Motorcycle Tire Balance : Myths Busted

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In this video I show you the proper technique to EASILY check or balance your motorcycle tires with the use of GRAVITY.
There are also a few popular topics when it comes to balancing a tire and the symptoms some riders face on their bikes when it comes to handlebar shake.
These are myths.....that we need to bust.
ENJOY!
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[@nemesisxrox6773]

One thing I found thru time - placing the tire dot at the stem is a 'no no' IF you're not running a tube in the tire. Always best to ck the wheel itself - put it on the balancer - mark the heavy spot - put the tire dot where that is. Normally less weights would b now used once final balanced with tire mounted. Good Vid !

[@jimw7916]

info starts at about 50% through!

[@timsilva1944]

Caveman style! I just use two jack stands as a support and a steel rod through the axle. I'm able to balance my dual sport wheels with rim locks just fine. I generally don't ride pavement past 70 mph anyway.

[@gunracr]

Ive ridden with guys that have handling complaints. None of which could even tell me what their cold/hot tire pressures are. " whatever it was when i bought it".. blows my mind to hear that. I know at that point of the conversation of me asking if they've set sag, compression, rebound, etc is pointless. Something as simple as body position can create uncomfortable outputs for your input. Start with knowing your tires psi before every ride and that can differ on seasonal road temps, riding style and 1up/2up whatever the case may be. If you've never had the pleasure of riding a motorcycle that has proper suspension set-up for your body weight and bikes purpose your cheating yourself. The immediate side benefit is that now the bike fits you its a safer experience. Your bike will recover quicker, stay planted and go where you want it to especially when that needs to happen now.

[@dangalli1]

Very nice! I recently bought a Rabaconda street bike tire changer and a Black Widow wheel balancer. My front tire is getting close to needing a change. I'm actually looking forward to changing my own tire and balancing it. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@rc51cbrguy]

Best balance video I have seen.

[@John_Ridley]

The last two sets of Shinkos I got were dead on balanced just putting them on the rims. I couldn't believe it, messed with the balancer a bunch for both front and rear and couldn't find a heavy spot. Put them on and they ride beautifully.

[@chrisstokley7687]

my front shinko suk arss. sooo hvy at the opposite the valve stem! i lined up the dot! wish i went 180 to see if better!

[@jbroadbelt6]

Shinkos only.lasted me 2500 miles. They were garbage

[@John_Ridley]

@@jbroadbelt6 Mine lasted about 8000. But I'm a very slow rider.

[@macxpert3588]

Good tip about cheap tyres, a lot of people forget about that. Back in 2008 my son bought a cheap Chinese knock off bike for his first bike. He came home and said the front end shakes really badly. I took it around the block and it seemed fine. Then he had to admit that it only shook at highway speeds over 80 KPH (50 MPH) after I scolded him for riding that fast on his learner licence I put the wheel on the balancer and it was out by a lot. The brand new cheap Chinese tyre fitted at the factory needed a lot of weight to balance it but once it was done the shaking stopped. Never had much weight (if any) added to my Honda Fury wheels but then the Fury has only had Dunlop and Metzeler tyres, so supports your point about tyre quality.

[@kmoecub]

A lot of tire manufacturers don't even put dots on their tires anymore, and those that do don't always use it to mark the light spot.

[@stevesvids]

Hey Cody I had terrible vibrations on the front of my Husqvarna dirt bike. On the dirt it was not noticeable but riding tarmac the bike shook like mad. I sussed it was the tyre clamp making a heavy weight spot on the wheel. I guessed roughly how much the tyre clamp weighed and made myself a Lead Weight which I wound around a spoke on the opposite side of the tyre clamp. I then lock wired it and taped around it for extra durability. I guessed it pretty much spot on and the mad vibrations vanished. I felt so proud 😄👍👍👍 Smooth as silk now. 🙂👍👋

[@TheMotorcycleMD]

Good fix brother!

[@Wabbit1961]

Just had a new set of tires mounted at the dealership. Front end shake. A ton of weights on the front tire. Tech took the tire off and re-balanced it and said it's not shaking at 65-70mph. Not true. And it was shaking still at low speed. Lead mechanic took the wheel off and checked the balance. It was fine. He then took it off the wheel and rotated it 180 degree and re-balanced the tire with a lot fewer weights. Shake is gone. While the tire was off the mechanic also checked the wheel bearings and steering head bearing. The bike has 16k miles on it. Nothing was wrong. Normally I use Ride-On and I have never had this problem. But I've also never had that problem in the 40 years plus I've been a rider when using tire weights. I suspect maybe an imbalance in the tire itself.

