Is Tire Balancing Really Necessary ???

[easyrider]

Purchased a new tire at my Local HONDA Motorsport dealership.. I took the rim over to the service dept. for mounting. I gave the tire and rim to the service manager who immediately went over to the tire mounting machine and made quick work of the installation. When he handed the finished product back to me I asked did he balance the wheel.. His reply was that the Forza 300 and scooters in general do not need to be balanced. I also noticed the yellow paint dot was in the 3 oclock position where the valve stem was at the 6oclock position.I thought the dot had to be at the valve stem ?? Anyway, who am I to question the knowledge and skill of a certified Honda service technician no less a manager.
What is the consensus on this ..Is he right ?? I have my doubts ???

[you you]

Purchased a new tire at my Local HONDA Motorsport dealership.. I took the rim over to the service dept. for mounting. I gave the tire and rim to the service manager who immediately went over to the tire mounting machine and made quick work of the installation. When he handed the finished product back to me I asked did he balance the wheel.. His reply was that the Forza 300 and scooters in general do not need to be balanced. I also noticed the yellow paint dot was in the 3 oclock position where the valve stem was at the 6oclock position.I thought the dot had to be at the valve stem ?? Anyway, who am I to question the knowledge and skill of a certified Honda service technician no less a manager.
What is the consensus on this ..Is he right ?? I have my doubts ???

Good quality tyres generally don't need balancing. Nor do motorcycle tyres as long as you place the lightest part marked by a dot over the valve stem.

My advice would be to try it. If you have a problem you have a problem, if you don't you don't.

I suspect you haven't.

[TheMaverick]

I recently added a pair of FOBO real-time tyre pressure monitors. They're round units approx 2.5cm in diameter, and 2cm high that contain a button battery and other electronics, and screw onto each valve stem. Although it's mass is more towards the centre of the wheel than the tyre (and thus less angular speed), it still "has a bit of weight", and so I wondered about it affecting the balance of the wheels ... but it's been absolutely fine.

The effect of any out of balance component is going to depend on 3 main things; (1) how much out of balance it is (in the case of a scooter, it's a much lighter tyre than a car therefore the out-of-balance component is likely to be less too) (2) How fast the tyre is rotating (again, for a scooter, potentially less than a car), and (3) how far from the centre of the wheel it is.

Hope this helps.

[davenowherejones]

I suspect the manager thinks the Forza is a low speed machine.

I have the FOBO system also. I am not sure if it is a balancing issue.

I had a badly done balance job one time. It was awful. I have started using Ride-On tire sealer as a balancer. I add a few extra ounces as directed. No flats and a smooth ride.

[easyrider]

I suspect the manager thinks the Forza is a low speed machine.

I have the FOBO system also. I am not sure if it is a balancing issue.

I had a badly done balance job one time. It was awful. I have started using Ride-On tire sealer as a balancer. I add a few extra ounces as directed. No flats and a smooth ride.

That's interesting,but doesn't the goo sealant clog up the sensor??

[davenowherejones]

I suspect the manager thinks the Forza is a low speed machine.

I have the FOBO system also. I am not sure if it is a balancing issue.

I had a badly done balance job one time. It was awful. I have started using Ride-On tire sealer as a balancer. I add a few extra ounces as directed. No flats and a smooth ride.

That's interesting,but doesn't the goo sealant clog up the sensor??

No, the Ride-On is in the tire and the sensor is in the rim, centrifugal force is throwing the sealant out away from the sensor. Even when stopped it does not clog up the sensor.

[Atis]

My scooter came with weights on the rear wheel from the factory so I'm guessing yes.

[easyrider]

I suspect the manager thinks the Forza is a low speed machine.

I have the FOBO system also. I am not sure if it is a balancing issue.

I had a badly done balance job one time. It was awful. I have started using Ride-On tire sealer as a balancer. I add a few extra ounces as directed. No flats and a smooth ride.

That's interesting,but doesn't the goo sealant clog up the sensor??

No, the Ride-On is in the tire and the sensor is in the rim, centrifugal force is throwing the sealant out away from the sensor. Even when stopped it does not clog up the sensor.

I read that they make two different formulas..One for scooters and one for motorcycles.. On the Forza I would think the motorcycle formula would be the one to use based on its capability of exceeding 60 mph. 8 oz per tire ?? correct ?

[davenowherejones]

I am using 6 oz in the 120/70-14 front + 2 oz for balancing. Should be 25% more but close enough. In the 150/70-13 rear I have 8 oz + 3 oz for balancing. It is hard to measure and squeeze the stuff in precisely. Some gets left in the bottle. The stuff is like a thicker yogurt.

I did not know that there is a scooter formula. I wonder what the difference is?

[easyrider]

I am using 6 oz in the 120/70-14 front + 2 oz for balancing. Should be 25% more but close enough. In the 150/70-13 rear I have 8 oz + 3 oz for balancing. It is hard to measure and squeeze the stuff in precisely. Some gets left in the bottle. The stuff is like a thicker yogurt.

I did not know that there is a scooter formula. I wonder what the difference is?

https://www.ride-onshop.com/Products-Mo ... opeds.html

[davenowherejones]

I definitely go faster than 60 mph. Motorcycle stuff is the right one then. Good.

[mhdgraphics]

I bought some Dynabeads for my next tire change...
Has anyone used them?

[davenowherejones]

I bought some Dynabeads for my next tire change...
Has anyone used them?

I have not used Dynabeads but I have used a similar product called Ride-On which is also supposed to be a tire sealant in case you get a nail. No flats but maybe I wouldn't have had one anyway.

I am not sure if the product is any good but I use it anyway. Tire life seems about the same. Too many variables.

[Mel46]

Hmmm... I took my wife's pcx out a couple of days ago and it ran great, except that the front picked up a vibration at between 65 and 70 mph. If this is not normal, I wonder if I need to get the tire balanced. I know that the bike in original condition should top out at around 64 mph, so the added speed could be something not figured into the original set up. Should I get it taken care of or not worry about it?

[davenowherejones]

Hmmm... I took my wife's pcx out a couple of days ago and it ran great, except that the front picked up a vibration at between 65 and 70 mph. If this is not normal, I wonder if I need to get the tire balanced. I know that the bike in original condition should top out at around 64 mph, so the added speed could be something not figured into the original set up. Should I get it taken care of or not worry about it?

One of the reasons I decided to try the Ride-On tire balancer is that several people have balanced my tires wrong.

One guy was being supervised by an older guy and he put the weight 180 degrees in the wrong spot. It was crap until the older guy told him his mistake.

I had another guy do a really crappy balancing job. I made him take the wheel off and do it again.

The Ride-On is supposed to stay semi-fluid and balance the tire continually. Not sure if it really works.