Are they tubeless?
- Thread starter tonywest
- Start date
VanguardontheLav
Hero member
- Location
- Cambridge, UK
Harry Lime said:
Would you tell them that you had fitted tubes to tubeless BT45s then? Wouldn't that be just as likely to cause the insurers to baulk?
I run 'em tubeless...
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Dick
I've always fitted tubes to my BT45's,never had a problem.Might be an idea to mention to your tyre fitter that your wheel is tubed before renewing tyres. The last bloke who did mine at one point refused to believe the tyres were tubed simply because it said tubeless on the tyre ??? Stuart
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Harry Lime
Guest
VanguardontheLav said:
Your call. Your risk. My call. My risk. Anyway, all my Laverdas have spoked wheels at the mo' so...........
A quick Google shows that (as usual) the online motorcycle community really hasn't a flipping clue.....lots of opinions with no solid basis.
Tyre manufacturers web sites are not much better. Not much listed as tubed these days.
Too much time on my hands at the mo' whilst the body heals...so I'll do some research and report back (if I get any sensible answers).
H.
Rob
Hero member
- Location
- Midlands, UK
Insurers....they're the folk who take a few weeks to turn someone who walks in off the street into a claims handler..... :-X
Anyway, fitting tubes into tyres marked tubeless is OK, subject to certain criteria around radial tyres - Bridgestone guidance
http://www.bridgestone.co.uk/moto/your-journey/advice/2012/05/removing-and-replacing-tyres-on-rims-tyre-mounting/
My experience is that a puncture on a Laverda cast rim results in controlled slow(ish) deflation which is apparent to the rider (because the only escape path for the air is around the valve stem), rather than a fairly rapid deflation of a spoked Borrani wheel. Having said all that, I can heartily recommend the tubeless GSXR route for better rubber; ease of tyre fitment and puncture repair!!
Anyway, fitting tubes into tyres marked tubeless is OK, subject to certain criteria around radial tyres - Bridgestone guidance
http://www.bridgestone.co.uk/moto/your-journey/advice/2012/05/removing-and-replacing-tyres-on-rims-tyre-mounting/
My experience is that a puncture on a Laverda cast rim results in controlled slow(ish) deflation which is apparent to the rider (because the only escape path for the air is around the valve stem), rather than a fairly rapid deflation of a spoked Borrani wheel. Having said all that, I can heartily recommend the tubeless GSXR route for better rubber; ease of tyre fitment and puncture repair!!
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Harry Lime
Guest
Almost exactly the same info from Avon - which I guess we'd hope for - consistency between manufacturers.
http://www.avonmotorsport.com/resource-centre/tube-fitment
http://www.avonmotorsport.com/resource-centre/tube-fitment
1200ts
Hero member
- Location
- USA - Riverside CA
If you get a puncture, whether the tire does or does not have a tube will make no difference. Can someone please tell me how a deflated tube is gong to keep the tire on the rim but if no tube you are going to have problems? I have put thousands of miles running without tubes and have had punctures. The tire has always stayed on the rim. A puncture if running tubeless takes a few minutes to fix. With tubes it is a real bitch to fix on the side of the road.
Bruce
Bruce
henry
Hero member
- Location
- bottom left hand corner of germany
Paul Marx said:
no, it's a beer thread
drikko said:
at least drikko thinks it is
To clarify what Grant mentioned on the previous page, rims for tubeless tires have a ridge on the inside of the area where the bead seats and the angle toward the outer bead seat is different. Basically the bead is a press fit on the rim when it is seated and is why you can ride on a flat with a bit of control without the tire coming off the rim. It is also why they are a pain in the ass to remove when you go to change them. On a tube type rim everything is fine if the tire stays inflated but it can and will come off the rim if the seal to the rim is broken which can occur if the pressure is low or a large deflection of the tire happens.
G
Grant
Guest
I have had a few punctures over the years on triples.
The 3C rear puncture was easy to fix by the side of the road as it's possible to shift the tyre with ordinary tyre levers.
I had a blow out on the front on my 120 Jota at around 95mph. That was interesting, but if the tyre had not been so securely fixed to the rim I would for sure have been a gonner. By the time I got it stopped on the hard shoulder the tyre was completely off the rim on one side, and half off on the other side. It was an AA relay job home.
From that day I always change tyres and tubes when I buy a bike so I know what the condition is and how new everything is.
Now my bikes run tubeless radials on GSXR wheels but so far touch wood no punctures. The tyre pressures do need topping up more than tubed types though I have found.
The 3C rear puncture was easy to fix by the side of the road as it's possible to shift the tyre with ordinary tyre levers.
I had a blow out on the front on my 120 Jota at around 95mph. That was interesting, but if the tyre had not been so securely fixed to the rim I would for sure have been a gonner. By the time I got it stopped on the hard shoulder the tyre was completely off the rim on one side, and half off on the other side. It was an AA relay job home.
From that day I always change tyres and tubes when I buy a bike so I know what the condition is and how new everything is.
Now my bikes run tubeless radials on GSXR wheels but so far touch wood no punctures. The tyre pressures do need topping up more than tubed types though I have found.
D
Davo
Guest
And make sure they fit decent quality tubes, not that dangerous far eastern rubbish.
phil37
Hero member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I have also suffered quite a few punctures with my Laverdas, but only with spoked wheels. Easy road-side job, but you do need tyre levers a little sturdier than a teaspoon... quick swap of tube at the next service station in the middle of nowhere (I was really lucky once!) and back on the road within 1/2 hour.
Cast Laverda rims can be a real pita, especially if the various tyre fitters "forget" to remove the crud on the bead resulting from the previous 10 tyre changes. The tyre fitting goo dries up and leaves a quite hard, crusty residue, increasing effective rim diameter even further, making tyre removal almost impossible in some cases. This crud should always be removed before a new tyre is fitted. On spoked and cast tube-type rims to aid fitting, on tube-less rims to ensure an air-tight seal between tyre and rim. All it requires is about 2 minutes scrubbing with a wire brush.
Since converting to GSXR rims on 2 bikes, I haven't had any issues, perhaps because I always carry a little tubeless puncture repair kit with me.
Once had a Jota in the workshop that showed massive imbalance at the front wheel. 200 grams later and it was still out of balance, so I removed the tyre to see what was going on. Revealed a very heavy-duty Michelin tube, meant for off-road racing at low inflation pressures. The bloody thing weighed 4 times as much as a normal road-type tube! Refitted with a normal tube, imbalance all but disappeared and handling was transformed. Apparently the off-road tube was quite inconsistant in wall thickness, causing the imbalance. Guess rubbish doesn't always originate in the far east. Sometimes less really is more...
piet
Cast Laverda rims can be a real pita, especially if the various tyre fitters "forget" to remove the crud on the bead resulting from the previous 10 tyre changes. The tyre fitting goo dries up and leaves a quite hard, crusty residue, increasing effective rim diameter even further, making tyre removal almost impossible in some cases. This crud should always be removed before a new tyre is fitted. On spoked and cast tube-type rims to aid fitting, on tube-less rims to ensure an air-tight seal between tyre and rim. All it requires is about 2 minutes scrubbing with a wire brush.
Since converting to GSXR rims on 2 bikes, I haven't had any issues, perhaps because I always carry a little tubeless puncture repair kit with me.
Davo said:
Once had a Jota in the workshop that showed massive imbalance at the front wheel. 200 grams later and it was still out of balance, so I removed the tyre to see what was going on. Revealed a very heavy-duty Michelin tube, meant for off-road racing at low inflation pressures. The bloody thing weighed 4 times as much as a normal road-type tube! Refitted with a normal tube, imbalance all but disappeared and handling was transformed. Apparently the off-road tube was quite inconsistant in wall thickness, causing the imbalance. Guess rubbish doesn't always originate in the far east. Sometimes less really is more...
piet
tonywest
New member
- Location
- South Lakes
...then hopefully these should do the job? Tyres have also landed at the shop so let's hope there are no horrors when they peel off (cut off maybe) the old Pirelli's.
Thanks again for all the advice...so much of it!
Remember to take the humane approach this Easter and first bite the heads off your chocolate bunnies.
Thanks again for all the advice...so much of it!
Remember to take the humane approach this Easter and first bite the heads off your chocolate bunnies.
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Harry Lime
Guest
phil37 said:
I think BMW have a similar peripheral spoke solution in their GSs and stuff.
I'm happy to put a tubeless tyre on my original Borrani and Akronts Phil................but I'll need a test rider. You volunteering?
H.
Richard
Full member
My 77 Jota hasn't had a tube installed since Lance Weill swapped out the TT100s for a set of Pirelli Gordons. The Gordons were bald by the time I got home to Minnesota, btw. It took our Kawasaki parts guy all of a minute to find stems in stock that worked. I can't imagine anybody putting tubes on these rims.
PS. What? No condom jokes? Anybody? Anybody?
PS. What? No condom jokes? Anybody? Anybody?
murphus
Senior member
- Location
- Lost in the Midwest
I've been running tubeless on my 83 RGS for the past four years, most recently the new Continental Classic Attack and Road Attack radials. The performance is fantastic. Stems were a non-issue, easy to find and fit. I have zero problems with porosity/air pressure loss. I appreciate and understand the design differences, but in practice, my experience suggests there's not much of an issue.
tonywest
New member
- Location
- South Lakes
Job done. Pirelli's were vintage '95 and took some persuasion to remove but David Greenbank Tyres in Kendal took real TLC over the task of fitting the new BT45's. All set and happy lad. Just brake overhaul to complete when parts arrive and then ready for first run up to Hartside.
