Not necessarily a CVO related question but, it is a question about motorcycle valve stems.
I have a friend with a 93 FXSTS with a custom billet front wheel. I have no idea who manufactured the wheel as it has no markings and was on the bike when purchased. The valve stem on the wheel is stepped down in diameter where it goes through the wheel. The hole in the wheel (where the stem goes in) is a smaller diameter than the part of the stem that is exposed on the wheel. The diameter of the outer portion is standard but, the actual amount of the stem exposed is short. If I install a standard length valve core the tire will not accept air because the core bottoms out and blocks air passage. The same issue exists with a short valve core if you push down too far with the air chuck. The problem here is that with the air hose under pressure you have to push the chuck down onto the stem/core with some force to get the air out of the hose. This causes the core to bottom out at the point where the stem steps down in diameter, resulting in no air flow. The workaround for this is to take a piece of tubing (about a quarter inch or less in length) the same diameter as the normal valve stem, put it on top of the stem and put the chuck on top of that. The tubing prevents the core from bottoming out in the stem, and you can pressurize the tire. This is a kludgey solution.
What I am looking for is a similar valve stem but with a longer outer stem. This would give me the length I need to prevent the core from bottoming out in the stem. The problem is, I can't find that type of stem for that wheel. Another solution is to add a coupling to the stem and attach another threaded tube (sort of a stem extension) and put the core in the extended portion, giving me the extra length need inside the stem for the core to open fully without bottoming out.
The last (and least desired) option is to drill the wheel boss so a standard stem can fit in it. Not sure how well the stem would seal against the wheel, and may have to go with a tube if I take this route.
What I'm asking is, does anyone know where I can find a longer stem with the same stepped down diameter? Does this type of stem have a different nomenclature? Due to the counter sunk boss on the wheel, I'd prefer a straight stem and not an angled one but, beggars can't be choosy.
The picture below shows a valve similar to the one on the Springer (the one on the left. The one on the right looks like a standard 8.3 mm one). I found this picture on the internet, on a sport bike forum, but there wasn't any useful information about a solution.
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Topic: Non-standard Valve Stems (Read 882 times)