Cast or Spoked Wheels.

[Andy m 23,508]

Martin, if you are using soda siphon canisters don't forget to replace them each year. I helped out a chap in Morocco who'd put six in and got 11 psi. They were the ones BMW put under his seat four years earlier and some a mate had loaned him for the trip (probably from an older BMW). Carbon dioxide molecules are small enough to slip through the metal given time.

 

We've done this thread before, but what lawyers call a temporary repair plug can be the life of the tyre, as can a well glued patch, but to get the patch on the tube you need the tyre off. Easy with a lubed Safety Mileage on a WM rim,  impossible with a factory fitted Skidmaster TL on a modern rim.

 

When I list possible bikes any with tubes get a black mark. I'm with Tex, if thats the only black mark you live with it. I changed my TL tyres (had to use a hacksaw) to TT ones to stand a chance at getting the tubes out with my fancy levers, but ultimately might have to try the gloop. Honda aren't going to pay Aprillias patent to get the BMW type, aren't going to mess about with bathroom sealant and probably can't name a lost sale due to the tyres, so don't hold your breath. 

 

Andy

[Tex 36,817]

Andy, that last sentence sums the situation up perfectly. We, ultimately, get not the machines we ask for, but the ones they want to sell us.

[wozza 967]

On 03/03/2018 at 16:05, Foxy said:

Not sure Stephen is right there, you can get tubeless spoked wheels.

Yep,  X-ADV for instance.

[stephenmcg 869]

This post from wow a surprised me.

in January, I was having a nosey in Honda dealers in Glasgow and saw x-adv for first time.

i am sure I made comment that it was not for me as it had tubed tyres, I was not corrected. In future I will. Not assume that all spoked wheels are tubed, though I suspect most are.

smcg in Glasgow 

[arengle 449]

18 hours ago, Andy m said:

Honda aren't going to pay Aprillias patent to get the BMW type

 

Crosstourer has spoked tubeless tyres, they look like the BMW one

[Slowboy 20,425]

The latest V-Stroms also have tubeless spoked rims.

[Tex 36,817]

12 minutes ago, slowboy said:

The latest V-Stroms also have tubeless spoked rims.

 

And quite right too. Tubes have no place on a high performance motorcycle.

[Rev Ken 6,331]

On 3/3/2018 at 16:52, Tex said:

Stephen is right about one thing. You only have to have had one ‘blowout’ on a tube type tyre and it will colour your view of them forever! 

 

I quite like the look of spokes - but they’re bloody heavy. Converting my Triumph from spokes to cast wheels saved me a whopping 14 lbs of unsprung and rotational mass.

Oh YES! (I had THREE blow outs on my VIncent in three months! The first was my front tyre while travelling at speed.... (now national limits in those days!) I heard a 'poof' and wondered what it was until I came to a bend when I had to haul the bike round. I started to slow down trying to work out what the problem was and realised my front tyre wasn't it's normal uniform shape. I decided applying my brakes would not be a good idea as it would throw weight on to it, so I let it roll with the intention of bailing out when the rim hit the road. I was only going at about 10mph when it did and I was happy to park it on the grass verge before stepping off. Just a couple of months later my rear tyre had a blow out. Of course I braked heavily with my front brake (twin brake drums!) thinking 'this won't be too hard'.... wrong! The wheel rim hit the road at a lot higher speed, and I was all over the place until once again I took to the grass verge and came off at I guess about 20-30mph. Surprisingly neither my bike nor I suffered much damage (no protective clothing except for gloves and helmet in those days). I fitted a new Dunlop tyre and just a few days later it too failed. Fortunately I wasn't going fast and managed to come to a stop without further damage. Only this time it was a failure of the carcass due to poor manufacture. Dunlop offered me a new tyre free of charge - I didn't take up their offer!

 

Tubeless tyres for me - they deflate in a far more controlled manner unless the failure is catastrophic.

 

Anyway, who wants to spend ages cleaning the d*mn things!

[Guest DelBoy]

Spoked wheels are pretty 

[Rev Ken 6,331]

23 hours ago, DelBoy said:

Spoked wheels are pretty 

I prefer 'spoked wheels are pretty.....awful'.....

[Guest DelBoy]

I am sure that your Vincent would look realy cool with cast wheels...NOT..

[Andy m 23,508]

I want to ride it and keep riding it after a puncture. If I wanted to look things I'd go on images or Flickr or buy a fashion magazine or something.

 

Why do you think it looks "cool"? I would assume its because someone told you and/or you are simply familiar with it? Fashion is just a constant refinement of specific features. Its like dog breeding, you start with an animal that can run 30 miles a day and kill a bull at the end of it and end up with a poor creature that can't breath well enough to walk to the end of the street.