[@StreetMotoZ]

Nice video! Thanks for sharing as I am a do-it-yourself mechanic. Thumbs 👍

[@rickconstant6106]

I balanced the front wheel of my GS550, after repairing a puncture, without using a special jig. I installed the wheel back in the forks, and did the static balancing before refitting the brake calipers (I'd got some stick-on weights from a friend who runs a tyre shop). After adding 30gm of weight to the lightest point, it runs perfectly.

[@murraykriner9425]

A couple of bike forum's I regularly follow have brought to the fore this exact argument just recently, with many expecting as you suggest, it being the fault of their maintenance person. The tire manufacturer, the present state of the rim, or all the components making up the front end of the bike are rarely questioned, yet the finger pointing all gravitates towards the fella who mounted the tire on the wheel, and not the factors you clearly mention here. Thanks. I won't relay your saged advice, since it's futile to argue with anyone who's convinced their woes are someone else's fault.

[@jeffclarke5497]

Thanks much! Your efforts are much appreciated!

[@RogerDiotte]

THANKS for this video~!

[@robertoalvarez5281]

Awesome video!! Thank you for showing us how to do this properly.

[@blackhawkhockey]

Excellent video!

[@hustle5150]

Need to go buy one. Thanks for the vid...SUBSCRIBED

[@geraldwest3428]

Excellent info, thanks man....subscribed.

[@reubinthornton]

Simple and accurate description of what I refer to as "static balancing". As a shade tree mechanic that's been mounting/balancing my own tires for over 15 years this method works 100% of the time. Only thing I'll add is I use an assortment of "test weights" (old weights with double sided tape) to determine the correct amount/location for weights. Once I know how many/where to place the weights I remove/replace the test weights with new weights,

[@albertpoon4356]

Thanks for good instruction and content

[@robortkristensen3818]

Great video. Thanks

[@maybenobody1986]

You pretty much answered all my questions in this one video

[@jefftaylor947]

As always - you don't disappoint, sir. Literally ordering tires and tools in the next couple of weeks. For my 99 Magna. 😎

[@stevenbrite4056]

Thank you for showing me this

[@Jonhenrysneip]

Very good info, thanks 👍

[@scottjones5455]

Really appreciate this video. My 1992 Honda ST 1100 came with a heavily weighted Avon on the front. I get serious handlebar wobble above 85 mph. This looks like a great place to start. Hope balancing the wheel will solve the problem, if not next stop will be bearings.

[@joeybobbie1]

Hi, I just installed a new Rear Tire on my GS. I just got the Stand I ordered from Harbor Freight that’s just like yours. Just wanted to check again how to do it, and this Video was the Ticket. Thanks for making the Video. Just Subscribed and look forward to more.👍👍

[@martinhauk1852]

The only difference in my balancing technique is that I don't turn the wheel 90* and stop it. I give it a few slow spins, (not enough to make a full rotation), and check that it stops on it's own at a different position each time. Nothing wrong with the way he does it. I just use a different technique. I also frequently use tape on weights. While trying them on for position and weight I tape them on with cellophane tape until I get them positioned where I want them. Then I remove the backing on the weight and apply them permanently.

[@AICD1999]

Lol, thought you said Neutered riding. Noice info. I should send more beer.

[@pvanwienen]

i always find the heavy spot on the wheel without tire and mark it then when i install the tire i put the dot on the tire to the mark on the wheel most times requires hardly any weight at all !

[@cj599]

Same here i have a automotive wheel balancer with motorcycle adapter and i also mark the lightest before mounting honda has been doing that for a while too with a chalk mark

[@pvanwienen]

excellent and imformative !

[@joeculver43]

Great information I’m now subscribed to the channel my son and may have more questions in the future 👍keep on w the videos

[@emmettturner9452]

I went through a few sets as the original owner on my bike and the handlebar shaking always starts when I’m somewhere between a third and a half of the tread life remaining… and only when I take my hands off. That’s because we drive on the right making left turns consistently longer, wearing down the left side first. The difference makes it shake but a single finger on the bars will stop it.

