cmartin

This is my first post on PNW so please bear with me. I apologize for the poor quality pics, they are from my phone.

I recently noticed that after an extended period of sitting, partly due to a carb to FI conversion and partly due to 5 straight 60-70 hour work weeks, that the loafers on my Ninjette, which were already fairly worn, had developed some sun damage and were in need of dire replacement.

I chose to replace the OEM tires, the third set since new, with something a little stickier (read more aggressive cornering/lean). So I purchased a set of Pirelli MT75's for $135 delivered



I decided that instead of doing what I usually do, and pay someone else to mount and balance my new shoes, I would give it a go with just the tools and equipment that I had in my garage.

The first issue was to ensure that the bike would be properly supported as I removed and re installed the wheels. The rear tire is well supported by the center stand, but the bike would tip forward onto the forks once the front wheel was removed. To solve this I simply goat a stiff cardboard box that was approximately the right height, and placed it under the front of the bike, with a towel to protect the fairing. It worked pretty well.




To remove the front wheel I disconnected the brake, and set it on a chair that was the proper height to support it



Then I used some hand tools to remove the front tire from the bike.



Next I let out as much air pressure as possible, and broke the bead






To remove the tire from the rim I used a combination of some cheap pry bars given to me for Christmas, a cut up milk jug to protect the rim, and some strategically applied manual manipulation





To prep the new rubber for installation, I painstakingly developed a unique and proprietary blend of dish soap and H2O to lubricate the edges and went to work






Eagle eyed motorheads may or may not have noticed the absence of balancing weights up to this point. I have seen and heard good things about Dynabeads but did not have a ready supply at hand, and did not want to wait. As such, I chose to utilize another, similarly designed product to meet my needs.



I don't do much AirSofting, but my brother left these last time he came to visit so I decided to put them to good use. I put roughly 1.5 oz (~210) in the front and 3 oz (~420) in the back.



After completing the installation of the tire on the rim, I pressurized until the beads were set and adjusted to the tires recommended psi



I re installed the wheel on the bike, and repeated the process for the rear. Total time was approximately 1.25 hrs, although I believe that subsequent changes will be much faster.



The test ride, about 6 miles at speeds from 10-85 mph, revealed that the tires are indeed a vast improvement over the OEM's, and there was a 1000% (exaggerated for illustrative purposes) improvement in vibration with the faux Dynabead's over the balancing with traditional weights done by the dealer on the previous tire set. I highly recommend a similar setup for anyone and everyone. Thanks

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UhOh

nicely done photolog of tire process

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mikeames

Anyone else tried the Airsoft beads for ballancing? Never thought of that but it seams like it would work the same as the Dynabeads.
I would be concerned a bit about wearing on the inside of the tire over time though...
Any other experiences?

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elizdad

nice - clean bike - definite advantage if you're working on the living room carpet - or so my wife says -

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cmartin

I'm not too worried about the beads wearing on the tires, they are larger and less dense than the Dynabeads and at anything over 20 mph they should be settled pretty neatly in position. But if it does wear that's fine, it is an experiment :-) After putting another 50 miles or so on them they appear to be working perfectly, and far beyond my expectations.

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Morwan

I don't quite get how you balanced them. How did you determine how much weight (and on which side) each wheel needed?

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jdigitty

They explain it better then i can. He didn't use dynabeads but its the same concept.

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RC51

Where did you find the tires for that price?

They are beads that spin with the tire. In theory, they will move to the light spot and will constantly balance the wheel. That is how the Dynabeads work. He just used a cheaper/easier version. I'm guessing that he used the weights that Dynabead reccomended, or he just shit-guessed.

There is only one side to put them on, inside the tire. You put them on the outside and they'll just fall right off. Gets expensive to replace them like that.

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cmartin

^like

I figured since the Dynabeads are a lot smaller and would concentrate better than the AirSoft beads, I would use a little bit more than the 1oz front and 2oz rear recommended. I used 1.5oz front and 3oz rear, and it is working great. You just throw them inside the tire before pressurizing.

As for the shoes, Motorcycle Superstore via Amazon:

Front http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

Rear
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i01

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mikeames

So happens I have a pile of those beads too....might try it next time I swap tires.

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Pjohn91

I just bought some balancing beads off ebay, about 10 bucks for 5 oz. 2 in the front and 3 in the back. Havent tried them yet but I hope they work. I hate paying to have someone mount and balance when i can do it myself, I just have never had a balancer!

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cmartin

Yeah, I don't think I'll ever pay to get it done again. My grandpa was telling me that he used to balance his tires with birdshot from 12 gauge shells when he was young, in the 50's. One round in front, two in the back.

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RC51

Thanks for the tip on the tire source. I'll have to get my tires from them. I guess they aren't crazy expensive to begin with anyways. I'm used to buying full size tires for the RC51, where $250 a set is a good deal.

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