TE630 Rear Tire Replacement

[CJBROWN]

Mine came with the Karoo 2 on the rear and the traveler on the front. Pretty sure I'm going to replace the front with a Pirelli Scorpion Rally for 50/50. They are cheap enough and get really good feedback from the advriders on big dirtbikes, 950/990's, etc.

A friend got a new 310 and replaced the original Karoos with a MT43 and a Bridgeston MX for the front. He traded his originals to me and I notice his rear karoo is the original karoo and is quite a bit more aggressive than the Karoo 2 I have. I'll run those rears 'till they're gone, they work well enough. Think I'll just sell off the two front Karoo's (T)'s as they're fine on road but not much good off. I think they fitted that front for noobs on the street so they don't slide out.

The Pirelli Pro Enduros look really good Shaun.

Anyone fitting rim locks?? I'm nervous running without them, but then niether end has spun.

The MT43 on the big bike is gonna be kinda squishy for road at any pressure. I suggest about 22-25 for on tar. Will also shred them offroad unless you ride mildly. I run one on my 250 and it's perfect, but it's about half the power. Does work good for trail riding though, definitely agree with that.

 

[johngil]

I installed these from Motion Pro. Hoping balancing will be easier due to the lighter weight.

http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/articles/view/662/motion_pro_liteloc_rim_locks/

 

[shoolsema]

I also bought the Motion Pro rim locks and a set of wheel weights. I can't handle 22psi on the dirt. And its nice to be able to ride for a while on a flat tire if u need to.

 

[CJBROWN]

Did a bunch of online research last night on balancing DS tires with rim locks.

The consensus is that a balanced tire on a motorcycle going over 60mph is a REALLy good idea. There are handling and wear issues otherwise. One guy said his tire bounced all they way off the road it was so far out of balance. The consensus is also that rim locks are a really good idea for more aggressive knobby tires used off road, and where air pressure drops below 20-22lbs. Otherwise you risk tire slip which is likely to pull the valve stem out. More than inconvenient when riding way out in the wilds.

One solution was to notch the bead area of the rim with a sharp chisel, angled for accellerating on the rear, and for braking on the front. Nice idea, but I'm not real keen on chewing up brand new $250 Excels and then still have the tire slip if it gets too low.

The new motion pro lightweight rim locks are one way to go. They're expensive, but save an ounce or so, more on the rear.

Some are using two rim locks across from each other to balance. Makes tire mounting a real biatch though. Two of the new lightweight rim locks for the rear is about $35. The old style ones would run about $16.

There are wheel weights that clamp onto the spokes. Another expensive option. You could easily spend $20-$40 per wheel buying enough weights to balance standard rim locks which weigh about 3.5 ounces for the rear. The problem is the rim locks weigh quite a bit no matter which, so it takes a lot of weight to counter balance them. Somebody else suggested wrapping silver-solder onto the spoke nipples and up the spoke 'till you get enough on there to balance the wheel. Yuk!

The very best solution I found and the one I'm going with (don't know why I didn't think of it!) is to balance the wheel with the rim lock before mounting the tire. Bend and mould tape weights into the rim groove inside, and then duct tape over them.

Do final balance after mounting with either tape weights or spoke weights. I'm going to bend the tape weights the other way for the outside so they'll mount between the spokes on the crown of the rim. They are too wide to go onto the rim flats, but will fit between the spokes just fine. Once the wheel is balanced it shouldn't take more than an ounce or so to finish balancing the whole assembly.

BTW, I have never used rim strips. I always just pull them off and throw them away. I use duct tape, rip about a third of a 2" roll to about 5/8's of an inch wide and go about four wraps around the rim groove over the spoke nipples, and then cut out holes for the stem and rim lock with a knife. It seals the spoke nipples and protects the tube from them, never slips or gets out of place, and makes mounting and getting the tube and rim lock in there WAY easier.

I have a Rally-Pro front tire coming, will do a write-up when I do all the mounting and balancing. Going to add rim locks to both ends and balance everything up.

 

[ContraHusky]

Yup...balance the rim with the lock, with duct tape and stick-on weights as rim-tape. Then it's easy to balance once the tire is on the wheel. I balanced a front/rear pair of 606/MT43 this way and did some 3-hr stretches at 70mph.

I did this after finding that using conventional balancing would have required 5oz of weight on the spokes or rim.

 

[johngil]

Good info on balancing the rim w/ the rim lock first. I'll give it a try.
I don't care for the duct tape in place of rim strips (did this for years) because I noticed the adhesive on the tape trapped water and corroded the end of the spoke/spoke nipples. It wasn't earth shattering, but bad enough to hamper my adjusting spoke tension.
I did find some Motion Pro tape that seems to not trap moisture and also not wear though like the cheapy rubber strips.

http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/articles/view/632/motion_pro_armor_rim_strip_tape/

By now I think maybe I should just apply for a job w/ Motion Pro.

 

[deepcdiver]

I also bought the Motion Pro rim locks and a set of wheel weights. I can't handle 22psi on the dirt. And its nice to be able to ride for a while on a flat tire if u need to.

Most ppl air down the trials tires to 10 PSI when they reach the dirt...I carry a mini Mt Bike hand pump, weighs nothing and is about 7" long.

Am thinking of going with the TuBliss system in the spring. Had a record 5 flats this year on the 610 in Baja. One was a nail, the rest were all pinch flats. Should lighten the unsprung weight a good deal too.

