatic balancers installed. Quite amazing actually. Lots of small vibrations that I had never associated with the wheels and tires are just GONE. The bike almost felt numb at first. MUCH smoother ride. The fenders are dead still going down the road. These are staying on my bike. Major improvement. Very impressed. I never got anything like this from dynabeads or ride on. Also there is NO wobble or twitchiness as starting up from a stop.

Do you have them on front AND back, JC?

Pete

[jcthorne]

Do you have them on front AND back, JC?

Pete

I
only have the front ones on so far. The rear one will wait until I take the wheel off for something else.

[Lamonster]

We have good stock again :doorag:

https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/17458126_985532828216066_5967565538500991747_n.jpg ?oh=26e194d7feca6ab708bf3fc175b2ba5f&oe=594FB215

[Firefly]

I had to bite the bullet and order these..... I was going to wait until at Spyderfest but then thought... why ride all those miles without them on?
Seems I should just have an automatic deduction from my bank account go to Lamonster Garage every month.....

Looing forward to trying these out!

[Lamonster]

I had to bite the bullet and order these..... I was going to wait until at Spyderfest but then thought... why ride all those miles without them on?
Seems I should just have an automatic deduction from my bank account go to Lamonster Garage every month.....

Looing forward to trying these out!

I think you got the last full set before we received stock today. And I agree that you'll be better off riding here on a smooth ride. :thumbup::doorag:

[Grandpot]

Pay attention when ordering the balancers. At this time they do not fit 14" wheels like my 2011 RTS. Now I have to send them back.

[Lamonster]

Pay attention when ordering the balancers. At this time they do not fit 14" wheels like my 2011 RTS. Now I have to send them back.

We did mention that in the video and it's in the description. We added that it only works on 15" wheels to the top of the page after we got your call.

Now the good news. I have the prototype for the 14" wheel in the works and hope to have them in hand next week. If they work as expected they will do the tooling and we'll have the first production run as soon as they're ready. I'll keep you guys posted. :doorag:

[Grandpot]

We did mention that in the video and it's in the description. We added that it only works on 15" wheels to the top of the page after we got your call.

Now the good news. I have the prototype for the 14" wheel in the works and hope to have them in hand next week. If they work as expected they will do the tooling and we'll have the first production run as soon as they're ready. I'll keep you guys posted. :doorag:

Great. I left in note in the returned box that an exchange instead of a refund would be fine with me if the 14" units will be ready soon.

I missed the part about the 15" wheels because I'm familiar with this product on other vehicles, so I just didn't watch the video or read everything. I just ordered them. No harm, no foul.

[eddieshep999]

I have the following questions:-

If you are having new tyres fitted and you have the Centramatics fitted would you need to get the tyres balanced or could you just fit the tyres and let the Centramatics balance them
therefore there would be no weights to be removed

On the front wheels, the wheel fits against the outer ring when you tourque up the wheel would it crush the ring and cause it damage or is the ring made of a strong material/metal

145628


On the rear wheel the outer ring is away from the wheel so I don't think it would be an issue

145629


All the reviews on this thread have reported how they are working on F3's, Has anyone fitted them to an RT and can give some feedback

[trikermutha]

You will not have any problem installing the Centramatics. I just put a set on the front wheels on and have no clearance issues. Take wheel off. Remove the weights install centramatics balancer. reinstall wheel torque the nuts. go for a ride.

You will not crush anything when installed

You do not need to balance the wheels after new wheels are installed unless you want too:dontknow:

I do have a 2014 RTL

Down the road I will install the rear balancer

[PScott07]

Just my 2 cents on the Wheel the Balancers , I bought the front set took weights off and put the balancers on and go for a ride, up to about 40mph everything is ok, but at about 52mph I get a very bad vibration, ( almost a wobble ) up to 57mph. If I set in that speed range it continues to vibrate, at about 60mph it flattens out, but when I get to 70mph I get what feels like the belt vibration only shaking out my fillings. Before the Balancers I had no problems with the front wheels being balanced. The weights on the tires were 2.75 oz. on one and 3.75 oz on the other, so according lamonster garage the balancers should work up to 6 oz out of balance, I am well with in that range, the other thing is that the tires could be out of round. I don't know enough about tires to say if that is the problem or not, I would think if the tires are out of round I would still have a problem with out the balancers, but I don't know. I'm still waiting for an answer from Lamonster about returning for a refund, but I'm guessing they are now used because they were installed on the spyder, and I get that, and I'm ok with that. I say if you are going to get these you might want to think about it, or if your going wait till spyder fest and have them installed there, so if there is a problem you can get help right there.


