90* valve stem issue

[Burns1]

Ok, so it's been an interesting couple of days. I got a new PR4 put on the rear Monday. No problem there. Yesterday I pulled the front and had it replaced. For both they asked about new valve stems. I had them install rubber 90* stems, figuring that would make it easier to check air pressure. Went to reinstall the front wheel and that's when things started to go downhill. The cheap POS torque wrench I bought never did click and I snapped a caliper bolt. At 6:30 pm, of course. So today I hit the nearest dealer and of course, they have no replacement bolts. Three dealers later I have new bolts in hand. Needed two because one just didn't look right and I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling from it. Seemed "stretched" if you will. I also stopped and picked up a new torque wrench, Craftsman this time. From there, everything went smoothly..... until the test ride. Pull down the driveway and hear a "click-click" noise. The damn valve stems are just barely hitting the calipers, both front and rear. So now to my actual questions.... does anyone think I'll be able to slightly turn the stems so they will clear the calipers? And if I do that, will it upset the balance? I'm talking just the slightest bit of turning is required to clear. Am I going to have to deflate and re-inflate the tires to be able to turn the rubber stems? I really really don't want to have to take them back to the shop for different stems. There's the whole "you're a *******" thing, plus the cost. thanks all for your ideas and advice.

Burns1

 

[Twigg]

I'm not sure I would wholly trust rubber 90 degree stems. Others here can chip in if they have tried them and had no problems.

I get jittery about the rubber stem on my front wheel and can't wait to change it. Personally, I'm a "metal stem" believer, because they don't break and the potential disaster that is losing a valve stem is something I would prefer not to worry about.

That said, you can try rotating the stem a little, but you might find that it is too tightly fastened to the rim and could break if you twist it too much. It won't affect the balance.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Get rid of those rubber stems. They will tear at speed and you'll end up with a massive leak that will leave you stranded. It has happened before. I can't believe a dealer will even install those on a MC rim anymore. Go here: https://bikeeffects.com/products.asp?cat=8530 and get proper 90 degree stems.

 

[blassoff]

Metal stems are the way to go! You probably could turn the rubber stems, but I'm not sure how you do that without ripping it shreds. Back to whomever spooned the tires on. Tell em it's their fault they sold you crappy stems, agree to pay the difference for better metal stems, and they eat the labor of pulling the tires.

If not find a forum member who can change your tires, buy the right stems, and bring lunch!

 

[n7myr]

I would not want a rubber 90 deg stem

I would either go back to rubber straight or metal 90 deg

I am afraid you will mess them up if you try to break the seal and turn them, and if they need turned it is the shops place to do that not you

take it back to the shop and show them that they hit. listen to how they want to fix the problem and decide from there the best way to go

 

[Fred W]

+1 to the others. I would not want rubber 90 degree stems. In fact, I've never actually seem any such thing before.

To answer your posed Q: Deflate the tire fully and you should be able to turn the rubber valve. Turning will have no impact on balance (the weight is still at the same location)

 

[escapefjrtist]

Yikes, I wouldn't be visiting that dealer again...they should know better than to install those stems. Search for Ariete 11.3mm stems on Amazon and you'll find some very competitive pricing available.

--G

 

[jmgrif]

I did have the exact failure spoken about here! Replace those Dangerous pieces of @#$@$@$, asap. My experience occurred at very high speed on my front wheel. Ariete is the way to go.

 

[rbentnail]

And quit using the torque wrench. IMHO it's the most dangerous tool in the box. Sell it, trash it, give it away, whatever. Just stop using it.

 

[bluesdog]

The only '*******' here is the dealer's wrench for putting those stems on an FJR. They may work for scooters, but are not designed for a ST bike capable of +150 MPH.

