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[GregMan]

Hey All,

I have a FLHRSE4 and FLSTFSE2.  Being CVO's they have nice rims which I hate to put weights on directly.  I heard about glass beads being used instead of wheel weights.  They get poured into the tire.  Apparent benefits are that they will shift according to changes in the tire... I guess when one balances a tire, the balance can change as the tire ages, heats up, cools down etc.....

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks and cheers,

[mark]

Some swear by them, others think it's voodoo.  A few months ago I researched "balancing beads" on-line and couldn't find an independent analysis of their performance.  Of course there was info, videos, etc, from the manufacturers, but not anything from a third party.

[GregMan]

Thanks again Mark,  cheers,

[grc]

Hey All,

I have a FLHRSE4 and FLSTFSE2.  Being CVO's they have nice rims which I hate to put weights on directly.  I heard about glass beads being used instead of wheel weights.  They get poured into the tire.  Apparent benefits are that they will shift according to changes in the tire... I guess when one balances a tire, the balance can change as the tire ages, heats up, cools down etc.....

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks and cheers,

If you have a wheel and tire combination that really doesn't need much if any balancing, the beads might be fine.  If you have a wheel and tire combination that is more typical and is significantly out of balance, the beads aren't going to do the trick.  Read deep into the FAQ's on the Dyna Bead website and even they admit this.

If you want to minimize appearance issues, take the time to index the tires to the rims so that the amount of weight required is minimized.  That will take more effort than just lining up the dot on the tires with the valve stem.  Then buy some of the fancy chrome stick-on weights.

Jerry

[Flatvalley]

I am new to Harley Davidson but have had dynabeads in my wheels both on my glowing and my  VTX.  My experience on both bikes with the beads leads me to say I am a very satisfied customer.  My experience with three pairs of tires on the glowing and two pairs on the VTX delivered smooth as glass performance as far as balancing is concerned.  No additional weights on the wheels.  As soon as I need a new pair of tires on the Ultra, I will use the beads rather than wheel weights.  At this point I am just reporting my experience, One ounce in the front tire, two ounces in the rear.  Only negative is on a couple occasions, only on the glowing, when checking air pressure in the front tire, a bead got stuck in the valve and I had to add compressed air in order to blow the bead out of the valve.  Never has happened on the rear tire on the glowing and never on the VTX. 

[SneakyPete]

If you want to minimize appearance issues, take the time to index the tires to the rims so that the amount of weight required is minimized.  That will take more effort than just lining up the dot on the tires with the valve stem.  Then buy some of the fancy chrome stick-on weights.

Jerry

X2.  Balance the wheel before mounting the tire to determine the true heavy spot then line the dot on the tire with that spot.  You will be real close.  I mount and balance my own tires and have never used more than a 1/2 oz weight to balance, many times no weights at all.

[gpopvet]

I just put new tires and. Wheels on the skunk and used the beads and have to say no vibrations at any speed.

[Keats]

They have always worked for me (about 6 years)

[CVODON]

What is a Glowing? & I totally agree with Jerry, not my cup of tea but I do take the time to try and align tire on rim and have more than once broke a tire back down and re-aligned it when it was taking to much weight. To each his own.

[wachuko]

I am using them on the wheels that I am getting for the Sportster... but the recommendation of moving the tire around is great   

Since working on the bike is therapy for me, what is a few more minutes of work?  It will mean that I need to get an inexpensive balancing stand...



I already have these tools...

[Puzzled]

Look into a product called Ride-on. http://www.ride-on.com/motorcycle-formula-mot.html

The guys running the big wheel/tire combos seem to like this stuff.

[Chains]

What is a Glowing? & I totally agree with Jerry, not my cup of tea but I do take the time to try and align tire on rim and have more than once broke a tire back down and re-aligned it when it was taking to much weight. To each his own.

A misspelled Goldwing

[CVO Couple]

I saw them on a ad on TV. I didn't think they would work. What kind of tire life are you guys getting with using them?

[VRODDAVE]

Just thought I would throw this out there on the table as an option ..  Centramatic Wheel Balancers

I have been running these for about five years ... smooth as silk ride ...    I found mine on ebay for a good price.  liked them so much that I bought two sets incase they ever wear out ...   

They bolt on behind the brake rotors ...  They are actually polished stainless steel backing plates ...

this link just shows a photo of them .. not recommending you buy there ...  http://airmontdistributing.com/pro/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=110

here is a youtube video on how they work