Before the trolls start attacking I don't feel Lamonster has done anything wrong, nor am I pointing fingers at any body, I'm just sharing my experience so others can make a choice. It was suggested to add more weights until it balances out but that's a lot of extra work I don't want to do.
I really liked this idea, but it just isn't working for me right now maybe down the road it will. If anybody else has had this problem and fixed it I would like to hear about it.

[PMK]

Just my 2 cents on the Wheel the Balancers , I bought the front set took weights off and put the balancers on and go for a ride, up to about 40mph everything is ok, but at about 52mph I get a very bad vibration, ( almost a wobble ) up to 57mph. If I set in that speed range it continues to vibrate, at about 60mph it flattens out, but when I get to 70mph I get what feels like the belt vibration only shaking out my fillings. Before the Balancers I had no problems with the front wheels being balanced. The weights on the tires were 2.75 oz. on one and 3.75 oz on the other, so according lamonster garage the balancers should work up to 6 oz out of balance, I am well with in that range, the other thing is that the tires could be out of round. I don't know enough about tires to say if that is the problem or not, I would think if the tires are out of round I would still have a problem with out the balancers, but I don't know. I'm still waiting for an answer from Lamonster about returning for a refund, but I'm guessing they are now used because they were installed on the spyder, and I get that, and I'm ok with that. I say if you are going to get these you might want to think about it, or if your going wait till spyder fest and have them installed there, so if there is a problem you can get help right there.


Before the trolls start attacking I don't feel Lamonster has done anything wrong, nor am I pointing fingers at any body, I'm just sharing my experience so others can make a choice. It was suggested to add more weights until it balances out but that's a lot of extra work I don't want to do.
I really liked this idea, but it just isn't working for me right now maybe down the road it will. If anybody else has had this problem and fixed it I would like to hear about it.

First off, not trolling. The method of using a viscous balancer can work. What you experienced is the phenomina of the inability of a single plane viscous balancer or single plane located balance weights not having the ability to correct a multi plane imbalance with centerline balancing.

The wider the rotating object, the greater the need to balance at each edge. If the Spyders front wheel were the same 3/4" width as the Cenramatic balance tube, you would have no wobble or precession. The wider rear tire is supported on both ends of the axis and has no steering input or ability to precess easily. This allows the single plane balancer to be more effective, and wobble not be felt. The Cenramatic will create balance and minimize wheel hop.

On account of the front wheels having the ability to not only spin, but also have the spinning wheel rotated about the steering axis, any out of plane imbalance will induce a secondary imbalance side to side or a wobble. If we had the ability to install a 15" Centramatic viscous balancer on the rims flanges, one inboard and one outboard, this may be about as close as possible to correcting imbalance.

When they accomplish a dynamic balance using weights, the machine calculates the amount of weight needed on each flange. Static balance is a matter of adding weight to oppose the heavy spot and is applied along the wheels centerline if possible.

[DJFaninTN]

Just my 2 cents on the Wheel the Balancers , I bought the front set took weights off and put the balancers on and go for a ride, up to about 40mph everything is ok, but at about 52mph I get a very bad vibration, ( almost a wobble ) up to 57mph. If I set in that speed range it continues to vibrate, at about 60mph it flattens out, but when I get to 70mph I get what feels like the belt vibration only shaking out my fillings. Before the Balancers I had no problems with the front wheels being balanced. The weights on the tires were 2.75 oz. on one and 3.75 oz on the other, so according lamonster garage the balancers should work up to 6 oz out of balance, I am well with in that range, the other thing is that the tires could be out of round. I don't know enough about tires to say if that is the problem or not, I would think if the tires are out of round I would still have a problem with out the balancers, but I don't know. I'm still waiting for an answer from Lamonster about returning for a refund, but I'm guessing they are now used because they were installed on the spyder, and I get that, and I'm ok with that. I say if you are going to get these you might want to think about it, or if your going wait till spyder fest and have them installed there, so if there is a problem you can get help right there.


