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[dahsen]

I was following another discussion and since it was started today, didn't want to hijack it already to get my answers...

So...

Do some of you guys use dyna beads to balance your tires or do you prefer lead weights?

I never tried beads but it seems to be a good option.

[hd-dude]

For what it's worth most all tire manufactures will void the warranty on tires that are balanced with any internal type balancing materials.

I have put tires that have been " balanced " with the bead type balancers on my computerized tire balance machine and they will not balance or show balanced when I spin the tire up. These were new wheels with tires mounted that customers bought online and came with the balancing beads installed.

[dlaws01]

On the flip side of the coin, my wheels aren't really supportive of lead weights. Meaning that there is really no flat surface that "hugs" the weights during centrifugal force.  When I bought my bike there were no weights anywhere on my wheels.  I started using the dyna beads at my first tire change and can only say that my bike rides very smoothly and the view in my mirrors at highway speed is clear.  There has been a lot of debate about the effectiveness of using dyna beads and I am sure you can find plenty of comments both pro and con on this site.  I will continue to use the beads myself for several reasons.  My tire wear does not suggest any sort of imbalance and the smoothness of the ride suggest that my tires are balanced.  One other concern may be the reports I've read here about some owners having weights fly off at highway speed and causing damage to their bike.  If I had wheels with spokes or a design that allowed for a more secure attachment of the weights, then I might go that route.

[05Train]

Not even the company that makes Dynabeads recommends using them on most motorcycle tires.

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/LowProfileTires.pdf

I'm not a fan of products that don't work...I'll tolerate unsightly weights.

[murphy]

I put the beads in my second last set of tires, when I replaced the tires last year - no beads... they disappeared somehow over a two year piriod of time.

I won't use them again.

[andrew pasquale]

I have been running Dyna beads in 2 different bikes for over 5 yrs and love them.In fact my friends also use them and can say the same.No more weights.

[Mount'nman]

I use  Counteract Tire Balancing Beads   and have smooth ride at all speeds. 
They are coated Glass beads so different from the ceramic type.

http://www.counteractbalancing.com/counteract/en/products/motorcycles.html

[dahsen]

Not even the company that makes Dynabeads recommends using them on most motorcycle tires.

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/LowProfileTires.pdf

I'm not a fan of products that don't work...I'll tolerate unsightly weights.

I don't think this article applies to motorcycles...   The problem is for low profile tires that have higher incidence of lateral imbalance...  Our tires have a curved profile and I don't think this type of imbalance is a big problem for us.  Then again, I am not en expert...

Any expert advice, someone ??   

[05Train]

I don't think this article applies to motorcycles...   The problem is for low profile tires that have higher incidence of lateral imbalance...  Our tires have a curved profile and I don't think this type of imbalance is a big problem for us.  Then again, I am not en expert...

Any expert advice, someone ??  

i called them a few years ago when I came across the link.  It applies to bikes as well. 

There are several other reasons I won't use them (like how these magical beads find the light spot in a spinning radiused tire every time they're displaced by the tire carcass flattening out when it hits the ground), but my go-to remains the fact that they're not recommended.

[skippy]

I have been using dyna beads for a few years they work great i will never go back to those lead projectiles

[dlaws01]

I was following another discussion and since it was started today, didn't want to hijack it already to get my answers...

So...

Do some of you guys use dyna beads to balance your tires or do you prefer lead weights?

I never tried beads but it seems to be a good option.

See, I told you that you would get a variety of opinions on using dyna beads for balancing.  Might I suggest that you give them your own personal test and then decide if they work for you or not.  The investment is nominal and you can always go back to the glued on lead weights and take your chances that they don't fly off and ding your bike.  Seems odd that some people swear by them and others think that it's snake oil.  I can't provide any scientific evidence or hard facts about their effectiveness but can say that my bike rides smooth at highway speeds with no vibrations noticed in my mirrors and that my tire life is what I should expect from a balanced assembly.  Good luck.

[Eqcons]

I have been using dyna beads for a few years they work great i will never go back to those lead projectiles

Same here.

[Lever]

Same here.

d

X2

[BaggerProud]

In the same vain as the beads .... Two guys around here started using "Ride-On Tire Balancer & Sealant" http://www.ride-on.com/ and swear by the stuff. Made for, among other things, motorcycles. Not for tubed tires but it seams they made the best out of 2 worlds. Check out their site. I'm considering adding the stuff with the next tire change. Anybody use it? 

[dlaws01]

Snake oil or science?  You be the judge.  Just a question for you riders that take the con side to beads,  How is it that so many people seem to be having success using them over the lead weights?  Could it be that we, by some lucky coincidence, are just getting tires that are almost perfectly balanced during manufacturing and putting them on wheels that the MoCo machined correctly and in balance?  If so, shouldn't the beads we have been adding cause an out of balance condition?  I am perplexed by the variety of affects that the addition of the beads are causing.  On my bike it appears to be the solution while on other's the claim is just the opposite. I wonder why?