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How are Tire Beads compared to Fixed Weights?

  • Worse than Fixed Weights

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • About the Same as Fixed Weights

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Better than Fixed Weights

    Votes: 5 27.8%
  • Don't know, I never tried Tire Beads

    Votes: 10 55.6%

Tire Beads Survey

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  fasteddiecopeman 
#1 ·
How are tire beads compared to fixed weights?

1 - Worse
2 - Same
3 - Better
4 - Don't know
 
#3 · (Edited)
I'm not quite sure what I need, but sometimes my front wheel feels out of balance, but then smooth as glass at other times (at high speeds.) It almost sounds more like aerodynamics and/or road conditions. I'm getting a leather jacket and lower chaps since we don't have a lower fairing to see how much difference that makes. Just switching back packs from textile to hard case made 20 mph top end cruising speed difference (easy.)

My fork oil weight may be too light weight for me too at 10w. I may bump it up which Ive always done before with success (for BMW's), but this was my first USD forks so I listened to the mechanics and members and left it at 10w (at first anyway.)

Also, I am discussing with Zeta handguards and other bar end weight companies to find out the best approximation of additional handlebar end weight to account for the extra mass and weight of the Zeta handguards (approximately when my handlebar vibration began, from oem smooth beforehand.)
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I wanted to eliminate the tire balance with this survey because I don't think ANY dealer calibrates their spin balancers ($$$$.) Many say it does not need tire weights anyway, and may hurt by uncalibrated spin balancers allocating more wrong weights than it really needs (??)

Beads have a couple of missing points in they do nothing until up to speed, and in transitioning speeds when you need the balance the most it seems from unstable shifts in control (or that's a student theory anyway.) I would LOVE to see a scientific or engineering study on beads NOT sponsored by vendors who SELL beads!
 
#4 ·
I tried them twice, both times with the same results. They do balance the tires at lower speeds, but cruising at 75mph or faster the bike vibrates badly. If you don't ever plan on going faster than 65mph, they work fine.

The first time I noticed something similar to what you describe. Sometimes the bike would be smooth and sometimes there was a very noticeable vibration. That was my first experience with the beads, I had to get a new tire in Lafayette, LA, and I couldn't mount it myself, that shop didn't use wheel weights, just dynabeads. After a while I got tired of if and went to remove them, when I took off the tire I found that the mechanic had just tossed the bag of beads inside of the tire, half of them were still inside the bag, so the vibration depended on where the bag with half of the beads was located.

But I just don't see the point, they are expensive and even if you try to reuse them, you'll lose some on every tire change. If you follow their gidelines, they are not reusable, so that becomes quite expensive. Finally some tire manufacturers will void the warranty if you use them as they can damage the inside of the tire, both times I noticed small rubber particles mixed with the beads. In extreme cases it can lead to this:



I reuse my wheel weights, just peel off the adhesive and put new double sided tape, and I balance them on a cheap Harbor Freight stand that was like $40. In the long run it has been cheaper than dynabeads and the bike does not vibrate at any speed.
 
#7 · (Edited)
The main advantage with beads is that if you change your own tires you can also balance them without purchasing an expensive balance machine and huge box of weights. Balance weights don't come in small quantities. They also keep the tire precisely balanced as it wears and eliminate weights from the rims which can on the rare occasion come off. Never had an issue at any speed with beads including speeds up to 160 Kph.

If I get someone to install my tires I choose the lost cost option of weights but if I install myself I use beads.
 
#8 ·
Beyond all the theory, the biggest negative I can see is when you hit expansion joints on expressways and the balance is completely gone for a moment. In LA, expressways are everywhere and not in the best shape generally from overuse. They just slice lanes on one another during expansions, and every slice is right where motorcyclists ride: on the far right last foot (for lane splitting.) Those splits can feel like a flat tire sometimes with blobs of road adhesive and varying crack size. I could just imagine my balance beads out of balance every time I hit one of those! That would be up to 90% of my road time (maybe that is one of my problems with balance!)

