Angel ST Tires and balancing

[Mark0212]

Thought I'd give a report on the Angel ST and some related stuff revolving around that subject.

First of all I decided to say goodbye to commercial tire mounting establishments (aka Dealers, Cycle Gear (CG)...etc.) and bought a Cycle Hill tire changer with balancer. It came with a hitch mount ($$extra) so I could mount tires anywhere. I've mounted three tires so far and I'm getting better at it! It works quite well and is a bit of a struggle alone, but much easier with a helper. Buying tires online and mounting them at CG for $40 a pop was getting expensive. Another reason was the current Angel ST tires. While they work very well at lower speeds and cornering is great, they tend to wiggle ever so slightly at 90+ miles. Now this may not be the tires, but to be sure I took them off the bike and rebalanced, both of wich weren't well-balanced to begin with (thanks CG!!) Ended up removing one 4oz weight on the front and 2 4oz weights on the rear. They aren't perfectly balanced because I can't find lead weights (anybody know where I can get some?) and the steal ones I bought at HF aren't trimable. Still have that slight wiggle at 90+ so I have to conclude that the Angel ST just isn't the right tire for the FJR. I say that because my Metzlers were rock solid - as if on rails, just not as good in the twisties.

PS. CG didn't even bother lining up the balancing dots with valve stems on the rim, which is typically the heaviest spot. Correct?

 

[08FJR4ME]

40% off OEM parts. Clicky

Here is where I bought my weights. And oh yeh I love my Cycle Tire changer too.

Dave

 

[BentAero]

Thought I'd give a report on the Angel ST and some related stuff revolving around that subject.

First of all I decided to say goodbye to commercial tire mounting establishments (aka Dealers, Cycle Gear (CG)...etc.) and bought a Cycle Hill tire changer with balancer. It came with a hitch mount ($$extra) so I could mount tires anywhere. I've mounted three tires so far and I'm getting better at it! It works quite well and is a bit of a struggle alone, but much easier with a helper. Buying tires online and mounting them at CG for $40 a pop was getting expensive. Another reason was the current Angel ST tires. While they work very well at lower speeds and cornering is great, they tend to wiggle ever so slightly at 90+ miles. Now this may not be the tires, but to be sure I took them off the bike and rebalanced, both of wich weren't well-balanced to begin with (thanks CG!!) Ended up removing one 4oz weight on the front and 2 4oz weights on the rear. They aren't perfectly balanced because I can't find lead weights (anybody know where I can get some?) and the steal ones I bought at HF aren't trimable. Still have that slight wiggle at 90+ so I have to conclude that the Angel ST just isn't the right tire for the FJR. I say that because my Metzlers were rock solid - as if on rails, just not as good in the twisties.

PS. CG didn't even bother lining up the balancing dots with valve stems on the rim, which is typically the heaviest spot. Correct?

Unless you have a bad tire(s) I suspect it's your balancing job. The dot on the tire is the LIGHT area, not the heavy. One thing that may help you next time is, when you have the tire off the wheel, find the heavy spot in the wheel itself and permanently mark it. The rear wheel on my FJR is very, very out of balance. If you know where that spot is, you can use it to your advantage when you mount the next tire.

If you are using a balancer such as this one, https://www.nomartirechanger.com/products/9 keep in mind it is VERY sensitive. So much so that it can be frustrating and annoying. If there is so much as a breeze coming in a window it can turn the wheel. Last summer Steve from NoMar showed me this by placing a business card on a balanced tire/wheel. As soon as he put it on there, the wheel turned that direction. If you are trying to balance outdoors in the wind, good luck. The Marc Parnes balancer is a very good/sensitive unit as well. After you balance 40 or 50 tires you'll get the hang of it.

You can get your weights from No-Mar, the same people who make the Cycle Hill unit. https://www.nomar-secure.com/category_s/31.htm

 

[Brodie]

Marking the heavy spot of the wheel is a good starting point.

This is what I do...

1. Remove the tire and clean the rim of any residue on the sealing surface.
2. Remove any weights still on the wheel.
3. Install the valve core and cap. If you are going to use a fancy right angle valve stem, or any TPS system now is the time to install it - on the bare wheel.
4. Put it on the balancer and let it come to a stop. The bottom is the heavy spot, mark it on the center rib with a yellow paint pen.
5. Remove it from the balancer and mount the tire. Pay attention to the direction of rotation arrow (do'h).
6. Inflate it to seat both beads.
7. Put the wheel back on the balancer and let it come to a stop. The top of the tire is the light spot for the assembly, mark it with a white chalk.
8. Do not add weights at this time. Let the air out and break both beads.
9. Rotate the wheel within the tire until the paint pen spot on the wheel center rib aligns up with the white chalk mark on the tire.
10. Re-inflate the tire to seat both beads.
11. Place it back on the balancer and let it come to a stop.
12. Now add weights as needed.

Every time you mount a new tire, start out fresh and remove whatever wheel weights are still on the rim.

This method will minimize the amount of weights required to balance any wheel. In fact, many times you can get away without adding weights at all - the ideal situation.

I hope this helps.

Brodie

 

[Mark0212]

That's good information - Thanks Guys!

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

La Pregunta - A Question (not disagreeing with anything stated)

But, when balanced - is the number/amount of weight of any consequence?

If it's balanced -- it's balanced...

 

[Mark0212]

Just wanted to check back in and report that I checked the rim and the heavy spot was marked and the balance dot on the tire lined up and it was balanced without any added weights!! :yahoo:

 

[BentAero]

Just wanted to check back in and report that I checked the rim and the heavy spot was marked and the balance dot on the tire lined up and it was balanced without any added weights!! :yahoo:

I just love it when a story has a happy ending.