Before the trolls start attacking I don't feel Lamonster has done anything wrong, nor am I pointing fingers at any body, I'm just sharing my experience so others can make a choice. It was suggested to add more weights until it balances out but that's a lot of extra work I don't want to do.
I really liked this idea, but it just isn't working for me right now maybe down the road it will. If anybody else has had this problem and fixed it I would like to hear about it.



http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/George-Costanza-Eating-Popcorn.gif

[PScott07]

Ok, I may or may not know what you mean, but does that apply to all spyders, and if it does, why am I having a problem when others are not.
So with the weights on the rim of the tires puts the balance closer to the same width as the tire, and wobble may have been the wrong word, more of tire out of balance bouncing up and down.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Ok, I may or may not know what you mean, but does that apply to all spyders, and if it does, why am I having a problem when others are not.
So with the weights on the rim of the tires puts the balance closer to the same width as the tire, and wobble may have been the wrong word, more of tire out of balance bouncing up and down.
If you have that much corrective weight on your wheels and it was done by a dealer :yikes::yikes::yikes:...... friend ..they screwed you over ..... those tires are soo out of spec they are defective and should have been REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY .............. Mike :thumbup:

[Peteoz]

If you have that much corrective weight on your wheels and it was done by a dealer :yikes::yikes::yikes:...... friend ..they screwed you over ..... those tires are soo out of spec they are defective and should have been REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY .............. Mike :thumbup:

So Mike, are you saying that in your opinion PScott's vibrations would most probably be caused by bad tyres rather than the Centramatics? What would normally be the maximum amount of weight acceptable to balance Spyder wheels running decent car tyres?

Pete

[pjweimer]

I have been trying to resolve an admittedly small vibration in the front end of our 2014 RT Ltd for some time. Had the laser alignment done and that took care of most all of the problem. But there was still a bit left. Decided to go with dynamic balancing via balance beads. Bought them, installed 2 oz in both fronts and 3 oz in the rear, removed all wheel weights. Seemed to be smooth from about 50 mph to about 62 mph or so. But ukp to that range and after that range there was no perceptible difference.

So decided the beads were not my answer. Had been reading about the Centramatics and saw Lamonster's message about carrying them for the Spyders one week after I installed the beads.

Ordered the full set of Centramatics from Lamonster and installed them Saturday. Dismounted the front tires, removed the beads. Found that the right tire had quite a bit of mounting lub inside the tire (done at 24,000 miles, now have 31,000 miles) and all those beads seems to rather permanently adhering all about the inside of the tire. Cleaned all that up and remounted the tires. Placed the front Centramatics and wheels back on bike, aired tires to 20 psi and torqued the lug nuts to spec. Decided to leave the rear wheel as is for the moment.

Did a test run on a section of nearby road that is long, straight and flat and infrequently traveled by most folks. OMG! All the way up to 102 mph and back to 55 mph... smooth as glass. Now that was what I was after! Not that I frequently run that high a speed but it proved to me that the Centramatics were the answer for my bike.

I will have the rear unit installed when I need to replace that tire.

Thank you Lamont for offering this solution at a very good price.

[PMK]

Ok, I may or may not know what you mean, but does that apply to all spyders, and if it does, why am I having a problem when others are not.
So with the weights on the rim of the tires puts the balance closer to the same width as the tire, and wobble may have been the wrong word, more of tire out of balance bouncing up and down.

If the tire is hopping up and down, there is imbalance or it is not round. If the tire wobbles there is imbalance or the tire casing is shifted to one side, either from failure or it is defective.

As for the amount of weight installed, we may not like a lot of weight on the rims, but you post stated it was better prior to installing Centramatics.

