[chainsaw]

Hi guys- I bought two new tires and tubes, tw203 front and tw204 rear (I believe these are the right model numbers) and can't get the front to balance. I've had them balanced at three different places, one being a dealer, and I desperately need y'all's help. The front feels fine up to about 45 mph, which is when I shift into fifth gear. From that speed up to about 55, there is a noticeable rumble and hopping coming from the front tire. After that, the vibration disappears. I have "highway gearing"-15 teeth on front, 48 on back. I've checked all the spokes, had the tubes replaced three times, did a visual inspection of the rim, did a teardown of the front axle assembly, and tried a number of different psi settings. The bike has never been wrecked or mishandled. One note of interest is that I had the same sprockets and chain when I had the OEM tires on (the fat knobbies) and did not experience any wheel problems. I did replace the front pads when I had the tires installed, so I'm thinking that may or may not be a factor. I'm wondering now if it's really a balance issue-maybe it's a rim that's out of round just enough to cause the trouble. If anybody has any words of wisdom-please, tell me what could be wrong. I'm thinking about selling these tires and going back to the knobbies.



Thanks in advance for your help.

Thom

 

[elime]

Look very closely where the tire and the rim meet and makes sure the tire is seated exactly the same for 360 degrees. Do this on both sides.



I balance my own tires by running the axle through the wheel and putting both ends on boxes. The heavy part goes to the bottom and I add weight to the top. Really easy and works well. You might be able to do this on the bike itself if you remove the disc brakes. I have drum brakes and they drag a teeny bit and a teeny bit is to much.

 

[qwerty]

Sounds like an out-of-round problem to me.

 

[chainsaw]

That's what I'm starting to think, too. I stumbled over a site that covers spokes-relacing, truing, smoothing out bumps, etc. I'll have to wait a day or so though, believe it or not, it's freezing outside and snow is falling right now. May not seem like a big deal to some guys in the forum, but I live real close to Mobile, AL. When it does snow-which ain't much at all, everything shuts down because folks down here have no idea how to drive in it. I'll let ya know how the spoke job goes. BTW-does anyone have a step-by-step guide on replacing the cylinder head base gasket. I plan to do it myself.



Thanks and Merry Christmas,

THom

 

[qwerty]

Before taking anything apart wrap a coat hanger around a fork tube and use the end for a pointer. Raise the front end and spin the tire--the end of the coat hanger will clearly show any out-of-round. you could have a bent rim or a bad tire. Figure out the problem before applying any corrections. It could be as simple as dirt corrosion on the rim preventing the bead from seating properly, or it could be a bad wheel bearing.