Centramatic Worth it?

[P.W.]

Hello all,
For those with Centramatic wheel balancing system on there Spyders are they worth the money?? (Do they really work that good)
Do they smooth things out even if you don't think you have a wheel balance problem???
I like to tinker with things and this looks intriguing to me…….Thoughts.

P.S.
We do Have the stock Kenda tires with only 1,000 miles on our new 2019 RTL

Thanks!!
P.W.

[h0gr1der]

I have the Centramatics on all three corners and the jury is still out for me. Personally, the belt vibration dampener was the biggest bang for the buck, instantly and visibly killing the belt vibration.

That being said, I put the Centramatics on almost perfectly static balanced wheels, so maybe I'm being unfair. Supposedly, they handle up to about 3 ounces of imbalance, so if your tires are more out of balance than that (read Kenda's) then a static balance is in order before installing the balance rings.

I did notice a reduction in tire shimmy, kind of thing you don't notice until it's gone. I know that Centramatic's work on larger car and truck rims, with reports of them working very well. The ones for the Spyder are comparatively small, so they have less effect. I figure it this way- Don't try to make them do something they aren't capable of doing and it will be OK. By starting with a good static balance first (weights, not beads or liquid), they'll compensate for tire wear and collected gunk on your rims without shaking your bike apart and probably make the tires last longer.

One thing I noticed on the installation of the rear balancer was it took clearance away from the speed sensor to toothed speed sensor wheel. The material on the balance ring for the rear (front too) is .034" thick. On the rear it spaces the disc brake with attached toothed sensor ring outboard by the .034", while the speed sensor doesn't move, reducing the clearance by that amount. I used additional OEM shims to get it back into spec on mine, had to add 3. The shims are .010" each, so 3 gets you .030 of the lost .034" back. Measure this with a flat feeler gauge.

[lstayner]

I cannot speak of the benefits on the Spyder but I can speak on them for a Goldwing, Victory Cross Roads and Victory Vision. The thing I found on a two wheel motorcycle was the extended tire longevity. They added between 20 - 25% of mileage to a set of tires. They also smoothed out the ride as the tires wore down. The nice thing about them is that when you trade bikes you can take them with you. The thing that is hard to explain is how they change the feel of the ride. You just feel more stable on a two wheeler.

[P.W.]

Thanks for the info. guys!!
I still don't know if there're worth the $300 for the small improvement ...
I guess I'll just have to buy them and find out for myself....

P.W.

[Revalden]

Isn't there a tire dealership that can dynamic (spin) balance them? That's what I did when I had the Federal Formosa AZ01s (WalMart $54.00 ea.) put on at my local tire dealership. The original Kenda tires (w/10k miles) were balanced ok but didn't corner all that well and weren't worn out. The Federals and a good balance job is a whole lot cheaper than the CentraMatics and less modification of the stock m achine. I can ride with one hand at 65+ mph on a good road.

[lstayner]

Isn't there a tire dealership that can dynamic (spin) balance them? That's what I did when I had the Federal Formosa AZ01s (WalMart $54.00 ea.) put on at my local tire dealership. The original Kenda tires (w/10k miles) were balanced ok but didn't corner all that well and weren't worn out. The Federals and a good balance job is a whole lot cheaper than the CentraMatics and less modification of the stock m achine. I can ride with one hand at 65+ mph on a good road.

I can't argue with you on a car tire setup like the Spyder has. On a motorcycle tire, they made a lot of difference.

[Purple Guy]

I'm more than happy with them on my RT.
I'd buy them again in a second!

[h0gr1der]

Isn't there a tire dealership that can dynamic (spin) balance them? That's what I did when I had the Federal Formosa AZ01s (WalMart $54.00 ea.) put on at my local tire dealership. The original Kenda tires (w/10k miles) were balanced ok but didn't corner all that well and weren't worn out. The Federals and a good balance job is a whole lot cheaper than the CentraMatics and less modification of the stock m achine. I can ride with one hand at 65+ mph on a good road.

