tire balance

[DeSudet]

I know, but that's their problem, not mine. I was hesitant to even allow them to do it in the first place, but after a couple thousand miles, it's clear they aren't working properly anyway. With the speeds I'm hitting on the freeway every day for my commute, it just isn't safe. Besides, I'm sure they have a junior mechanic who can use the practice (or otherwise deserves the task )

 

[DeSudet]

So I went and done it. Went back to the shop and had them swap out the beads for static weights. Then hit the road to see if it was any better. Before I knew it, I was in the mid 90s and not feeling the slightest hint of vibration. Did a test twist up to 110 and it was smooth as silk. Going back to the link someone posted to the physics forum, I suspect the calculations will show that beyond that first harmonic (where the heavy spot inverts and actually gets pulled toward the axis of rotation), somewhere around the 4th harmonic, it reverts back to the heavy spot being farther from the axis. When that happens, the beads readjust to the new high spot and make the imbalance even worse. This would also be why the pros don't use the beads. Static balance is always in balance and won't cause hopping in the 80mph range where the bikes are at their most vulnerable in the turns.

My conclusion based on top speeds driven:

<20mph - Don't even bother

<50-60mph - Balance shouldn't be required unless you have hopping/vibration indicating a major imbalance. Beads or static will do.

<80mph - Beads should be fine as long as you keep the inside of the tire dry during mounting to prevent the beads clumping.

>80 - static balance

YMMV

 

[wheatonFJR]

I look at that summary and think to myself, unless I lose my license and have to ride a moped to work, I'm statically balancing the bike. Why would you not? With the good balancers available to us, it is so easy, even SkooterG can do it.

 

[bluesdog]

I know, but that's their problem, not mine. I was hesitant to even allow them to do it in the first place, but after a couple thousand miles, it's clear they aren't working properly anyway. With the speeds I'm hitting on the freeway every day for my commute, it just isn't safe. Besides, I'm sure they have a junior mechanic who can use the practice (or otherwise deserves the task

)

Dynabeading is the shop's SOP? Wow.

 

[DeSudet]

It isn't SOP, but I suspect they had a crap ton of beads in stock for some reason and they pitched it to me. I'd never heard of them before and was skeptical, but I'm willing to try just about anything once! Now I know to pass up on them next time around.