Unless by some unexplained failure of the tire casing at the same time as the Centramtics were installed, there is no good explanation why when you properly installed Centramatics you now have vibrations. Your word of wobble can also be an imbalance that will make the fenders appear to move up and down. The speeds you mention are also often times where a car will feel tire imbalance. Going slow the imbalance is seldom noticed. The range of 45 ish to 65 ish often can be felt or seen as vibrating seatbacks or items. Faster it may smooth out, but can return at a higher speed.

You might have a look by raising the front wheel and spining it to check for the tire being somewhat round and the tread running fairly true. After that, and I know this is not per the instructions, balance those tires on a dynamic balancer, then reinstall with the Centramatics.

I image illustrates how to properly dynamic balance, the weight is applied to each edge, with the resulting virtual weight added balance point not in either location or often not along the centerline plane of the rotating object.

[jcthorne]

Ok, I may or may not know what you mean, but does that apply to all spyders, and if it does, why am I having a problem when others are not.
So with the weights on the rim of the tires puts the balance closer to the same width as the tire, and wobble may have been the wrong word, more of tire out of balance bouncing up and down.


If
you have a Kenda tire that needs 3.75 oz to balance, its a bad tire. A tire in this size range should use no more than 1 oz to balance. Second, the centramatics used on the Spyder can only counter up to 3 oz each wheel, not 6. 3oz is far more than should be required for any reasonable quality tire.

Next, if your wheels are generally balanced before you get the centramatics, I recommend installing them WITHOUT removing the weights. For new tires, remove all weights. For good quality tires, the centramatics should handle any small imbalance fine.

[PMK]

If
you have a Kenda tire that needs 3.75 oz to balance, its a bad tire. A tire in this size range should use no more than 1 oz to balance. Second, the centramatics used on the Spyder can only counter up to 3 oz each wheel, not 6. 3oz is far more than should be required for any reasonable quality tire.

Next, if your wheels are generally balanced before you get the centramatics, I recommend installing them WITHOUT removing the weights. For new tires, remove all weights. For good quality tires, the centramatics should handle any small imbalance fine.

Left front, 1 1/4 oz on the outside flange, 1.0 oz in the inner edge. The clock positions of the weights are not aligned inner vs outer locations.

No seen or detectable vibrations. Balanced by myself to within .1oz on a super fine setting.

Right tire is either better positioned on the rim or a better tire. Total weight is 3/4 oz and applied only to the inner edge.

The right wheel assembly also runs smooth with no visible or detectable vibrations.

If I were to move the weight positions, especially on the left side, to along the wheels centerline, as defined as a static balance, even though this can be done on the balance machine while spinning, the machine would indicate the heavy spot only. The Centramtic while it does offer constantly adjusting weight mass, the plane of rotation is kind of along the rims centerline and Centramatic type balancers may have difficulty on out of plane imbalance.

The best is always very few weights with a high quality tire that is round and true to begin with.

Centramatics on an install with a good rim and high end tire, possibly balanced prior to install would let the Centramatics work less and may be the smoothest setup. All that said, Lamonster accomplished the long term testing, advises removing all weights, so there must be solid reasons to do this.

[PMK]

I have been trying to resolve an admittedly small vibration in the front end of our 2014 RT Ltd for some time. Had the laser alignment done and that took care of most all of the problem. But there was still a bit left. Decided to go with dynamic balancing via balance beads. Bought them, installed 2 oz in both fronts and 3 oz in the rear, removed all wheel weights. Seemed to be smooth from about 50 mph to about 62 mph or so. But ukp to that range and after that range there was no perceptible difference.

So decided the beads were not my answer. Had been reading about the Centramatics and saw Lamonster's message about carrying them for the Spyders one week after I installed the beads.

Ordered the full set of Centramatics from Lamonster and installed them Saturday. Dismounted the front tires, removed the beads. Found that the right tire had quite a bit of mounting lub inside the tire (done at 24,000 miles, now have 31,000 miles) and all those beads seems to rather permanently adhering all about the inside of the tire. Cleaned all that up and remounted the tires. Placed the front Centramatics and wheels back on bike, aired tires to 20 psi and torqued the lug nuts to spec. Decided to leave the rear wheel as is for the moment.