I took my fronts to a car shop to balance them, when I installed them they didn't run absolutely smooth and the weights were all on the rim centerline. Maybe someone with more balance experience can chip in, but doesn't a dynamic balance have the weights distributed to the inside and outside of the rim to dynamically balance out the wobble? Anyway, I static balanced them after, came up with less weights and they ran smoother. If your weights are on centerline, are they really dynamically balanced?

[Faultline]

I'm more than happy with them on my RT.
I'd buy them again in a second!

A big +1
Took the "nervous" out of my STS

[PMK]

I took my fronts to a car shop to balance them, when I installed them they didn't run absolutely smooth and the weights were all on the rim centerline. Maybe someone with more balance experience can chip in, but doesn't a dynamic balance have the weights distributed to the inside and outside of the rim to dynamically balance out the wobble? Anyway, I static balanced them after, came up with less weights and they ran smoother. If your weights are on centerline, are they really dynamically balanced?

I believe Can Am did simple static balance as oem, seeing the weights along the rims centerline.

The wider the rim, the more critical dynamic balancing becomes to prevent wobble or precession.

A few miles after getting our 14 RTS, it was obvious the front wheels were not balanced correctly. Upon checking them, the left was more than 1 ounce out of balance. Forgot how much, but it was better for the right wheel assembly.

Having the equipment, I dynamically balanced the two fronts, with weight over each rim flange.

Centramatics, actually concept is valid, however, being a single plane of balancing medium, they will work best on tall narrow type rotating things. As the rotating object widens, it becomes more critical to dynamically balance each edge.

Realize though, the rear wheel is supported at each end rigidly, so precession is far less of an issue. Front wheels, secured the the hub, and able to wobble or precess through the ball joint pivots could be a concern. The Spyder front wheels having a tall aspect ratio compared to width, seem to get acceptable reports about the Centramatics.

My opinion would be to properly dynamic balance the front wheel assemblies, then allow the Centramatics to fine tune any minor vertical imbalance as they roll.

[h0gr1der]

[QUOTE=PMK;1453776]I believe Can Am did simple static balance as oem, seeing the weights along the rims centerline.

Having the equipment, I dynamically balanced the two fronts, with weight over each rim flange. /QUOTE]

So, for all them folks that think they got dynamic balance at the auto tire shop, and get home to find the weights in the middle, guess what? Kind of what I suspected. A spinning static balance from the auto tire shop. I suspect they do this for looks, so you don't have weights visible. Probably need to specify if you want the weights visible for a true dynamic balance.

With all that said, I'm happy with my setup. It's smooth as can be. I don't have the high dollar machines though, I use a Marc Parnes Spyder balance shaft and jack stands to static balance. Pretty darned good even before the Centramatics. I believe the balance rings are icing on the cake, so to speak.

[JKMSPYDER]

Several years ago I put on the Centramatic balancers on my front wheels when I had the Kendas taken off and Hankook Ventas car tires put on. I told the dealer to not balance the tires. The Centramatic balancers have been great for the Hankooks with a smooth ride and even tire wear. If you are going to use the balancers with car tires I don't think you need to worry about balancing them. The balancers will do it for you. For Kendas you had better get them balanced even with the Centramatic balancers.

[Dmetcalf]

I installed Centramatic balancers all the way around and am glad to have them. The front was very noticeable and I have to imagine the rear is working as well. If they help me achieve more life out of my tires as they advise with me making sure my pressures are correct then that will be the icing on the cake for me.

[bikerchris1270]

Hello all,
For those with Centramatic wheel balancing system on there Spyders are they worth the money?? (Do they really work that good)
Do they smooth things out even if you don't think you have a wheel balance problem???
I like to tinker with things and this looks intriguing to me…….Thoughts.

P.S.
We do Have the stock Kenda tires with only 1,000 miles on our new 2019 RTL

Thanks!!
P.W.

I have them on my Goldwing and F3L.
Smooth as glass at 75mph.