Let me start off by saying I found a place, finally. But I have called 10 different places to get my new heidenau's mounted and every place either says they can't mount tires I bought for insurance reasons or they are not interested in mounting them on a BMW or a brand they haven't heard of. :huh Yes I have heard the sidewalls are stiff on these things but really? Thus ends my rant. On a side note since I am taking the wheels in myself should I take off the front rotors or am I ok to leave them on?
The jury is still out on the k60's, I think that's why people are uneasy about mounting them for you. You can leave the front rotors on, not an issue when mounting tires.
I change the Heidenaus myself, just try to lay them in the sun for a few hours first to soften the rubber. I leave the rotors on when I change my tires, just put a towel under it. Mix a little Dawn dish soap with some water and spray liberally, it will make the job easier, removing and installing.
Most dealer/indy shops won't mount tires you bought from somewhere else. It has nothing to do with brand or style. They don't make anything on the tire sale and would need to charge to much to mount and balance them to get the profit margin back. It's all about the, Benjamin's
+1; I once even got a lecture as to how "I was screwing over their shop for even asking". Needless to say, I don't do business there any longer...
Dang! mounting tires isn't that tough. I have four of those 6-8" cheap tire irons and some dish soap, changed every tire i ever bought (unless they did it free). I did learn something new today tho! set them in the sun for a while to soften them up. good tip there!!
I also do my own tire changes. When they arrive at the house, they get stored inside until I'm ready to mount them.
I have a friend do that, he has a bubble balancer. That said, I used to use my axle clamped in a vice. BUT before my friend had an adapter made i never balanced the rear on my 1200's. GS spoke wheels ain't round any-who. I know lots of guys that NEVER balance their tires.
Very, if you ride over 35 MPH. You can buy a wheel balancer for about 129 bucks. Be advised, you need a automotive balancer to balance BMW rear wheels with the large diameter hole. Most static balancers are axle type and rely on small cones to align the wheel. Here's some info and a video. http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-wheels/balancer/tachyon-wheel-tire-balancer/ I have the No-Mar wheel/tire changer. I bought just the base and blocks and built my own stand. It was a cheap solution, but I doubt he will sell only the base now. This was when he first started his business. You might ask if they would. Looks like No-Mar offers a static balancer with the adapter cones for the larger center hole on the GS/GSA & RT style wheels.
I have never balanced a tire in the 20 years I've been changing my own rubber. Sport bikes, adventure bikes, dirt bikes. I have however lately started throwing a handful of airsoft pellets in if it's a tubeless tire. Not sure it really makes any difference.
Some riders won't notice the difference. Once you know the difference, you'll always be able to tell if it's properly balanced My 2013 GSA has a front rim variation of less than the spec 1.7mm. I can feel it and will be working on getting a Woody's wheel to replace it. Then, I can send in the stocker for proper truing.
Since 90% of the roads near me are unpaved and the other 10% are heavily potholed or have huge frost heaves. It's hard for me to notice. Just in case I toss a couple ounces of DynaBeads in with each tire change and press on. Then there are those riders with really sensitive butts who feel the need to balance down to the nearest tenth of a gram. More power to em if it makes them happy. I have more than a few quirks of my own...
nother source for static balancing BMW Rear wheels....http://www.marcparnes.com/BMW_Motorcycle_Wheel_Balancer.htm they been around for twenty some years. I don't bother balancing tires, I rebalance the rim in the spring. tire tech has come a long way since the sixties and I have found few that were way out...I used three sets last year currently have a K60 rear waiting to be installed, it is fine for the GS. I do run 90, lots. Find an old Coates 220 tire machine, change your own without insurance issues
Yep! My S1000RR runs smooth and flat with a 1/10th to zero balance. I really notice it when on a trip. A bike with unbalanced tires will cause greater fatigue over a 3 day 1500 mile trip. A zero balance is pretty sweet once you experience it
i've been using that balancer forever. great design! just use 2 car stands as support. let the tire spin and the heavy point will go low. then on the high end attach some tape on wheel weights (clean the rim up real good first in that area with alcohol). start with 1 and rotate the tire 90 degrees and see what it does. if the heavy point goes to the bottom again then tape another weight on the opposite side of the rim in the same spot as the other. repeat by moving back and forth on the side of the rim attached and placing the weight next to the last keep even (front and back & repeat). eventually you get to the point the wheel does not spin back to the low spot but rather stopping at different places each spin. it's now static balanced. other options are dyna balance beads you put in the wheel and when it spins it balances each time. compensates for wearing tire and change in balance over time. http://www.innovativebalancing.com/motorcycle.htm