Did a test run on a section of nearby road that is long, straight and flat and infrequently traveled by most folks. OMG! All the way up to 102 mph and back to 55 mph... smooth as glass. Now that was what I was after! Not that I frequently run that high a speed but it proved to me that the Centramatics were the answer for my bike.

I will have the rear unit installed when I need to replace that tire.

Thank you Lamont for offering this solution at a very good price.

I would expect the Centramatics to outperform beads, especially if the beads had obtained a fixed location from the tire install lube binding them together or in one location.

[Lamonster]

We have a 100+ units out there now and I've learn some things from the company and from end users. Because this has been such a long process there has been information that has been crossed between the different folks I've worked with on this. I now have one guy I'm dealing with and he was able to school me on how these work, what they can and can't do and what it will do for the Spyder.

First off he's amazed that a "motorcycle tire" would need so much weight. When they deal with motorcycles they deal in grams not ounces. If they have a tire that needs more than a ounce they replace the tire. Because of the limited space we have to work with the most product they can get in the Spyder ring is 3oz. If you have a wheel and tire that needs more than that he recommends zero balancing the tire as best you can and then using the Centramatic as a dynamic balancer. This will compensate for tire wear and adjust as needed to a wheel that's not quite right. So we now recommend that you see how many weights you have on your wheel and if it's 3oz or more to leave the weights on.

What Centramatics won't do is compensate for an out of round tire, a bent rim or a hub or axle issue. It may even make it worst. I also found out today that they can only get 2.5oz in the ring for a 14" wheel so as bad as our tires are they decided not to go forward with a kit for the 14" rim.

I still believe in the product, it solved a problem I couldn't get rid of and our Spyders run smooth as glass. This is not a magic ring that can defy physics but it will perform as advertised if your wheels and tires are within specs. If you have any questions feel free to call us at the shop and we'll be glad to work with you the best we can. We want you as happy as we are.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If
you have a Kenda tire that needs 3.75 oz to balance, its a bad tire. .
Yeah, but will BRP agree?

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[Y Rider]

I was really hoping to use these on my 2011 RTL with 14" wheels. :sour:

[jcthorne]

Left front, 1 1/4 oz on the outside flange, 1.0 oz in the inner edge. The clock positions of the weights are not aligned inner vs outer locations.

No seen or detectable vibrations. Balanced by myself to within .1oz on a super fine setting.

Right tire is either better positioned on the rim or a better tire. Total weight is 3/4 oz and applied only to the inner edge.

The right wheel assembly also runs smooth with no visible or detectable vibrations.

If I were to move the weight positions, especially on the left side, to along the wheels centerline, as defined as a static balance, even though this can be done on the balance machine while spinning, the machine would indicate the heavy spot only. The Centramtic while it does offer constantly adjusting weight mass, the plane of rotation is kind of along the rims centerline and Centramatic type balancers may have difficulty on out of plane imbalance.

The best is always very few weights with a high quality tire that is round and true to begin with.

Centramatics on an install with a good rim and high end tire, possibly balanced prior to install would let the Centramatics work less and may be the smoothest setup. All that said, Lamonster accomplished the long term testing, advises removing all weights, so there must be solid reasons to do this.

Agree with all of this but do not believe the testing was done by Lamont alone......Several of us have been working with Centramatics for some time on these. Lamont is the distributer for good reasons. Slingshot versions are in the works as well.

[jcthorne]

Yeah, but will BRP agree?

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk


Has
little to do with it. BRP/Kenda are happy to let you go wobbling and vibrating down the road. Seems you already feel other wise. Replace the defective tire and move on. Its far cheaper than the balancer you already bought. Life is too short to sweat arguing over who is going to pay for the tire. BRP is locked into a contract with Kenda and will not change until it runs out.

