HELP - Dealer - Can't balance my rear wheel ?!

[BajaRon]

I haven't balanced or had to balance a MC or car tire in ten years. Chances are about 99% it's factory perfect and if not just return it for a new one. My buddy who is head mechanic at a local shop says the same although they do test and balance car tires he has never balanced a tire on a bike and says only about one in a hundred turns up defective.
If it were me I would just have them mount the tire and be on your way.

Not my experience. From spoke weights in the old days to stick on weights for cast wheels I've always balanced my motorcycle tires. I think it is more critical on a motorcycle than it is on a car.

 

[bone crusher]

Dan, I appreciate the comments. Haha, well, if the road conditions have anything to do with it.... that is a big part for my area, haha.

Thank you.
Dean

That's really short mileage to replace the rear...maybe you should reduce the tire pressure? As far as the Ride-On goes, I have mine sitting here in my office looking at me...just don't seem to make the time to deflate, inject, and re-inflate....have to get this done sooner or later...everyone here loves the stuff!

 

[NancysToy]

Not my experience. From spoke weights in the old days to stick on weights for cast wheels I've always balanced my motorcycle tires. I think it is more critical on a motorcycle than it is on a car.

Same here. I even go back to the days of winding solder around the spokes to balance the wheels. It is mostly about speed. Above 50, balance becomes much more important (as does wheel truing). A light motorcycle is affected more easily, and the vibration is transferred to the rider more readily. For conventional motorcycles, the large diameter of the tires makes a difference, too. Once you ride one that has balanced tires, it is hard to go back to the old way.

 

[SpyderWolf]

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier.

I just returned on a 2 hour trip back from the dealer with my new G-Force Sport tire installed on the rear. Guess what? They could not balance it, and niether could the shop they took it to. The shop they took it to for balancing said the wheel bearings had to be pulled in order to do it. Since they did not have another set of bearings, they did not want to take a chance on damaging mine.

I will be placing the order for some Ride-On this afternoon, and hoping it ships pretty quickly as well.

The good news is the ride home was uneventful. Spyder seemed to handle very well, and if there was any bounce in the wheel it wasn't reaching my seat. :dontknow: I knew I should have ordered the Ride-On at the same time I ordered the tire. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

 

[BajaRon]

I wish I would have seen this thread earlier.

I just returned on a 2 hour trip back from the dealer with my new G-Force Sport tire installed on the rear. Guess what? They could not balance it, and niether could the shop they took it to. The shop they took it to for balancing said the wheel bearings had to be pulled in order to do it. Since they did not have another set of bearings, they did not want to take a chance on damaging mine.

I will be placing the order for some Ride-On this afternoon, and hoping it ships pretty quickly as well.

The good news is the ride home was uneventful. Spyder seemed to handle very well, and if there was any bounce in the wheel it wasn't reaching my seat. :dontknow: I knew I should have ordered the Ride-On at the same time I ordered the tire. Oh well, live and learn I guess.

Out of balance is not always felt. Sometimes you'll notice uneven wear in the tire first.

This is probably more true of the rear wheel on a Spyder than most motorcycles. But if the tire is not balanced the condition will get worse as the tire will not wear uniformly increasing the out of balance causing more uneven wear, etc.

Ride-On is the way to go. Get it in before the tire has a chance to develop any issues and you should be good to go.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Out of balance is not always felt. Sometimes you'll notice uneven wear in the tire first.

This is probably more true of the rear wheel on a Spyder than most motorcycles. But if the tire is not balanced the condition will get worse as the tire will not wear uniformly increasing the out of balance causing more uneven wear, etc.

Ride-On is the way to go. Get it in before the tire has a chance to develop any issues and you should be good to go.

Thanks for confirming what I was thinking Ron. Ride-On order was just placed a few minutes ago. I went ahead and ordered enough to do both Spyders, as it will be better to be safe than sorry I suppose. :thumbup:

 

[BajaRon]

Thanks for confirming what I was thinking Ron. Ride-On order was just placed a few minutes ago. I went ahead and ordered enough to do both Spyders, as it will be better to be safe than sorry I suppose. :thumbup:

Ride-On is very inexpensive insurance. Even if you never need it for a flat or balance it's still a good bargain. And good luck with the 'Never needing it' part! :yikes: