Ride-On Tire Sealant and Balancer

[jpcfjr]

So I was talking with a guy who currently owns an Wingabego and he highly recommended Ride-On (https://www.ride-onshop.com/Motorcycles-Ride_On_Tire_Sealant_for_Motorcycles_Kit.html) for balancing wheels/tires. He changes his own tires and puts the stuff in and swears by it.

Has anyone here used it? If so, what kind of results have you gotten? I would love to start changing my own tires but always figured I'd have to take them to the shop for balancing so what's the point in doing the tire changing myself. However, if this stuff works, and if it continuously keeps the tires balanced for the life of the tire, well, hell, I'll go that route.

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful and intelligent responses...

 

[r1byker]

I have used something similar and thought it worked really well. The tires wore evenly throughout their lives. The caveat I was given about this kind of product is that if there were ever a rapid loss of air, the product would make it much easier for the tire to separate from the wheel.

Curious why you don't balance your own tires. It's a pretty easy and simple process. I just changed three tires last weekend (2 on my track bike and the front on the FJR) and did all the balancing myself. I just support the tire by running an axle through the wheel, supporting each end of the axle and spin. Then I mark the wheel at the top when it stops and add weights to that spot. Takes all of about five minutes. I've changed my tires about 35 or 40 times and never had a problem.

 

[SkooterG]

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful and intelligent responses...

Around here? Yeah, right.

I tried that shit once many years ago and will never put that crap back in my tires again.

If you want to balance your own tires I highly recommend the Marc Parnes balancer.

Clicky HERE for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!

 

[Good2Go]

Agree with the above...if you're going to the trouble of dismounting/mounting yourself, you'll find balancing the easiest part of the job.

 

[beemerdons]

Agree with the above...if you're going to the trouble of dismounting/mounting yourself, you'll find balancing the easiest part of the job.

I use the Ride-On Tire Sealant and Balancer on my Off-Road BMW GS's and KLR's just to piss off Greg and Greg, Think to Yourself: Dumb and Dumber!

Actually, I do agree with Greg and Greg, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, DO NOT use Ride-On for any road bike tires; with our Arizona Cholla Cactus spines on our dirt roads, it's a necessity!

 

[jmgrif]

No Mar has a slightly less expensive "Home Use Version - Cycle Hill" It comes with everything you need including advise only a phone call away! It does include a balancer and if you have friends nearby who would share in the cost I think you would be pleased. I bought mine a while back and each tire change I get better and things go a little easier. I don't charge my friends but they always bring a few beer to ease my pain! At least here in Canada I'm saving about 100 bucks each change. It didn't take long to save the 500 it costs.

 

[LAF]

Ride On is great stuff. It is Military spec and been around for years. It is one of a kind so if you used slime or any other product it was in no way like ride on. Ride on will not rust the inside of your wheel, it does not make a mess when changing a tire out, is water soluble, and is primarily used as a puncture sealant but adds the benefit of acting as a balancing agent also. It coats the inside center only, does not ride up onto the sidewalls.

I used it for many years on my Harleys but when I bought the BMW and started using a TPI it was not compatible with the sensors.

If you are in fact thinking of using Ride On it is a great product IMHO and will seal a puncture within it limits. It also will help hold a plug and I ran a tire with ride on and a plug for 14,000 miles and never thought twice about it.

All tire sealant are not created equal.

 

[beemerdons]

Ride On is great stuff. It is Military spec and been around for years. It is one of a kind so if you used slime or any other product it was in no way like ride on. Ride on will not rust the inside of your wheel, it does not make a mess when changing a tire out, is water soluble, and is primarily used as a puncture sealant but adds the benefit of acting as a balancing agent also. It coats the inside center only, does not ride up onto the sidewalls.

I used it for many years on my Harleys but when I bought the BMW and started using a TPI it was not compatible with the sensors.

If you are in fact thinking of using Ride On it is a great product IMHO and will seal a puncture within it limits. It also will help hold a plug and I ran a tire with ride on and a plug for 14,000 miles and never thought twice about it.

All tire sealant are not created equal.

Well LAF, you certainly must be able to get a better version of Ride-On in PA, than we can get here in AZ. Because none of we Zonies will use that shit, because it corrodes the rims on an FJR! It may be Military spec for the Air Farce, but SkooterG was a blue water Navy sailor and Papa Chuy was an Army ground pounding grunt: We won't use that corroding crap in our FJR rims!

Like I previously said, I certainly use Ride-On on my off-road machines, including my Jeep; I don't want to be stranded out in the middle of the Sonoran Desert on a dirt trek. But as far as using Ride-On in an FJR rim; No Way Jose, it causes CORROSION! Check out mi illegitimate Bastard Hijo (Son) SkooterG Technical Report and Pictures:

The Ugly!

