Tire balance beads

[670cc]

No vehicle manufacture or tire manufacturer uses or condones their use under any circumstances. So i really doubt your NC came with them from the factory.

The youtube video bottle trick many report that as a parlor trick. Try the exact same set up with the bottle supported on an axle. So place a tire on a spin dynamic balancer and add beads......the balancer will never show balanced.

Beads products and liquid balance products are one of the most controversial forum discussion.
Motorcycle Consumer News did a bead test years back ........concluded they did no harm buy offered no benefit.

It is unusual that no one has a done a double blind test of these products over the years. Maybe like have 20-30 identical bikes, some with beads, some with weights, some with no balance of any kind, some with deliberate out of balance condiition. Then have 30-50 riders judge the performance.

As for auto manufacturers their spec of balance is 5 grams accuracy on 80 pound tire.

I have to agree that spinning a flimsy plastic bottle with a drill motor isn’t really relevant. If the bead companies are in the wheel balance business, they should have proper equipment. Do they show an unbalanced motorcycle wheel on a computerized balance machine having the balance corrected by the installation of the beads? Do they then demonstrate the claimed dynamic balancing ability of beads by putting a weight on said wheel to unbalance it, and show the beads then re-correcting the imbalance? Are those videos available somewhere?

 

[Alias]

Do they then demonstrate the claimed dynamic balancing ability of beads by putting a weight on said wheel to unbalance it, and show the beads then re-correcting the imbalance?

That would be interesting to see.

 

[fleetingyouth]

It is surprising that there aren't more test videos with the product but It seems they are more used in commercial industries than private. They have been around and for sale, since the 70's so it's nothing new apparently.
This was the only video test I could find

 

[Alias]

Well, that was interesting.

 

[TacomaJD]

What's funny is that often times the amount of weights needed to balance a motorcycle tire is so small that you can mount a lot of tires and put no weights on them and it ride just fine. Most guys at the racetrack put on new tires and don't even bother balancing at all. I know this isn't the case across the board, because every time I balance different tires on my NC's, they never require more than 2-4 1/4 oz weights, most of the time just 2-3, 4 if I'm really being picky and trying to get it perfect.... However, big heavy durable tires that go on my cruiser, which also has metal angled valve stems that are heavier than typical rubber ones, I have 2 long strips of 1/4 oz. weights on the front wheel for it.

But as for most 17" sport or touring tires, they should be VERY easy to balance unless they are cheap generic junk tires or out of round. Given this information, one could easily throw some magic beads in a tire, mount it, install, and the NC ride like a dream......whereas you very well may could have NOT put any beads in, NOT do anything at all to balance it, install it, and it still ride the same.

I'd have to see some solid scientific proof before I'd ever think beads were worth using over weights.

 

[Wheels]

Hmmm. Last two bike (sets) of new tires (Michelin, Bridgestone) came back from the shop with a lot of weight on them.
Yep, vibration, I didn't take it back (should have) used Rideon. Have used it from time to time , a good balancer but can't say
about punctures. Go to a different dealer now.
Some people don't have the luxury to build a mechanics garage/tool emporium or maybe the aptitude, please bear that in mind.

 

[670cc]

Hmmm. Last two bike (sets) of new tires (Michelin, Bridgestone) came back from the shop with a lot of weight on them.
Yep, vibration, I didn't take it back (should have) used Rideon. Have used it from time to time , a good balancer but can't say
about punctures. Go to a different dealer now.
Some people don't have the luxury to build a mechanics garage/tool emporium or maybe the aptitude, please bear that in mind.

One question is did the shop put the tire on in the right place - light spot of tire matched to heavy spot of wheel. In the past, back when I had shops mount tires, they required a lot of weight, sometimes right next to the valve stem. Ask the shop how they decide where to place the tire on the rim. Do they check the balance of the bare rim first, or do they just assume, often wrongly, that the valve is the heavy side?