[@justmyself1000]

Good info.! A couple of factors which could make a bike not feel like it is tracking properly.....Road condition (some roads are not perfectly flat.) And even the wind....I once checked everything before I knew better (chasing my tail) and if I road in the opposite direction with the wind coming to me differently...it changed the way the bike road slightly...

[@davideulivieri5138]

Nicely done!

[@dooglasimoto]

Love love love your work 👍🏼👍🏼

[@walentiner]

Hi TMMD, Danish fan here. Bought the exact same wheel balancing stand as in your video. Found that the rollers were completely off center and useless and made the balancing a guessing game. The fix was to change the bearings from 22mm. to 30mm. ( so the axel don’t fall through between the bearings). Now it works perfectly. Just a tip.. Walentiner from Denmark

[@nickaxe771]

I found the same.....its a worry that there must be many 1000s of riders trust the std rig with out questioning it. I found my wheel axles to be 100% true.....and long enough to use on the same bargain ballance rig.....after I moved the arms in a bit.....can get it to 5gram now....fully repeatable no matter where I position the axle. I just needed to make a stopper so the wheel would not run on its own bearings...which with internal seals is a bit draggy.

[@bakerbrook1]

Nice and simple!

[@rogereastman3187]

Seems like a good guy, and great channel to have ...👍

[@tonyhammer3588]

New subscriber. Great video. Thanks.

[@BillySBC]

Mis-balanced tires will generally mess with your wheel bearings, steering head bearings, swing arm bearings... because it will transfer that vibration through to these areas. As far as the bike not tracking straight, that can be front fork springs or fork bend or frame bent in some way or even mis-aligned rear wheel.

[@romey-o8934]

Great vid man!

[@andrewwasson6153]

Nice tutorial. Thanks for that. I’ve known the idea behind gravity balancing but the video really shows how simple it is with the right tools and approach. At “rant initiated”, everything you mentioned from steering bearings (and tension) to suspension components and tire balance are what I go through before I even swing a leg over the bike. I don’t ride with my hands off the bars. I ride often with one hand on the bars if I’m cruising but if I take both hands off the bars I expect zero head shake or wobble or vibration. If I get some head shake with hands off the bars I’m definitely going to get some with both hands on the bars under heaven acceleration or between shifts under heavy acceleration. Most of the time I’ve found it to be too much rear shock preload or that the headstock bolt is too tight.

[@Kamino2009]

There are a lot of issues with tire wheel balance, head bearings might be too tight, not enough oil in either forks discbrakes not aligned or maybe deformat wheel bearings, false tyre pressure and so on.

[@bryanalba7260]

Thanks my guy!

[@gaildimick1831]

Perfect. Thanks

[@nathanmciver6496]

Excellent! Jack stands would be a way of saving money! Really good way to explain this to people, amazing! I would really like to know if this solves both tire wobble and balance! I'm guessing it could, that would be nice! Either way this makes the tire better

[@turbolag5107]

This confirms a lot of what I already knew but one of the things I like to do is give the wheel a little light spin and then let it rest wherever it stops and then I'll do the 90° verification before I start adding weight unless it rocks back and forth then that's a pretty good indicator that's the heavy spot

[@keeperlit.leterrip7722]

I would suggest leaving the old weights in place upon first attempt to balance. You may just get lucky and not have to remove or add any weight at all or you may just have to remove some of them.

[@markhausknecht6061]

I liked the rant, and the rest of the vid too.

[@Myrune1]

Nice video. Subscribed.

[@kawabungah20]

Nice video. I learned a lot. Question: For balancing spoked wheels, should I use the pinch-on (on the spoke or nipple) instead of the stick-on weights (on the rim)? Or does it really matter? Thank you!

[@trustdre]

Great! Thanks

[@rustysancho]

The coolest looking bike wheel...Honda Magna!

[@DiogenesOG]

I find Shinkos to be decent tires for the price but yea, 2-3 oz of weights have been needed at times. Also, the valve stem section of a rim isn't necessarily the heaviest so you need to find that before positioning the balance dot.

[@kdsowen2882]

Great demonstration , I made a very-similar balance-device (used drawer-runner-wheels) simple things like-this are too-expensive in my country (NZ) Dave

[@AhmedShafi]

Good stuff !!!

[@jamescampolo7824]

One nightmare I had with a tire shop. First they put the tire on with the wrong rotation direction. I went to pick up the wheel and there were NO weights on the wheel. I asked if they balanced it and they said NO. WTF? $50 and I had to correct their uselessness. They are out of business after a year. This was a non affiliated shop. I have a Valkyrie and the time before I took the wheels to a Harley shop and was happy. Oh, and never let them talk you into "bead balancing", that is total BS.

[@geofferyrobertson6608]

good info

[@PaydayGabeBCNV]

The dealership that I source my tires from (RideNow Vegas)offer free mounting and balancing w/the purchase 👍. They began using balancing beads exclusively last year. They claim,, due to the extreme heat out here, the desert S.W., stick on weights "Could" loosen, shift position or fall off 🤷‍♂️. Obviously the beads eliminate that possibility. I'm running Shinko 705's on my Yamaha Super Tenere w/the beads, and love ❤️ them. A bit buzzy at low speed,, but excellent longevity and a great price. What's your thoughts on the Beads??

[@abdulmuhaiminabdullah6965]

I have found a great mechanic that is sincere and genuine!! I wish that you’re in my country to be my mechanic as you know nowadays most mechanic they’re not genuine just wanna suck some customers money that’s bad

[@Fake-moon-landing.]

Nobody is saying ride around with no hands, but it's a good indication that something's up. Bikes want to stand up and ride straight.

[@FREE_PUREBLOOD333]

Another great informative video. Loving all your vids n bulk watching all the playlists. My eldest son just in process of buying an old vf1100 that's had a trike job done to it. The trikes been stood outside for at least a year so il be helping him clean everything out n servicing it prior to start up. I will be using your tips n tricks n expert honda knowledge to help along the way. All the best to you from one of your British subscribers.🇬🇧

[@randybard224]

I use that same exact balancer But what I do is I take some old weights and stick them on with masking tape till I find the right weight then stick the new weights on You could do the same with the new weights also Before you stick them on

[@ronb1250]

Thanks

[@MRR-qv3bw]

Not going to lie man I've been catching H🔥LL keeping my rear carbon fiber rims balanced! Ill get it perfect and then it gradually starts going out of balance. Running a Dunlop DragMax 8out of 10 tires don't need balancing and zero out until I make a couple passes and then I have to really keep my eye on it. Awesome job on the video👍👍👍

[@CraftwerksMC]

I've been tempted to just go with mounting using the balance dot and then start to use the balance beads but I have not profressed to that point and I have a local guy that only charges about 25 bucks for mount and balance and he has yet to let me down.

[@elvisqpublic]

Good video all around. I like gravity.

[@opichocal]

This year I started experimenting with balancing beads. On my Goldwing front tire I used an ounce of BBs. 10,000 miles and it’s perfectly smooth and Tire is wearing very evenly. Two weeks ago I put a car tire on my Burgman 650 tried Dyna balancing beads. 3 ounces,1000 miles and it’s perfect!

[@TheMotorcycleMD]

Nice!

[@opichocal]

@@TheMotorcycleMD update on the BBs in my front tire. Tire wore perfectly even after 18k miles. The only minor issue is I could see dimples inside the tire where the BBs would sit over and over. Not something I would say causes damage to the tire but I’m going to use balancing beads from now on. One more minor issue with the glass beads is they are so small I’ve had them get stuck in the valve stem when checking tire pressure once. I just put the air chuck to the stem for a second and it sealed immediately. 👍

[@TheMotorcycleMD]

@@opichocal Thanks for taking the time to update your experience with the beads! Did you get through a full wear life on the tire? That’s great to hear!

[@opichocal]

@@TheMotorcycleMD yes. I ran a Bridgestone 709 down to slick on the sides. The middle had some rubber left but I don’t like seeing the cords on the front. My goldwing Rear is another story and that’s why I went darkside 😁

[@davidfellows6250]

you forgot swing arm position/ alignment and engine alignment.getting your bike to track straight is fun and expensive.. but in my opinion worth it.

[@888jimmy]

Brilliant! Bust the myths and call upon some good ole fashion common sense. 👍😎

[@backyardr.c.channel4732]

Having a hard time finding those center weights you are using do you have a link for them?

