Topic: Tire/Wheel Balancing - Dealer says it is not needed

[raymond10078]

I have a Honda dealer that is telling me that all motorcycle tires come "pre-balanced", and that balancing is no longer required.  He tells me that in the past, balancing was required - but not any more.

It's been about 20 years since I bought a motorcycle tire (just getting back into the sport) - so I'm second guessing this dude.

I called another Honda dealer, and they say that they balance every tire they mount.

What's the deal here?

[MRieck]

I have a Honda dealer that is telling me that all motorcycle tires come "pre-balanced", and that balancing is no longer required.  He tells me that in the past, balancing was required - but not any more.

It's been about 20 years since I bought a motorcycle tire (just getting back into the sport) - so I'm second guessing this dude.

I called another Honda dealer, and they say that they balance every tire they mount.

What's the deal here?

  That's interesting.

[Hannibal Smith]

Tire technology and manufacturing has come a long way.

I don't install tires for a living, but they are probably 90% right. Any balancing issues that I recall since maybe 1990 has been in the wheel and not the tire basically.

They still need to check, but soon enough, if no crash damage etc. is evident, balancing when swapping tires will be a lost art. Bet you 10 bucks.

Edit to add- If your wheel is straight out of the 70's it needs to be balanced, this dealership is talking about new bikes.

[scottly]

The first dealer is full of crap! I don't think I've EVER had tire/wheels balanced that didn't need some weights... 

[swellguy]

I have a Honda dealer that is telling me that all motorcycle tires come "pre-balanced", and that balancing is no longer required.  He tells me that in the past, balancing was required - but not any more.

He is either misinformed or full of ignorance. Tires may be balanced but the rims and hubs they're mounted to aren't.

[the technological J]

i had a dealere tell me that if the wheel had a drum it didnt need balanced...... i would insist on a balancing or go somewhere else and ask for just that

[dave500]

the dealer is an idiot.,he thinks your one aswell.

[bucky katt]

the dealer is an idiot.,he thinks your one aswell.

+1

[droopy]

that dealer is so full of s@%t I can smell him over here

wheels aren't balanced on a 70's motorcycle 

[bwaller]

I can see the potential for a balanced tire but in the case of spoked rims, there is the tube to consider.

[dave500]

i have my spoked wheels balanced,it does work,my rear has two weights clamped on two spokes about four spokes apart.,not a fast top speed bike but smooth.i also have alloy "sun"rims.

[andy750]

I know this has been covered before but since this is a tire balancing thread..anyone have experience with Dyna beads in tubed tires. I know they are used widely in tubeless tires....

[bucky katt]

that sealer is so full of #$%* they squish when they walk

[crazypj]

The first dealer is full of crap! I don't think I've EVER had tire/wheels balanced that didn't need some weights... 

I agree, even if tyre is balanced at source, it should be checked.
 How long has 'expert' been working with motorcycles?
 About 2 yrs ago, local (within 50mile radius) Honda dealer tried to lay off entire workshop and become a retail outlet only American Honda got involved and prevented it.
 If shop wanted to maintain dealer status they had to have workshop
 A lot of 'holding companies' jumped on motorcycle bandwagon, the guy could have been selling burgers or TV's a few weeks/months ago
I found out last week from a very reliable source at American Suzuki, it's prevalent in industry at present, get a cheap manager who was laid off from where-ever and will do whatever owners want, no matter how stupid or dangerous

[Stev-o]

Go somewhere else and get it balanced. And don't ever go back to that dealer!

[333]

There's no sense in never going back to that dealer.  You may need them one day.  It's probably just one guy that's misinformed.  Just insist on getting the wheel balanced.

[MickeyX]

Well, I'm risking starting a whole thread about Dyna Beads, but... we love them. They work as advertised. That's all I'm saying about them.

[andy750]

Hey Mickey do you mount the tires yourself and then use the beads to balance them (with tube tires?)?

thanks
Andy

[MickeyX]

We have them in tubed and tubeless setups and they work fine. If you take them to someone to do, you may as well just get them to balance them for you. If you do it yourself and don't have a balancer, the beads work great. 

[andy750]

Thanks Mickey!

[BobbyR]

Odd thing is I have not balanced my last two sets of tires and they are smooth up to 80+ mph. I may just be lucky.

[the technological J]

how can u tell the difference between a unbalanced wheel and bearings

[lordmoonpie]

Even the most modern tyres on the most modern wheels need balancing. My VTRs used MotoGP tyres at times on new magnesium wheels and ALWAYS needed balancing. The tyre itself may be rotationally balanced but there are too many factors involved in getting it on a rim that in itself may be out of balance with a tube and rim tape and valves, they all add up to create imbalance.

The issue is one of safety. A small imbalance of a few grammes weight will magnify at speed due to the centripetal forces involved and that can cause massive instability, a crash and possibly death. Sounds dramatic but any tyre dealer who says tyres shouldn't be balanced or don't need balancing is potentially playing with your life, is not a professional of any note and should be avoided like the plague.

An old dealer I used to visit had a "Get your wheels balanced" poster in his reception area which always stuck in my head. It showed a cartoon of a rider at speed with a bag of sugar taped to his front rim and a worried expression as the death wobble took hold. A bag of sugar in the UK is 1kg and represents the force magnification of a small out of balance wheel.

Don't compromise - get it balanced and junk that dealer...

[Tim.]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything said - wheels need to be balanced...

but...

just to play devil's advocate and assume for the moment the dealer in question isn't a total and complete moron, perhaps what he meant to suggest was that on an ALREADY BALANCED wheel, i.e. one that has had a modern tire mounted to before and was balanced already, that putting on a fresh tire didn't mean you needed to RE-balance the wheel.

That might help explain his 'tires are manufactured balanced' comment.  If the wheel it is being mounted to has been balanced in the past, also with a modern balanced tire, then IN THEORY the wheel would remain in balance.

Again - I'm not advocating skipping the balancing step.  I have my tires mounted / wheels balanced at a modern shop with modern equipment to make sure they're well balanced and beads are properly seated.

[Hannibal Smith]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything said - wheels need to be balanced...

but...

just to play devil's advocate and assume for the moment the dealer in question isn't a total and complete moron, perhaps what he meant to suggest was that on an ALREADY BALANCED wheel, i.e. one that has had a modern tire mounted to before and was balanced already, that putting on a fresh tire didn't mean you needed to RE-balance the wheel.

That might help explain his 'tires are manufactured balanced' comment.  If the wheel it is being mounted to has been balanced in the past, also with a modern balanced tire, then IN THEORY the wheel would remain in balance.

Again - I'm not advocating skipping the balancing step.  I have my tires mounted / wheels balanced at a modern shop with modern equipment to make sure they're well balanced and beads are properly seated.

Exactly. I just balance my own stuff, but I am aware of at least a few Dealerships in my area that don't re-balance the assembly when they are swapping tires. You should still check.