 

[shoolsema]

when i traded in my husaberg 550 last month i had one of those new DOT trials tires on the rear. i ran 8-10psi. i actually really liked that tire. smooth on the road. crazy traction unless it was really muddy.

threw the stock rear tire in the garbage last night (off my husky 630). put a Michelin AC10 on. i'm sure that will burn off fast, but still a few 120/90-18 dirt tires in the shed.

is that TuBliss system have the really tight sealing tube that seals off the spoke holes and lets u run tube free with a spoke rim. guess i could google it....

 

[deepcdiver]

is that TuBliss system have the really tight sealing tube that seals off the spoke holes and lets u run tube free with a spoke rim. guess i could google it....

Yes, much lighter than a HD or even stock tube, plus I believe it negates the need for rimlocks so is really MUCH lighter than normal tube+locks. They have been around awhile
now, I searched ThumperTalk before my Baja trip in Feb and everyone seemed happy with them, buti did not want to spend the bucks and try something new at the last moment.

 

[strongleftleg]

tubliss isnt a bad idea but its costly at $99 per wheel and its a pain to fix a flat on the trail since u have to
plug the tire itself.

 

[ghost man]

I ordered a Dunlop 908. Hopefully it will last longer than the 1100 miles my Karoo did.
They claim designed for heavier cycles. We will see.

 

[shoolsema]

tubliss isnt a bad idea but its costly at $99 per wheel and its a pain to fix a flat on the trail since u have to
plug the tire itself.

$200 to go tubless...ouch! Don't u just put a plug in the hole? Thought that was the selling point for tubless? Never get a pinch and a puncture takes 30 seconds to fix? i got a plug kit in my truck. works pretty slick...just push a wet noodle in the hole. most guys can do that...no?

 

[rajobigguy]

I ordered a Dunlop 908. Hopefully it will last longer than the 1100 miles my Karoo did.
They claim designed for heavier cycles. We will see.

Good luck with that 908 it may look aggressive but traction is practically nil, they are real heavy and suck up HP to turn them, they ride horrible on the road and God help you if you ever have to make a tire repair in the field because the side-walls are so stiff that it takes two elephants and a small boy to push them onto the rim.

 

[ContraHusky]

...just push a wet noodle in the hole. most guys can do that...no?

That, to me, is the principal benefit of tubliss. You can fix it in two minutes, hit it with a CO2 and you're on your way. Don't even need to remove the wheel. Carry a pump for backup, of course...

 

[johngil]

Curious to see how you like the 908. I think it's too much tire for the bike, but then again I've never tried one. I'm partial to the 606, but can't say it's the world's greatest tire.
Both tires are listed at 14 #'s. That surprised me.

 

[CJBROWN]

That, to me, is the principal benefit of tubliss. You can fix it in two minutes, hit it with a CO2 and you're on your way. Don't even need to remove the wheel. Carry a pump for backup, of course...

I have also heard it is highly suggested to carry a spare tube because if you puncture the tubliss you'll need a tube.

Good luck with that 908 it may look aggressive but traction is practically nil, they are real heavy and suck up HP to turn them, they ride horrible on the road and God help you if you ever have to make a tire repair in the field because the side-walls are so stiff that it takes two elephants and a small boy to push them onto the rim.

Have heard this from 950/990 riders on ADV - they seem to be universally hated. 606, MT21, or Mefos. Mich T10 and T63's get mentioned once in awhile, and Kenda Trackmasters.

 

[strongleftleg]

$200 to go tubless...ouch! Don't u just put a plug in the hole? Thought that was the selling point for tubless? Never get a pinch and a puncture takes 30 seconds to fix? i got a plug kit in my truck. works pretty slick...just push a wet noodle in the hole. most guys can do that...no?

From what I've heard plugs dont work very well in a offroad enviroment especially when your running low tire pressures. I don't have personal experience. If the price point was lower I'd give them a try, but for now I'll stick with the tried and true heavy-duty tube and rim lock.

 

[jhan]

I have Tubliss on my DRZ400S. Works well. It comes with a rim lock. You have to drill out the hole for the rim lock. It has a valve for filling the tire, so it's slightly larger than regular rim locks. That's the only down side, since once you drill out that hole, you are committed. The normal valve opening is used to fill the inner tube that prevents spokes from leaking air. The down side is you have two pressure to check per tire every time you go ridding. The inner tube have to be between 100-110 psi, and I normally run 10-15 psi on the tire. I can comfortably go about 60 mph on the highway at 10-15 psi on the tire. I read some where you shouldn't use a plug on 'tube' tires but who knows. I was told by one shop that you can't balance tires with rim lock because the amount of weight you need and CJBrown's suggestion wouldn't work with Tubliss, since the channel is used by the inner tube. I was able to get Chaparral to balance it, but they had to tape some weight on the rim on top of the clamped weights on the spokes. Still debating if I want to drill out the hole for the rim lock to put Tubliss on my 630. Decisions decisions...

 

[deepcdiver]

tubliss isnt a bad idea but its costly at $99 per wheel and its a pain to fix a flat on the trail since u have to
plug the tire itself.

Ya but in the long term, you won't be buying HD tubes every other tire ...and if you have to plug the tire itself you can always use a tube. Would not go without a 21" . Still, all the flats I have ever had but one were pinch flats. Not
gonna happen with nothing to pinch.

 

[rjdenya]

I used a product called Dyna Beads to balance my Pirelli MT-21's. My bike doesn't have rim locks and it really didn't have a balance issue with the stock Karoos. I read about Dyna Beads randomly online somewhere and they got good reviews. So, I bought them and installed the beads when I put the new tires on. They seem to work well so far and the tires are wearing even with no cupping. A starter kit with enough to do the front and rear tires (the beads go in the tubes) was $16.00.