Freakin tire sealant. I had put Ride-On tire sealant in this last front tire for the first time. Don't care what anybody else says, its messy when it comes time to removing the tire, and I can see why shops don't like to deal with it. Is it a huge deal? Maybe not, but its a hassle. Should of taken pics of the wet, oatmeal consistency stuff.

However........

Look what this crap did to my rim:

Check out the corrosion for cryin out loud!

In these pics, I had already cleaned the one side, which wasn't as bad. What a freaking ass-pain! It took me about an hour to clean off the hardened sealant, and corrosion with a scotchbrite pad. (Which I am sure a dealer would not waste time doing) Water soluble and corrosion resistant my ass. To each his own, but you will never find any kind of tire sealant in my tires again. Here is a pic of the sealant in the old tire after I had hosed out the bulk of it. Nasty! No thanks.

So, in conclusion.....

Just say "no" to tire sealant.

Too-da-loo,

Greg

 

[SkooterG]

Ride On is great stuff. It is Military spec and been around for years. It is one of a kind so if you used slime or any other product it was in no way like ride on. Ride on will not rust the inside of your wheel, it does not make a mess when changing a tire out, is water soluble, and is primarily used as a puncture sealant but adds the benefit of acting as a balancing agent also. It coats the inside center only, does not ride up onto the sidewalls.

I used it for many years on my Harleys but when I bought the BMW and started using a TPI it was not compatible with the sensors.

If you are in fact thinking of using Ride On it is a great product IMHO and will seal a puncture within it limits. It also will help hold a plug and I ran a tire with ride on and a plug for 14,000 miles and never thought twice about it.

All tire sealant are not created equal.

Do you work for Ride-On? Did you click on my link?

The shit sucks! And it did cause corrosion to my wheels. And it is a freaking mess. Nor did it properly seal a puncture I received.

 

[LAF]

Ride On is great stuff. It is Military spec and been around for years. It is one of a kind so if you used slime or any other product it was in no way like ride on. Ride on will not rust the inside of your wheel, it does not make a mess when changing a tire out, is water soluble, and is primarily used as a puncture sealant but adds the benefit of acting as a balancing agent also. It coats the inside center only, does not ride up onto the sidewalls.

I used it for many years on my Harleys but when I bought the BMW and started using a TPI it was not compatible with the sensors.

If you are in fact thinking of using Ride On it is a great product IMHO and will seal a puncture within it limits. It also will help hold a plug and I ran a tire with ride on and a plug for 14,000 miles and never thought twice about it.

All tire sealant are not created equal.

Do you work for Ride-On? Did you click on my link?

The shit sucks! And it did cause corrosion to my wheels. And it is a freaking mess. Nor did it properly seal a puncture I received.

Nope I do not. I did click on your link.

It never corroded ANY wheel I had it in, period! Not steel or aluminum or chrome or painted. My experience! My riding partner runs it in his BMW 1200 RT with no issues at all. Has for 7 years or so.

I have NEVER seen Ride On on the bead of a tire like that picture.

I have no horse in the race at all other than I have used the product in the past and still see it used now, and never an issue.

I can not see after the bead was set how it got on there? I always seated the rim and poured through the valve steam.

I will not condemn a product I have used with great results because of an issue I have not experienced.

I also question what was used as lubricant to mount the wheel? And again I wanna know how it got between the bead or the tire and rim? I know after I spoon both sides of a tire on, I clean both side walls on the tire, clean the inside of the rim and beads, re lube just a tad on rims and seat the beads. That is in addition to cleaning them spotless after taking the old tire off using a degrease agent and scrubber, then a quick shine with whatever quick detailing product I have on hand.

Had the bike sat for extended periods of time in one position? I guess wet air and condensation would play into this as it is water soluble.

Again I don't want you to rupture a blood vessel or anything over it so I HEAR you, and RESPECT your opinion.

I can only go by what I have seen and know to be true and accurate from MY experience with this or any other product I may have used.

I went looking for pics and found only this one. It was from the dealer breaking it off my Road Glide with about 13,000 miles. The wetness is from him and that is all it ran in the center from the bead being broken on a machine.

And to me that is way strange on only one side of the Wheel and it sure looks like spoon marks to me. I have no answer for your wheel looking like that but if you say it was Ride On alone then as they say, your mileage may vary.

 

[Jonnio]

If your main concern is the balancing aspect of it then just get some Dynabeads. They work great and don't leave a slimy mess.

 

[Good2Go]

The shit sucks! And it did cause corrosion to my wheels. And it is a freaking mess. Nor did it properly seal a puncture I received.

Did you sync your TB's before you put it in? That's the trick to making that shit work. Duh.

 

[beemerdons]

The shit sucks! And it did cause corrosion to my wheels. And it is a freaking mess. Nor did it properly seal a puncture I received.

Did you sync your TB's before you put it in? That's the trick to making that shit work. Duh.

Great Minds Think Alike, Greg! SkooterG didn't even properly adjust his mirrors or test honk his horn before put it in, What A Dumbass! Duh is Right!