[PScott07]

First off, thanks for all the input . Like I originally said I did not have the experience to know how much weight should be used to balance a tire, now I have a better under standing, and a little pissed off that my tires are so bad ,(OEM ) and so I don't know if they were set that way from BRP or my dealer. I have a good relationship with my dealer and would hope they didn't do this, I also under stand I'm not the only one who's tires are this bad.
Lamonster has sent me a message to be able to return these, and I appreciate that, but I will keep them, and I will replace the weights and run these tires until I replace them with better ones. Again thanks to everyone for your input and info. That's what I like about this community, I mostly lurk on here, because I can find my question already asked and answered . This time I just had to find out what was going on, so thanks again.

[PMK]

First off, thanks for all the input . Like I originally said I did not have the experience to know how much weight should be used to balance a tire, now I have a better under standing, and a little pissed off that my tires are so bad ,(OEM ) and so I don't know if they were set that way from BRP or my dealer. I have a good relationship with my dealer and would hope they didn't do this, I also under stand I'm not the only one who's tires are this bad.
Lamonster has sent me a message to be able to return these, and I appreciate that, but I will keep them, and I will replace the weights and run these tires until I replace them with better ones. Again thanks to everyone for your input and info. That's what I like about this community, I mostly lurk on here, because I can find my question already asked and answered . This time I just had to find out what was going on, so thanks again.

Good plan, but better plan is to get a car shop to rebalance the fronts accurately and use weights on the inner and outer edge of the rim. Can Am has a bulletin about doing this, but a good car shop can handle the balance work easily.

[Peteoz]

If
you have a Kenda tire that needs 3.75 oz to balance, its a bad tire. A tire in this size range should use no more than 1 oz to balance. Second, the centramatics used on the Spyder can only counter up to 3 oz each wheel, not 6. 3oz is far more than should be required for any reasonable quality tire.

Next, if your wheels are generally balanced before you get the centramatics, I recommend installing them WITHOUT removing the weights. For new tires, remove all weights. For good quality tires, the centramatics should handle any small imbalance fine.

So JC, just to clarify.......in your opinion, with my fairly new(1500km), balanced front Kuhmos, would I be better off removing the balance weights from the wheels or not?

Pete

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If you have a Kenda tire that needs 3.75 oz to balance, its a bad tire.


Yeah, but will BRP agree?


Has little to do with it. BRP/Kenda are happy to let you go wobbling and vibrating down the road. Seems you already feel other wise. Replace the defective tire and move on. Its far cheaper than the balancer you already bought. Life is too short to sweat arguing over who is going to pay for the tire. BRP is locked into a contract with Kenda and will not change until it runs out.
Not sure why you say I feel otherwise. Sadly, what we have here is a difference of opinion as to what constitutes a defective tire. I agree with you that any front Kenda that requires that much weight to balance is considered defective by us, the owner community, and from what Lamont wrote above, the folks at Centramatic, and probably by the tire industry in general. Apparently, BRP does not consider a tire that far out of balance as defective. If they did they wouldn't mount them, and better yet, they would clamp down on Kenda to tighten up their manufacturing process. Either BRP doesn't care about tire quality, or they have a piss poor contract specification writer behind the contract with Kenda and they are solidly locked into having to buy s*** that fully conforms to the contract requirement. Just because Kenda is Chinese doesn't mean they can't build a proper tire.

Somehow, BRP needs to get the message that tires that are generally considered to be defective by normal tire industry standards, should also be considered defective by BRP. I don't buy the idea that Kenda can't build a more balanced tire at no more cost than what they're building now. It's a sorry situation that we are put into, the position of having to shrug our shoulders, toss the OEM tires into the dumpster, and move on. But that's what I did. BRP wouldn't consider a warranty replacement for my tires for the constant pulling to the right problem without first having the front wheels aligned by the dealer by the factory method. I chose to discard them after 14,000 miles, replaced them with the Contis, and kept my laser alignment untouched. My Spyder tracks beautifully now.

As far as the Centramatic balancers are concerned I have a hard time in my mind seeing, other than from the standpoint of convenience and ease of use, how they can be better than a proper spin balance. If experience overall shows that a good spin balance is needed 3 or 4 times during the wear life of a good tire because tire wear significantly affects balance, then I'll accept that the Centramatics would be a good investment.

