Tyre pressure loss

simon pope

Joined
Sep 21, 2023
Messages
3
Age
58
Location
brighton england
Hi all, am new to the world of pan ownership, have a 2001 1100, loving the bike but am experiencing loss of tyre pressure front and back a lot more than I have with other bikes , is this a common problem with the pan ? It’s not the valves leaking , any suggestions on how to solve would be much appreciated
 
Although I ride a 1300, the principles remain the same....using soapy water, slowly inspect the whole tire for leaks. If I had to guess, I'd look at the bead area of the tire first. Another method is to fill a plastic storage tote with water, and slowly rotate the tire in it, looking for bubbles.

Soapy water works well, but if you are having trouble finding it, go to your local big box home improvement store and get gas leak detector fluid. Bubbles up a storm.
 
It's not uncommon to get corrosion on the rims around the bead resulting in one or multiple slow leaks. My last Kawi ended up with this and it was almost imperceptible. I ended up dismounting the tire, wet sanding the rim with fine grit paper, and then repainting. They can also get knicks etc in the aluminum when the tires are installed from the tools if the installer isn't careful.

Like Kalroth said, give it the soapy water tests watching for bubbles from the tire itself, the rim/tire mating surface, around the valve stem/rim, the valve stem itself as well as the unlikely case of the rim leaking.
 
klaproth said:
Although I ride a 1300, the principles remain the same....using soapy water, slowly inspect the whole tire for leaks. If I had to guess, I'd look at the bead area of the tire first. Another method is to fill a plastic storage tote with water, and slowly rotate the tire in it, looking for bubbles.

Soapy water works well, but if you are having trouble finding it, go to your local big box home improvement store and get gas leak detector fluid. Bubbles up a storm.
Click to expand...
Ok great thank you
 
Obo said:
It's not uncommon to get corrosion on the rims around the bead resulting in one or multiple slow leaks.
Click to expand...
Given the location and age of the bike, this seems a plausible theory...
(unless there is an actual puncture or a crack in the wheel)
Installing the tires myself I always clean the rims with a cordless angle-grinder and a nylon brush attached... works like a charm without any damage...
Also always install new valve stems & cores

IMG_20221126_131825.jpg
 
ST1100Y said:
Given the location and age of the bike, this seems a plausible theory...
(unless there is an actual puncture or a crack in the wheel)
Installing the tires myself I always clean the rims with a cordless angle-grinder and a nylon brush attached... works like a charm without any damage...
Also always install new valve stems & cores

IMG_20221126_131825.jpg
Click to expand...
Great thank you all for your prompt replies and help, very much appreciated
 
To answer your question, No, tires losing air is not a common problem with these bikes (unless you have a nail in the tire).
 
Mine leak. Probably due to anti puncture compound in the tyres at each change. It causes the rims to corrode where the tyre fits.

The solution has been to clean them up and paint on some sealing paint each time new tyres are fitted. This works well. Another suggestion was to have the wheel powder coated - but I looked up what that involved, and the curing int he oven process reaches temperatures which are outside the rnage that the alloy can handle without experiencing molecular structural changes. I found a reference in one of the Honda manuals warning against excess heat on the wheels. Can't remember which - but it was enough to prevent me from having mine done.
 
Soapy water to know for sure. I've found lots of leaking valve-stem cores. Found my trailer tilting to one side other day. Yup, leaky valve-stem core. New valve stems too. Shop that replaced tyres put in valve-stems, but didn't make sure cores were tight inside.
 
DannoXYZ said:
Soapy water to know for sure. I've found lots of leaking valve-stem cores. Found my trailer tilting to one side other day. Yup, leaky valve-stem core. New valve stems too. Shop that replaced tyres put in valve-stems, but didn't make sure cores were tight inside.
Click to expand...
Soapy water is probably easy to source, but leaves quite a mess in the shop...
Coming from the HVAC side I've a can of leak detector spray on the shelf, precise application, indicating even the tiniest leak, easy to wipe off with no slippery mess everywhere...
Heat is another thing, despite use of tire mounting compound a new tire might not seat fully until its warmed due use, like a 1~2 hrs ride...
 
jfheath said:
Mine leak. Probably due to anti puncture compound in the tyres at each change. It causes the rims to corrode where the tyre fits.

The solution has been to clean them up and paint on some sealing paint each time new tyres are fitted. This works well. Another suggestion was to have the wheel powder coated - but I looked up what that involved, and the curing int he oven process reaches temperatures which are outside the rnage that the alloy can handle without experiencing molecular structural changes. I found a reference in one of the Honda manuals warning against excess heat on the wheels. Can't remember which - but it was enough to prevent me from having mine done.
Click to expand...
I had my wheels powder coated on the 94 five years ago or so. I did have to change the wheel bearings because of the heat of the oven (they were removed prior to the powder coating process). However, I haven’t had any issues at all regarding air leakage from the tire or wheel deformity.
 
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