[@1Down5UpOfficial]

I have a gsxr 600 and my rear wheel weights fell off and it feels like if my chain was loose rps kinda bouncing but my chain is fine I tright to adjust is and the bolt was on there extremely tight and couldn't even get the wheel nut off with my bear hands and a wrench there's definitely something up with the rear wheel then right? Everything seems and looks find but I know if one little thing is off it could change alot.

[@jaymartin5434]

Just did my front tire same way nice and smooth

[@paulojrg]

In my bikes I balance the rims and then add some Dyna Beads after the tires are installed.

[@oldman8141]

What are your thoughts on the balance beads

[@donaldrogers3162]

Hey, thats a magna wheel! Just mounted mine a few days ago on my 97.😁

[@torevenheim9607]

Make sure bearings on balancer rotate freely, seems your wheel moved a little in one spot you set it, where the wheel start rotate to it stop, it shoud go half way back to posission for balancing

[@blipco5]

You are a brave man using a socket wrench on those set screws. I have the same balancer and my set screws were made out of butter. The heads stripped barely using any pressure on the springy Allen wrench they supplied.. also made out of butter. I bought new set screws which have held up fine. Balancing tires is a very satisfying, mind calming exercise after the sometimes violence which happens dismounting/mounting them. For me anyways.

[@TheMotorcycleMD]

Haha honestly I plan on just grabbing a new set of centering bits and getting some with some wing nuts. So much easier

[@panagoskakatosis5314]

after long time drive and the tire start be not new ,will need again this jop???or only one time wehn is new?? i mean maybe balance change after some kilimeters ??????

[@scottloftin1730]

Where can I get that adjusted axle? Thanks

[@cj599]

Most shaking is due to cupping and alot of the time the cupping is from too low of front tire pressure vs weight of rider and also hard braking

[@TheMotorcycleMD]

I agree 100%!

[@wernerxldata]

How about wider rear wheels, shouldn’t they be balanced left and right like a car wheel ? Not sure about this because car and motorcycle wheels are mounted completely different of course.

[@kevinnielsen1356]

Ceramic balancing beads work very well. They are used in aircraft tires.

[@racedaywithjay4488]

Do you have an affiliate link for the weights you like to use?

[@mikedunn2022]

Centramatic wheel balancers 🤙

[@mcrande]

My '14 CTX1300 starts to shake at 45 with my hands off the bars I have 7800 miles on it. I'm guessing that the headstock nut is not torqued down right I don't have the right sized sock to to check it once I do I hope it goes away.

[@adventureguy4119]

I had a shinko 705 at 22psi so wobble couldn’t hardly hand onto it when riding aired it up to 26 -30 Next to no wobble if any what gives ?

[@edbowden6000]

Damn im early! Old timer said i didn't need to balance my tires. Front and rear both took 2oz

[@perrycalabrese3475]

Handlebar shake or wobble is almost always caused by the front tire pressure too low especially on heavier bikes. Check the simple stuff first.

[@daves6373]

What is your opinion on using the balancing beads that are poured in side the tire?

[@Big_John_C]

Dyna beads work great! We run them in our 3 bikes and have no vibration issues at any speeds.

[@willleavitt7156]

It’s almost always weight transfer. Preload the front or soften the rear.

[@jrgerman9231]

I had a tire on the front cause horrible bar slapping put on warp9’s and new Rossi tires I have zero bar vibration and no tank slap now

[@BigKahuna_outdoors]

Mine would shake when I removed my hands thru some investigation it was the neck bearings. Got them replaced smoother no hand operation. I don't make that normal practice and understand that my hands should be on the handlebars.

[@kaosbc]

my kendas didn't even have a dot and when i installed them i had no balance issues

[@jesusacovarrubias1390]

What’s your opinion on using balance beads? Have you experimented on the use of them or are you just stating an opinion?

[@johnnysechrist6313]

When I find big weight needed on rims you may have to spin tire on the rim to use smaller weights. This 70 yr old tech just retired and sold my shop. Maybe soon a computer balancing machine will be on the market...time is $.

[@jerryfarmer5989]

What I'm wondering is how far down should the wheels be stripped? I mean rotors and sprocket. Should they be on?

[@williamfoster4268]

Keep those things on the wheel, now with that being said they won't make much of an impact if they are off or on but it's easier to leave them on.