 

[supertankerm60a3]

I agree, the rubber 90 stems are bad for the FJR. A single HIGH speed run can force the stem down to the point where it is leaking air. I had this happen to me once. 40 pounds of air one minute 15 pounds of air at the next exit. Valvestem was the only leak and only when I pushed it down. Get them replaced with the bolt in type as soon as possible and keep your speed limited until you do.

 

[FJReady]

I have no personal experience with the rubber 90 deg valve stems. I use the metal ones (from Jeff at bikeeffects.com, love 'em) but my buddy had them (key word: HAD) on his gold wing. The rear one leaked badly and suddenly once at 80 mph. It was a tense situation for him to get that thing across 3 lanes of traffic and stopped safely with a rapidly deflating tire.

 

[Steve in Phx]

I don't use 90 degree valve stems anymore.

A 90 degree valve stem left me stranded on the reservation between Page, AZ and Jacob Lake. Middle of nowhere in the AZ summer heat, 20+ miles from cell phone reception, on the Friday afternoon before a long holiday weekend. 30 minutes later the first car passed me on that long, dusty, lonely deserted highway.

Luckily my brother and I are pretty resourceful and managed to rig it to hold pressure for about 15 minutes at a time, which meant I had to stop and pump the tire back up every 15 minutes, all the way to St George, UT.

Good story, bad experience.

 

[rPGoatBoy]

Hey has anyone mentioned that 90 degree rubber stems are a bad idea yet? If not, someone should bring that up.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Geez, I'm with Goat Boy. My catastrophic failure happened in Death Valley after visiting Scotty's Castle, while riding down the freaking Emptiest Road in America in a 60 mph wind and dust storm. I was fighting the cross wind (sporting a giant V-Stream wind screen) and it was hard at first to keep it straight, then harder, then freaking ridiculous. Hmmm, what could be wrong here? Turned out it was related to the rubber stem blowing out. Never did know at what point it started to lose air, or how fast it went flat, or how far I rode on the flatty, but flat it was when I finally stopped. Happened about 2 p.m. on Saturday. After about 4 hours, the tow truck from Pahrump, Nevada (you simply MUST go there) finally arrived, and hauled me back there. Paid the guy a lot to work late (that, or spend a couple extra days in Pahrump), got back to my camp site about midnight.

Metal valve stem, locked down nice and tight, would have been a cheap ounce of prevention, literally.

For what it's worth, I don't like 90 degree stems on the FJR. I use short, straight metal stems, and I use a dial gauge with a 90 degree chuck on the hose to check them. I find this much easier to get to the valve past the brake discs. Same for adding air when needed with most all the air hose fittings out there, also IMO. Just another viewpoint.

 

[mikerider]

For what it's worth, I don't like 90 degree stems on the FJR. I use short, straight metal stems, and I use a dial gauge with a 90 degree chuck on the hose to check them. I find this much easier to get to the valve past the brake discs. Same for adding air when needed with most all the air hose fittings out there, also IMO. Just another viewpoint.

Where can I get some short metal straight valves? I don't like metal 90 deg valves. I searched and it seems only 90-degree valve has 11.3mm? Is 11.3mm the inside diameter of the valve hole?

Thanks!

 

[mikerider]

For what it's worth, I don't like 90 degree stems on the FJR. I use short, straight metal stems, and I use a dial gauge with a 90 degree chuck on the hose to check them. I find this much easier to get to the valve past the brake discs. Same for adding air when needed with most all the air hose fittings out there, also IMO. Just another viewpoint.

Where can I get some short metal straight valves? I don't like metal 90 deg valves. I searched and it seems only 90-degree valve has 11.3mm? Is 11.3mm the inside diameter of the valve hole?

Thanks!

Never mind. Found it here: https://www.revzilla.com/product/bike-master-chrome-valve-stem

 

[radiummadman]

everyone loves a Kurvygirl

 

[Harald]

Kurvey Girl stems have been on my FJR for over 80,000 miles now with zero problems:

https://www.kurveygirl.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=169&products_id=71&osCsid=benclftb8vupg106076ghut304