Tiger 800XC Tubeless Converts?

For those of you who have converted your rear wheel to tubeless, how has it worked out for you? Pros, cons, leakage issues? Is 3M 5200 fast cure THE sealant to use in this application? Any pointers and input is appreciated.

Yeah. What he said

Bump. So far, two inmates have contacted me with positive tubeless Tiger results.

What have they used for the conversion?

3m 5200 sealant, but I am leaning towards the fast cure 5200.

Here's a few requested pics from the process with 3M 5200 sealant. Good prep, vinyl tape over the spoke heads, about 1/8" of sealant and a tubeless valve stem. There's not a lot of skill involved, just follow the directions on your sealant of choice.

10k problem free miles and several tire changes on this rear tire 800XC setup. Thinking seriously about doing the front. Some advise against it due to the rapid rate the front might deflate and not having "tubeless lips" on the front rim.

I've had a front puncture with a tube as well as tubeless. I can attest to the fact the front can go down quickly in either case so I may give it a go in the near future.

What about that liquid rubber in a rattle can that we've all seen on TV with the boat with a screen door bottom?

Totally didn't work for me. Did the prep, did the sealant, 1 psi a minute leak after I was done. Took the tire off. The 5200 didn't adhere at all. It all pulled out in one big strip of 5200. It never sealed the rim completely and never adhered to the rim. I should have trusted my gut feeling and just used the pro seal we use in aviation. Maybe with some better prep it would have worked better, but in my experience, I wouldn't recommend the 5200. Back to tubes for me. Maybe a winter project to try it with pro seal.

Some have had great success with this. I would highly recommend taping along the safety lip of the rim. That's the point of contact where the scraper is touching the rim in the above pic. Tape off anywhere you don't want this stuff! It's a bitch to clean.

I'll admit where I probably screwed up. I prepped with Mineral Spirits. Then I realized that leaves a residue. Cleaned the mineral spirits with MEK. Thought I had it all off. Guess not. But it didn't stick ANYWHERE! So I wonder...

this is an option up front

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/9/203/28640/ITEM/Neutech-The-TUbliss-Core.aspx

I'm surprised it didn't stick. That stuff was the defacto sealent in the marine world and stuck to anything.

Nope. A couple months back, I asked about using Tubliss on a KTM LC4 640 E and possible road use. This is the reply to my question from Jeff Douglass @ Tubliss:

The short answer is that TUbliss is for off-road use only. It is NOT dot and we have NOT tested for on-road use. Also we don't want to incur the liability that comes with on-road use. AND = I also believe that standard tubes are NOT safe for on-road use, so I'm also trying to stay consistent with my beliefs!


With all this being said, please also know that we ARE working on a different product that accomplishes what TUbliss does that will be for on-road use. However this is at least 6-9 months away still.

send it to woddys and be done with it.

For those of you that are having success with the tubeless sealing, does it make tire changes any harder? You're loosing a good chunk of your drop center to sealant?

Have not tried it but OUTEX Tubless kit seems popular.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikKeVNBAmQQ

Tire changes- no more difficult than before. The thickness of the sealant is approx. 1/8" (3mm) so it doesn't have a dramatic effect on pulling that bead over the rim for removal/installation.

BTW: 13,780 miles and counting on seal job...no problems.

Gonna start doing a little research on a front seal job. There seems to be two camps on doing the front.

I wonder why that "tape" costs > $143 bucks? Must be something special.

My tube of 3M 5200 was $11.00 at Home Depot. Enough for two wheels.

i will be sending mine to Woody's in a couple weeks. I'm going to have them do it and super lace.

14k miles and 3 tire changes (I don't get a lot of miles out of a rear tire and I don't run then to the cord).

A little dirty but none the worse for wear....

I personally would be leery of doing this.

The metal in the wheels will contract/expand due to temperature changes. The sealant is flexible but after 100's of cycles who knows?

The wheels are subject to some pretty high temperatures during the summer at high speeds. Will the sealant break down in those temperatures over a period of time?

Highway speeds must exert considerable centrifugal force to pull the sealant outward and away from the rim.. Just one small break in the bond might result in the whole strip being pulled from the wheel.

I have used this product in the past and it is terrific for it's intended use-sealing things on boats. But it was not formulated to use in this environment.

Just my .02

Some riders don't ride in the rain. Some don't use "auto" oil in their bikes, and some follow the manufacturers' recommendations for break-in to the letter....others don't. Guess I'll be the test pilot on this one (wait a minute, oh yeah, thousands have successfully done it before me).

Definitely a choice you alone can make.