Wheel Balancing Beads

Has anyone had any experience with these wheel balancing beads from White Horse Gear? Feedback requested. Here's a blurb and a link.

Lose Those Wheel Weights Forever
We don't need no stinking lead weights! Dyna Beads are small, dense ceramic beads that are poured into your tire (or tube) through the valve stem. Lead weights are now completely unnecessary and they are an environmental hazard we can all live without. Better yet Dyna Beads are a dynamic balancing solution, automatically adjusting to the changing balancing needs of your wheels as your tires wear. Go green, go smart, and go smooth, with Dyna Beads.

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_info.php?products_id=5614&en=en0904

 

I have not used them, but I like the idea. Just three points of curiousity;

1. Do they clatter around when you slow down, and first start rolling from a stop?

2. When you change tires, do you have to replace them?

3. When you change tires, do they fall out and roll all over the floor?

SOMEBODY had to ask...

 

Knife:

I subscribe to the best motorcycle magazine in the universe "Motorcycle Consumer News".

MCN reviewed the Dyna bead ssoem time ago and if memory serves they worked soemtimes and not others. I don't remember much other than that.

I normally only remember when MCN really likes a new MC product, bike, tire, etc.

BZ

 

here's the skinny that I got from 2 shops...Dyna beads suck.....

 

I understand how the beads may find the proper angle displacement once up to speed, but how is 1 oz of beads always the proper weight?

How do these not turn your rim/tire into a ball mill at stops and launches?

I'll pass.

 

So these beads somehow know where the lightest spot on your wheel/tire combo is and then they magically pile up on this spot????
Or do they find the heaviest spot and just stay away????
I ain't buyin' it.

 

Check out this thread: Who's using DynaBeads? - ADVrider

Overall positive reviews. I got to say I'm intriqued by this and if I decide to get adventurous about changing my own tires (thanks bitterpil!) I'll give those a shot.

 

Travelenfjr

I have used these in my last two sets of tires and have had no problems. They continually balance the tire throughout it's life. And no you do not hear them.

 

I have them in my rear tire.

Why? Not a single freaking Honda dealer around here has the necessary adapter to balance SSSA wheels. The Ducati dealer can balance the wheel on the Hawk GT but not the VFR.

Do they make noise? No, they are completely silent, you never hear them, ever. Put the bike on the center stand & roll the wheel by hand with your ear to the tire & you can't hear anything.

Do they work? It would seem they do. My VFR has zero vibration. Then again, it never did to begin with.

Do you need to replace them every time you change tires? Yes you need to replace them every time you change tires.

Do they make a mess when you change tires? I'll find out in the next few months when I change tires. I would venture a guess to say they do since they don't simply vanish into thin air when you remove the tires.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Nice post KC-10. I currently have them in my Pilot Road 2 tires and have been nothing but happy. Prior I would rebalance my tires about 1000 miles after install due to vibrations after "break in". 2,100 miles into the PR2 tires and no vibration issues. I would say great product, and yes as previously stated, they need to be replaced when new tires are installed. They work via physics. I won't get into schooling here, but I would say don't knock it till you tried it scenario is in place here. These are not new, just fairly recently made popular. Medium and heavy duty trucks have been using these for years. They are cheap, so home tire mounting and balancers should be all over these. To heck with the wheel trashing bike dealers.......

 

is this a problem that really needs to be solved? Most every tire on the planet thats on the road uses traditional weights... and if you look at a tire change the labor is all in the bead break, dismount, remount... the balancing takes all of 30 seconds... I pay $22 a tire off the bike for a mount/remount on both the VFR and my 999, so this cant be a financial argument. I guess I dont get it.

In my book this is akin to snake oil, but to each his own...

 

Does your dealer charge you extra for the scratches and gouges on your wheel because they do NOT give a f***! And every tire on the planet does not use lead. Ford was one of the first to adopt these beads in a production scenario starting on the heavy duty aluminum wheeled truck platforms. These beads adapt to the tire changes that occur. Every tire changes after "break in". The heat cycles and belts "seat" and thus affect the tire balance. So this is not a financial scenario. Sorry, I am responding like I have a financial gain here, but these really work!

Betarace - And if you take the $22./tire on your fleet of bikes, you have a significant amount of cash in your pocket if you did this yourself. If you got it though, spend it because that is more seat time. Enjoy:biggrin:

 

slick50, chinese bearings, dynabeads, snuggie, shamwow, nitrogen tires, cyclonic carburators etc... if it works for you - more power to you.

 

No Honda dealer has the adapter:crazy:

Man, even the independent mechanic I take the 97 to has an adapter?

Just reason #103 NOT to live in NJ!

BZ

 

OK. What should I do in my case? It's either pay $475 for the necessary adapter for the wheel balancing machine or drive over 70 miles to the closest Honda dealer than can balance VFR wheels.

70 X 2 = 140 miles
140 miles / 16 MPG (Ford F150) = 8.75 gals
8.75 Gals X $1.80 = $15.75 for gas
$37.50 (the going rate for tire changing/balancing in NJ) + $15.75 = $53.25

or

I can have my neighbor let me use his tire tools to remove the tire for free & use the DynaBeads for $5 a tire. Sounds like a fairly easy decision to me.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Beetrat-Real cool! Thanks for your valuable input to this thread. I am sure many will get great value from your input. :thumbsup:

BTW - Try lane splitting in LA for 50 miles and tell us how it turns out. It is legal you know, so it must be safe.

 

Airsoft Pellets

I used the same weight, using a postage scale, of Airsoft pellets in a PC800 rear tire 2 years ago. A friend tried it figuring it was the same thing, just free. I can't speak for the Dyna Beads, but the Airsoft pellets didn't work very well. Decided to stick with weights after that. It is a really weird feeling to turn your rear tire by hand while checking it after a ride and hear the "swoosh" of something rolling in the tire! You can't hear them while riding. They shouldn't be moving with respect to the wheel when you are at constant speed.

 

They didn't work becasue you guys forgot to add the appropriate amount of da Slick 50!:biggrin:

 

Man, VFRW members gettin all worked up about the Dyna beads!

Take a break yall, and come back and read this in a few hours (some of you may take days) and see it for what it's worth.

BZ

 

Heres my thing, I have an old VFR its in a very dirty state right now. and the wheels arent that good looking. the dealer that just put the new tires on did it with care...just lke it was thier wheels. So maybe its a regional thing. dont know my shop guys told me not to use them so I trust in what they say.

Crustys' two cents