Wheel balance shaft

Just cam across this http://www.marcparnes.com/Honda_Motorcycle_Wheel_Balancer.htm What's your take? Maybe worth it knowing most shops don't have the ability to do our rears

 

Hey now, what you do with your rear is your business! :wink:

I kid, this balancer seems to have a good following, I've read from a few people that have this that it works great. You just need some jack stands or other device to hold up each side and a way to check that the shaft is level...(He said shaft!)

 

Seems a little expensive don't you think. Then I have never really shopped for prices on one. This time around, I went to the dynabeads. Previously I had used dyna gell. Didn't know that was even available until I was looking for the dynabeads this time around. The tire shop put the gel in a couple tires back and we discovered the goo when we did the next change.

The beads are a bit of a bitch to get in if you have 90 degree valve stems though. I ended up breaking the bead and pouring them into the tire that way.

 

Or you can just not worry about it, I've never balanced my rear, and have never noticed a vibration from there.
It could just be an answer to a question that has never been asked.

 

I've changed and mounted lots of tires and only come across a couple that didn't need balancing. Most of the time the wheel itself is out of balance.Almost all the cast wheels I've checked have been light down around the valve stem. The Marc Parnes balancer works very well but you do need a couple of jack stands or the like to rest it on.

I think that the wheel/tire has to be very badly out of balance to be noticeable, but that's just me. I feel that if I have the means to balance the wheel/tire I will. I don't really know if it does that much good, but it sure can't do any harm.

I've never used balancing beads and never will.

 

I have heard that a few time before from people I have confidence in. Not to suggest I doubt you, you understand. Maybe next tire change for the rear, I may try not balancing it.

 

Well H, that brings up another question now. What do most folks use for wheel weights? that's of coarse as noted if you do balance them. Randy has already answered I prefer the snap clip weights that go on the center of the rim casting, but those are getting hard to find, seems most use tape weights, Eeek!

 

I also prefer the clip-type weights, but like you say they are getting scarce. What's worse is you can't find lead weights so you have to use those sucky-huge steel weights. But I've never had any of them come off, and I use the sticky-back tape that they come with. I try to give them a coat of paint that is somewhat close to the wheel color so they don't stand out too horribly. I do a thorough prep of the mounting area so it's completely grease free and that may help.

 

My last wheel had the stick on weights. I painted them white. They stayed on really well. Took a little work to get them off without scraping the paint and some solvent to remove the tape backing that was left behind. So those stay on very good. Centrifigal force only helps keep them in place.

 

That's been my experience also.

 

I call the "clip-on" weights Wheel Scratchers, I always use gram weights for my bikes followed by some aviation speed tape over the weights (just as a safety precaution.) Also better than duct as it does not get nasty with age or freaquent wheel cleaning. I would think most or all official Honda shops have the proper cones to balance a single sided swing arm wheel, gold wings have them too. I had a rear tyre a while back that I had to re-balance as I got a vibraion over 100 mph, when I re-did it - problem gone. Not all tyres are created equal.

My last tyre change, I used a shops machine but found out that they did'nt have the proper cones to do the balancing. I ended up paying like 12 dollars to have the balance done at another shop. Price of doing business. Static balancers work good, I have a home made set of cones made out of teflon and a stainless steel rod. I could have used that set up to balance my rear tyre but must have forgotten about it. Cheers...