[Peter Aawen]

I've been doing some research on Kenda tires, & it seems they CAN build pretty good tires! :shocked:SmartCars here in Aust run them, & their tires not only look better, they rarely seem to have any of the issues we have with tires! Kenda make bicycle tires & tubes, many riders swear by them as 'the best' tires & tubes available; & they make Fork Lift & Loader tires, very few problems reported there?! There's more examples like that out there, & it seems they get the bulk of the good stuff, while BRP & the Spyders we are buying more often get the crap & even potentially dangerous stuff?!? :dontknow:

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

One of the best sledge hammers, 1.5 kg, I've ever seen or owned is the one I bought in Finland in 1989. It was made in China!

[Peter Aawen]

....As far as the Centramatic balancers are concerned I have a hard time in my mind seeing, other than from the standpoint of convenience and ease of use, how they can be better than a proper spin balance. If experience overall shows that a good spin balance is needed 3 or 4 times during the wear life of a good tire because tire wear significantly affects balance, then I'll accept that the Centramatics would be a good investment.

It's actually the USE of the vehicle & driving on the road rather than tire wear per se that leads car & tire manufacturers to recommend that you get your wheel alignment & tire balancing done regularly throughout the life of your tires! Here in Aust, the recommendation is currently to get a wheel alignment & balance done whenever you fit new tires & then get them checked at least every 6 months or 10,000km; & also to always get them checked after a significant impact on a kerb or pothole etc - if an impact jars you so much that you hurt, even if only for an instant, then you should get your wheel alignment & tire balances checked!! :lecturef_smilie:

Here, we can access tire life warranties of up to 100,000km IF we comply with that regular balance & wheel alignment check regime, usually for a very reasonable cost - for the wheels on my 4WD's it's only $50 to check the balance on all the wheels (inc both spares) plus doing the w/align, so over the life of a set of 6 tires it's LESS than the cost of just one new tire!! And if you run Centramatics or similar, the balance requirement is waived & it's significantly cheaper for the w/a check alone!! I'd even go so far as to suggest that most Heavy Trucks & commercial vehicles that have a good safety & roadworthiness record here in Aus either already use Centramatics or similar devices, or they get their tires regularly balanced & their wheel alignments checked.... Just Sayin' :thumbup:

[jcthorne]

So JC, just to clarify.......in your opinion, with my fairly new(1500km), balanced front Kuhmos, would I be better off removing the balance weights from the wheels or not?

Pete

My
professional opinion is if the wheel/tire is properly balanced, there is no need to remove the weights and unbalance the assembly when installing the centramatics. When you go to install new tires, remove the old tire, all the old weights and mount the new tire with the yellow dot aligned with the valve stem and install with the centramatic.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

It's actually the USE of the vehicle & driving on the road rather than tire wear per se that leads car & tire manufacturers to recommend that you get your wheel alignment & tire balancing done regularly throughout the life of your tires!
Makes sense. That's one of those maintenance admonitions I've read and heard many times, and almost as often as not, ignored. Shame on me, right? :lecturef_smilie:

[jcthorne]

Not sure why you say I feel otherwise. Sadly, what we have here is a difference of opinion as to what constitutes a defective tire. .
Sorry
for my failure to communicate. I think you got though anyway. We feel the out of balance and out of round Kendas are defective. You seem to agree with that. BRP does not. I do not think its right, I also do not think I can do a darn thing to change BRPs mind. BUT I can have great tires on my and my customers bikes that do not have these problems.

[Peter Aawen]

.... Shame on me, right? :lecturef_smilie:

Absolutely! :thumbup:

:roflblack:

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

It's actually the USE of the vehicle & driving on the road rather than tire wear per se that leads car & tire manufacturers to recommend that you get your wheel alignment & tire balancing done regularly throughout the life of your tires! Here in Aust, the recommendation is currently to get a wheel alignment & balance done whenever you fit new tires & then get them checked at least every 6 months or 10,000km; & also to always get them checked after a significant impact on a kerb or pothole etc - if an impact jars you so much that you hurt, even if only for an instant, then you should get your wheel alignment & tire balances checked!! :lecturef_smilie:

Here, we can access tire life warranties of up to 100,000km IF we comply with that regular balance & wheel alignment check regime, usually for a very reasonable cost - for the wheels on my 4WD's it's only $50 to check the balance on all the wheels (inc both spares) plus doing the w/align, so over the life of a set of 6 tires it's LESS than the cost of just one new tire!! And if you run Centramatics or similar, the balance requirement is waived & it's significantly cheaper for the w/a check alone!! I'd even go so far as to suggest that most Heavy Trucks & commercial vehicles that have a good safety & roadworthiness record here in Aus either already use Centramatics or similar devices, or they get their tires regularly balanced & their wheel alignments checked.... Just Sayin' :thumbup:

kenda does make some good tires, truck & trailer tires. but i hear a lot of complaints about them on here & on the
indian forum. when i installed some new kenda's for a member here i did see problems in them when balancing & 1 could not
be balanced at all. the more i see & hear of kenda tires for bikes the more i feel i will change them when mine are low, i think
i will be going with vredstein. i have not had problems with mine & i have 9k on them, i don't do a lot of mileage so i will be
changing them because of age next year.

[tim1]

I installed the yokohama tire at discount tire for 8.00 and removed 12 of those sticky weights of of the rim. I put the centramatic on and it is smooth as I can tell at 24psi. Was I supposed to leave the 12 weights on there? It has no bounce or anything. Wanted the hydroedge, but discontinued.

[trikermutha]

from what I understand the weights should be left on as you have must have got lucky because you are saying the front dont shake while driving

[jcthorne]

I installed the yokohama tire at discount tire for 8.00 and removed 12 of those sticky weights of of the rim. I put the centramatic on and it is smooth as I can tell at 24psi. Was I supposed to leave the 12 weights on there? It has no bounce or anything. Wanted the hydroedge, but discontinued.


The weights were for the Kenda. I would have suggested balancing the new tire prior to mounting the wheel on the bike but yours turned out fine. If its smooth, leave it be.

[SNOOPY]

Never seen these before, what makes them worth $100 ea?

Ive had my Spyder 5 years, still have factory front tires, on my second rear tire.

Never had an unbalanced feeling, nor unusual tire wear since I originally laser aligned my bike.

Just wondering how this is worth it over balancing? Can do a lot of balancing for $300. Lol

[Peteoz]

Never seen these before, what makes them worth $100 ea?

Ive had my Spyder 5 years, still have factory front tires, on my second rear tire.

Never had an unbalanced feeling, nor unusual tire wear since I originally laser aligned my bike.

Just wondering how this is worth it over balancing? Can do a lot of balancing for $300. Lol

You sure CAN do a lot of balancing of OEM tyres for $300, Snoopy, but for those of us who, for whatever reason, have moved to 3rd party car tyres and don’t have a Can Am dealer to fit them, balancing can present issues for the tyre shops. The Centramatics are a one off purchase, address the issues where tyre shops may damage your hub if they aren’t careful balancing, and for me, provide excellent value for money.

Pete

[SNOOPY]

Ah, so an issue with balancing or an issue w non-motorcycle tires.


I couldn’t find a tire shop who could mount my new rear tire and had to take it to a BRP dealer, who seemed to balance it fine.

Maybe fronts would be an issue on mine, don’t know yet.

[Peteoz]

Ah, so an issue with balancing or an issue w non-motorcycle tires.
I couldn’t find a tire shop who could mount my new rear tire and had to take it to a BRP dealer, who seemed to balance it fine.
Maybe fronts would be an issue on mine, don’t know yet.

Yeah, the tyre shop was worried about their balancer damaging the integrated F3 hub, Snoopy.

My dealer (200km away) would not replace the Kenda with a Kuhmo, so I had to do it myself. I could have had the rear balanced at a local motorbike shop, but their balancer was broken at the time, and they were waiting for a part from overseas, so I left the rear unbalanced and went with Lamonster’s Centramatics.....figured I may as well go with them on all 3 wheels, even though the tyre shop was able to balance the fronts safely. Overkill perhaps, but hey ;)

Pete

[SNOOPY]

Ok, cool. Thanks for the thoughts. :thumbup: