I'm about to mount a new rear Storm. Question is the old BT020 has a dot on it I think that is supposed to lined up with the valve stem. My new Avon doesn't have anything like that. What do you Avon guys do?
Avon tire question
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Apparently Avon feels that marking the tire is not worth their expense to do it.
Now, standby for what this anal-retentive guy is willing to do.
- After the old tire is off the rim, remove any old weights and throughly clean the wheel.
- Put the wheel, with valve core and cap, on the balancer and find the heavy spot of the wheel and mark it. I use a small piece of painters tape. Also, make sure you have all the water out of all the wheels cavities.
- Now balance the wheel. This is temporary so just use painters tape to hold the weights in place.
- Mount the new tire and put it back on the balancer. Mark the heavy or light spot of the tire, your choice. This is the tire only because the wheel was balanced, remember.
- Now this is the fun part. You get to let the air out of the tire, break the beads, and rotate the tire so the heavy spots (wheel and tire) are opposite. If you marked the light spot (top) of the tire, line it up with the heavy spot (bottom) of the rim. If you marked the heavy spot (bottom) of the tire, position it opposite the heavy spot of the wheel.
- Now re-inflate the tire, remove the wheel balance weights and balance the whole assembly.
This will give you a balance with the least amount of required weight. Directly from Avon; "Anything over and beyond 2.5 oz (71 grams) would be considered excessive to balance on such tires and would be considered for a replacement if within the first 0.5mm of original tread new tread depth."
Unless you take the time to mark the heavy spot of the wheel then balance the wheel before mounting the tire you have no way of knowing where the weights are in relation to the tire and wheel. You simply balance the assembly. If it takes what you would consider excessive weight you can reposition the tire but without reference points it's just a crap-shoot.
One of the things you will find is that the heavy spot of the wheel is not necessarily where the valve stem is. This means that if you take the time to find the heavy spot of the wheel you can adjust the position of tires that are marked and end up using less weight to balance them.
Now, standby for what this anal-retentive guy is willing to do.
- After the old tire is off the rim, remove any old weights and throughly clean the wheel.
- Put the wheel, with valve core and cap, on the balancer and find the heavy spot of the wheel and mark it. I use a small piece of painters tape. Also, make sure you have all the water out of all the wheels cavities.
- Now balance the wheel. This is temporary so just use painters tape to hold the weights in place.
- Mount the new tire and put it back on the balancer. Mark the heavy or light spot of the tire, your choice. This is the tire only because the wheel was balanced, remember.
- Now this is the fun part. You get to let the air out of the tire, break the beads, and rotate the tire so the heavy spots (wheel and tire) are opposite. If you marked the light spot (top) of the tire, line it up with the heavy spot (bottom) of the rim. If you marked the heavy spot (bottom) of the tire, position it opposite the heavy spot of the wheel.
- Now re-inflate the tire, remove the wheel balance weights and balance the whole assembly.
This will give you a balance with the least amount of required weight. Directly from Avon; "Anything over and beyond 2.5 oz (71 grams) would be considered excessive to balance on such tires and would be considered for a replacement if within the first 0.5mm of original tread new tread depth."
Unless you take the time to mark the heavy spot of the wheel then balance the wheel before mounting the tire you have no way of knowing where the weights are in relation to the tire and wheel. You simply balance the assembly. If it takes what you would consider excessive weight you can reposition the tire but without reference points it's just a crap-shoot.
One of the things you will find is that the heavy spot of the wheel is not necessarily where the valve stem is. This means that if you take the time to find the heavy spot of the wheel you can adjust the position of tires that are marked and end up using less weight to balance them.
Between my last bike and the ST the wheels all had the heavy spot 6 or 12 inches from the valve stem. Maybe this is a nit. Look at it this way. The time you spend watching the wheel spin on the balancer gives a nice break from sweating over gettting the old tire off and then sweating to get new tire on.
Avon mounting ancient internet lore is that if the balance takes a lot of weight break the bead and rotate the tire 180 degrees and try again. I'd hate to do that.
Avon mounting ancient internet lore is that if the balance takes a lot of weight break the bead and rotate the tire 180 degrees and try again. I'd hate to do that.
The internet lore is correct.
I have had an avon that took too much weight so I broke the bead, spun the tire and then balanced it.
It took significantly less weight the 2nd time.
And I still like and use avon tires...
Mark
I have had an avon that took too much weight so I broke the bead, spun the tire and then balanced it.
It took significantly less weight the 2nd time.
And I still like and use avon tires...
Mark
OP
OP
WOW Byron, I hate to admit it but don't even have a balancer yet. That was going to be my next question. What brand is good? My son is on a ZZR site and he posted a question about balancing and got a lot of responses that many don't even balance but I figured I would get a balancer for the sons and me so we could. He also found some strange looking rigs for balancing by guys not wanting to spend big bucks on a balancer.
On my bike now I'm finding 5 weights about 6" from the stem so I can tell the shop didn't go to any trouble but throwing the tire on and balancing. Is 5-1/4oz. weights common?
OP
OP
Just re-read your post and realized the weights I had totaled 1 1/4 oz, I guess that wasn't too bad then if 2 1/2 is excessive by their standards.
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I have a newer set of STorms on STick right now with no weights. Seems fine to ~125.
So how was that track day?I have a newer set of STorms on STick right now with no weights. Seems fine to ~125.
- Joined
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- 2000 ST1100 ABS TCS
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- 004
Huh? Hasn't happened yet, that's at DesertSTOC next month.
Sorry for getting back on this so late about the balancer question. The first balancer I built myself. The other two balancers I've used are the Marc Parnes and the Rod Neff.
All three balancers use precision bearing and accuracy is the same with each. Mine hang with cords and uses the motorcycle axles. The Neff stands on it's own and again can use the motorcycle axle. The Parnes rests on a pair of stands you provide which can be jack stands or between two table ends. It has a 1/2" shaft and uses cones to hold the wheel. For bikes like the VFR which doesn't have a rear axle I used the Parnes shaft/cones but put the assembly on the Neff stand since it was already to go.
There are others out there you just need to do a little searching and see what fits you best. They will all do a good job for you.
All three balancers use precision bearing and accuracy is the same with each. Mine hang with cords and uses the motorcycle axles. The Neff stands on it's own and again can use the motorcycle axle. The Parnes rests on a pair of stands you provide which can be jack stands or between two table ends. It has a 1/2" shaft and uses cones to hold the wheel. For bikes like the VFR which doesn't have a rear axle I used the Parnes shaft/cones but put the assembly on the Neff stand since it was already to go.
There are others out there you just need to do a little searching and see what fits you best. They will all do a good job for you.