Wheel/Tire Balancing

BobPA
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BobPA
I was wondering if you guys had any insight to how the pros (or anyone really) was balancing their wheels. A few of my friends who run dual sport bikes use two rimlocks or safety wire spoke weights on with good results. But I never see any kind of weights or anything on the factory rigs, and I would think they balance them...
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Racer_Twentynine 12/24/2016 7:18am
12/24/2016 7:18am
The tires have a red dot on them that marks the heaviest part of the tire. That goes at or opposite the valve stem depending on who you speak to.
Starcrossed
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Starcrossed 12/24/2016 7:23am
12/24/2016 7:23am Edited Date/Time 12/24/2016 7:24am
I've used the stick on weights in the past, about 8 of them opposite the rim lock seems to work ok, four on each side of the spokes. Def helps with wheel hop under braking.
Cygnus
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Cygnus 12/24/2016 7:32am
12/24/2016 7:32am
If you can find a Dangle MC wheel balancer they work great. From off road tire's to 150mph road race bikes I've balanced em all with mine.

kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 12/24/2016 7:34am
12/24/2016 7:34am
Probably one of the biggest under estimated reasons why a guys bike doesn't work right......oval tires!

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Xeno
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Xeno 12/24/2016 7:36am
12/24/2016 7:36am
We balance Baja race wheels. Motion Pro makes the weights.
I can't tell if a wheel is out of balance until I doing 70+ mph on hard-pack.
MX558
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MX558 12/24/2016 8:01am
12/24/2016 8:01am
I've never bothered with balancing mx wheels and I really doubt anyone could tell anyway. I used a simple gravity stand with motion pro weights when I was roadracing , even then half the time I'd forget and couldn't tell.
avidchimp
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avidchimp 12/24/2016 8:07am
12/24/2016 8:07am
It's kind of hard to tell if a wheel is out of balance on a MX track because of the nature of the terrain, IMHO. The only time I've ever noticed is when you are in the air over a good sized floater. Then you can really tell.
BobPA
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BobPA 12/24/2016 8:19am
12/24/2016 8:19am
MX558 wrote:
I've never bothered with balancing mx wheels and I really doubt anyone could tell anyway. I used a simple gravity stand with motion pro weights when...
I've never bothered with balancing mx wheels and I really doubt anyone could tell anyway. I used a simple gravity stand with motion pro weights when I was roadracing , even then half the time I'd forget and couldn't tell.
I static balance all my own street bike tires, never had an issue. The lightweight motion pro rim locks are close to 70 grams, and with most sticky weights being 5-7 grams...well you get the idea, that's a lot of stickies. I am super anal when it comes to keeping my wheels true (one of the only acts of maintenance I enjoy) and I can feel my wheels being out of balance.
Thelen20
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Thelen20 12/24/2016 5:44pm
12/24/2016 5:44pm
I always heard that it doesn't matter once you get the wheel dirty. Guess it wouldn't hurt to start with it balanced though
rubarb
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rubarb 12/25/2016 6:59am
12/25/2016 6:59am
kkawboy14 wrote:
Probably one of the biggest under estimated reasons why a guys bike doesn't work right......oval tires!
Right, lol

PC
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PC 12/27/2016 12:07pm
12/27/2016 12:07pm
My ktm500 would hop like a pogo stick on the pavement above 45mph until I balanced the wheels. I ultimately plan on using dual rim locks (don't install them exactly180 deg. apart due to the valve stem weight ....research first), but in the interim I purchased motion pro 'lite' rim locks and some stick on wheel weights (harbor freight).

I weighed the rim lock and took the same amount weight of stick on lead and placed them evenly opposite the rim lock. Its not exact science, but the wheels feel balanced up to 90mph. It's at least a 99% improvement over stock.

I also pounded the sharp corners down and run HD tubes....no flats so far.

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