 

Andy

[Tonyj 6,907]

Still not scared of tubes , don't know what's wrong with me . Are they cool or not 😆

[Mark8arker 527]

On 06/03/2018 at 13:12, suffolk58 said:

True Rocker, but the puncture repair kit I keep, with plugs and gas cylinders, should do a reasonable job to get me going again on my bike. To repair a tube, I'm not sure how to go about it. When I repair punctures on push bikes, I rest the bike upside down to get the wheel out. I'm not sure I could do that with a AT.

With centre stand fitted could you take the wheel off and repair  a puncher. On long trips have carried plugs and repair kits.

[stephenmcg 869]

Mark, a centre stand could allow you to take off back wheel. You would need to carry an axle stand, or have plenty of top box ballast to remove front wheel.

you would need better tools than in bike toolkit to get wheels off.

then you would need a few tyre levers to get tyre off rim.

you would save effort by carrying a spare tube rather than fixing puncture.

when I had transalp, there was lots of talk on all the kit some carried.

some had a section of upvc pipe with end caps fixed to bike.

all this assumes you do not get a puncture at speed and stop in one piece.

i was very lucky with my episode, I will not be wanting to experience it again.

we all take risks by riding bikes, this additional one is not for me.

smcg in Glasgow 

[Rev Ken 6,331]

1 hour ago, Tonyj said:

Still not scared of tubes , don't know what's wrong with me . Are they cool or not 😆

It's just they can cause a blow out whereas tubeless tyres are more likely to lose pressure less rapidly giving you time to stop before losing control. At least that is my experience after 3 blow outs, and several less frightening deflations of tubeless tyres.

[Tex 36,817]

1 hour ago, Tonyj said:

Still not scared of tubes , don't know what's wrong with me . Are they cool or not 😆

 

Ah, as Ken says, I f you’re not scared of tubes, then you haven’t experienced a ‘blow out’. I had one in1973 (it’s the only ride on that particular bike that was memorable). About 65-70 mph on a (thankfully) empty dual carriageway. The bike slewed to one side with such violence it threw my feet off the footrests, then the other way. It carried me onto the other carriageway wobbling violently. Had it been a two lane road with oncoming cars my story would have ended right there. I eventually got it to a halt and onto the hard shoulder.

 

The rear tyre had blown out and the (almost instantaneous) deflation had allowed the tyre to come off the correct part of the rim and drop into the well. It was too hot to touch. 

 

I took the wheel heel out and my mate gave me a lift to Don Barret’s Place in Redhill with it. Don put a new tube in and I went back and re-fitted it.

 

Brian (Slowboy) has a saying- “Fear makes the wolf look bigger”. Well, I’m here to tell you that the sodding wolf needs no enhancement. I have felt it’s teeth rip into my soft flesh  

 

Scoff all you like, but you won’t want to experience the same. I promise you that.

[Rev Ken 6,331]

23 hours ago, DelBoy said:

I am sure that your Vincent would look realy cool with cast wheels...NOT..

Point taken! But if it was designed to-day, I wonder........

[Tonyj 6,907]

scaredy cats 

[Trev 18,617]

11 hours ago, Tonyj said:

Still not scared of tubes , don't know what's wrong with me . Are they cool or not 😆

 

I'm getting more scared as the days go by, have double checked that axe I keep under the bed is still there in case they get loose during the night and team up with the rampant hoodies .... or are they not a thing anymore?

 

But now I hear they may be cool, excellent news, I need all the help I can get in that department and if proved to be so then I will look at what spoked wheels I can get for the GSXRs, tubed of course 

[Slowboy 20,425]

Just changed the tyres on the CRF250, they have to be tubed whatever (no beads). At least it was easy to do at home.

Good to know I'm still cool after all these years😎

And the C90's got spokes, how cool is that, I could be a cure for global warming at this rate.⛄️

Tubists, we scoff in the face of danger, we are the last warriors of ancient times, bravely riding from coffee shop to coffee shop. We were the future.....once (just the once)

 

Er..that's enough for now, now where are my pills.

 

[Tex 36,817]

Brian, mate, I would double up on the pills until the fever passes..  

[Tex 36,817]

Actually, serious question - why do tube type rims not have the safety bead that tubeless ones do?

 

They need it more, as I found out long ago. 

 

The lack of those beads wouldn’t stop me doing a tubeless conversion, a deflated tube does sod all to keep the tyre in place.

[DaveM59 1,605]

If they had the bead well and tubeless tyres had a bead you wouldn't be able to get the tube out without a bead breaker. If that was the case if the spokes were sealed you wouldn't need a tube.....back to tubeless 

[Tonyj 6,907]

Scoff scoff scoff. Still not scared . 😍But i am aware I may be eating humble pie in the future 😄. On the scale of things to be worried about 

Mmm now let me think re-infection in hospitals, global capitalism, Donald trump , Putin , Mr Korea 😀 . Junkers, corbyn. Now self driving cars , they've even managed to make them as shit as we are . We don't need more machines to run us over . We do that on our own 😀🚑