 

[jpcfjr]

Beemerdons, can you at all explain why this "corrosion" is only on one side of the rim? I'm not understanding that at all. From the pictures, it certainly looks like somebody gouged the **** out of that rim with a tire installation machine. Not trying to argue here but it is just wierd in the pics.

 

[SkooterG]

Beemerdons, can you at all explain why this "corrosion" is only on one side of the rim? I'm not understanding that at all. From the pictures, it certainly looks like somebody gouged the **** out of that rim with a tire installation machine. Not trying to argue here but it is just wierd in the pics.

It was my rim and the Ride-On caused that. I can't explain it. Maybe it was a one in a million but that shit will never touch my motorcycles again!

I do my own tire changes on a Harbor Freight manual tire changer. It is NOT marks from a machine, or spoon gouge marks. Look at how those marks match up to where the dried Ride-On sealant is on the bead of the tire. They match! Also, what you see in the photos is after I did an initial cleaning. The Ride-On was caked on like cement where the corrosion is located.

This was the first time ever for me using any kind of tire sealant. I followed the directions on the bottle after installing the new tires. I have no idea what happened, but it was such a PITA cleaning that off my rim I'll never try any tire sealant again. After cleaning it the aluminum on the wheel is bare in those places. In the 100,00+ miles after those photos were taken I never experienced even the slightest amount of corrosion. Even with the bare aluminum!

Even without the corrsion problems I wouldn't use the stuff again. It is a friggin mess to deal with when dismounting an old tire as far as I am concerned. And, after receieving a 'typical' wood screw puncture in the middle of the tread the Ride-On did not consistently do what it was supposed to do - It would hold pressure for a day or two, then after an overnight would be flat in the morning. After two or three no-pressure mornings I put a conventional plug in it.

So no more $$$ wasted, no more hassle for me.

 

[beemerdons]

Beemerdons, can you at all explain why this "corrosion" is only on one side of the rim? I'm not understanding that at all. From the pictures, it certainly looks like somebody gouged the **** out of that rim with a tire installation machine. Not trying to argue here but it is just wierd in the pics.

2-part easy explanation: 1) The rim was SkooterG's, not mine. 2) GregM had scrubbed the one side clean to show the comparison of before and after. I'm not a Homicide Detective, but I did watch Columbo once!

 

[LAF]

Still perplexed by two things.

How did the Ride On get on the bead of the tire?

And after looking at the pictures SkooterG posted I am wondering why the color difference? It seems his is chalk white and mine was tan coming out and a bit gray as my pic shows after 13,000 miles. That pic was taken in 2005. And it is for sure the Motorcycle/ATV Ride On.

Also as my picture shows it posed no problem to the tech removing it, and never ventured any higher on the side walls then my pic clearly shows.

I would have to wonder if composition has changed? Was it Motorcycle/ATV or Car Ride On, however do not see how that would matter on rust, just color and consistency.

I will say if I ever spooned a wheel off and saw that I would have been all over Ride On, and if they would not fix my wheel, sand and coat, I would be their worst nightmare.

Again, I do not know why this happened but I do understand why I would be as Pissed as SkooterG, and as adamant about avoiding it like the plague :angry2: :angry2:

I guess being forced into not using it by the Doran TPM was a blessing in disguise. And on that subject, I had called Doran to see if their sensors were compatible with a external mount and Ride On. Doran assured me they were and not long after I lost my front sensor. I called they sent me another out, and I returned the old. They called and said it had like an oily substance in it. I then referred to my phone conversation with date and time and person I spoke with. He then offered to send another and I took it. That is when I stopped using Ride On. I kept the sensors off until the first tire change without Ride On. At that time I installed the prescribed amount of DynaBeads but that is a whole other thread

 

[Patriot]

ya'll are crazy...put the bottle down

I've used it EVERY time I get a new tire mounted - 5 years and 3 bikes...saved my bacon numberous times...now I do get my tires professionally balanced, but for plugging holes until I get home, it's the bomb

during the aftermath of a beotch named Katrina, at one time I had 5 holes in my Goldwings Dunlop Elite 2, with Ride On protection

UNLIKE "SLIME", there is NO corrosion issue with any rim of mine

and it's water soluable, just wipe it off the rim or hose the rim off...eezy peezy

any installer I've told I had it in there, says they are fine with Ride On because of it's nature

but don't want anything to do with Slime especially, plus any other product like those latex "fix a flat" products

as always, YMMV

Ride On is the bomb and even though it's gone up in price from about $23 two bottles off ebay to $38 over the last 5 years

I still feel the peace of mind and lack of issues is worth it

 

[jpcfjr]

Um...I'm sorry I asked?

WTF, it's like half of you are living on one planet and the other half are in some parallel universe. I suppose I will error on the side of not using it and just learn how to balance my wheels the old fashioned way. But damn, I've never seen such dichotomy...outside DC that is.