I love the theory and am sure it can be used by some people wisely. But so far, the overwhelming evidence is just not there (yet) for a wide range of applications.
 
#13 ·
Beyond all the theory, the biggest negative I can see is when you hit expansion joints on expressways and the balance is completely gone for a moment....
kawdog - reading your posts I get the idea that you've NEVER used the "beads", but you have strong opinions about them....

IMHO you are WRONG... (and in the opinions of several other "bead users" who've replied to this thread)...!
 
#9 ·
Do you still have the stock tires..My 09 would be all over on some parts of the 5 because of the road surface. When i went to PR3's the issue went away...
 
#10 · (Edited)
Actually, I liked the stock, but they broke down quickly and wore down uneven. I got the new improved Dunlop Roadsmart II and am quite happy with them.

Of course, this is my first bike made for radials in this century so I'm not an expert on tires. I'll check them out next time. Thanks!

I just want to always make sure my bike is as rock solid handling as possible. If the PR3's can make up for LA roads, then they must be good, even for a $100 more per pair :)
 
#15 ·
Bead survey

I have been using beads in the front and rear tires of a GL1800 for the last 40000km and so far, never had a vibration problem at any speed. For those who say they don't balance at low speeds, they are correct in so far as at low speeds imbalance on a tire is not an issue. Balance problems only show up at higher speeds. Also, tire erosion on the inside from beads is also a non issue. Aside from a few tiny rubber burrs, there is nothing. After driving for 5000km with a loose nail in the tire (had to push it thru to plug the tire) there was equally no tire damage to be seen. Contrary to what the suppliers state, they can be re-used almost indefinitely. My 07 Versys now rides with beads.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I have been using beads in the front and rear tires of a GL1800 for the last 40000km and so far, never had a vibration problem at any speed. For those who say they don't balance at low speeds, they are correct in so far as at low speeds imbalance on a tire is not an issue. Balance problems only show up at higher speeds. Also, tire erosion on the inside from beads is also a non issue. Aside from a few tiny rubber burrs, there is nothing. After driving for 5000km with a loose nail in the tire (had to push it thru to plug the tire) there was equally no tire damage to be seen. Contrary to what the suppliers state, they can be re-used almost indefinitely. My 07 Versys now rides with beads.
I've used beads in two tire installs now and never have had an issue of any type. They have been smooth as glass at high speed. My tire shop says beaded tires will sometimes last slightly longer as they maintain balance better, not sure whether to believe this as I have never seen supporting evidence but they are certainly no worse than weights.

The only way beads can clump together in the tire is if you use excessive amounts of tire lube goop when mounting the tire and let it get inside the tire. I use windex as a tire lube when mounting my own tires which leaves no sticky residue and only apply it to the outside of the bead. Tire beads are ceramic or plastic and will not naturally stick together unless there is some sort of binding agent. In the above video it does not look like balance beads clumped together but more like some sort of granular material like salt.
 
#17 ·
I have used ceramic Dynabeads on jeeps and a 460 scarabeo scooter.

They worked ok on the jeep but still had some vibrations. I was running 35" mud tires. The issues were at high speeds.

On the scooter they worked 100 % better. Very smooth ride at any speed.

I bought the versys used and the original owner had used Dynabeads when he installed the Michelin pilot road 2 tires. The versys rode great when I got it. Even at speeds over 80. No issues.

I replaced both front and rear tires at separate times and in both instances I reused the ceramic beeds with no issues.

I rode the texas toll 130 home today at speeds around 85 and the bike ran great. No tire vibrations that I could notice.

I have put about 20,000 miles on the versys so far with the beads in the tires.

Just my experience with ceramic Dynabeads.
 
#18 ·
The problem with wheel weights is that as soon as the tire starts to wear, they are inaccurate.

Beads are a nice midway solution that will keep the tire accurately balanced throughout its life.

Ride-On is the best solution as not only can you shed the weights and enjoy perfect tire balance, it seals punctures too!
 
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