I bought a tire changer kit that came with a wheel balancer, it's paid for itself and then some. I now have most of my riding buddies come over and we'll change the tires and balance the wheels, of course we don't go by time, we go by pints...some wheels it's only a two sip balance, others take a couple of pints ;)
Been fitting my own tyres for more years than I can remember, sick of the poor service and silly prices at tyres fitters. Never bothered Balancing but I will now. Thanks Del.
I have a balancer that works on this Principal. Never had a tire come back out of balance. 25 years of mounting tires in a bike shop. FYI this is how Dunlop and Bridgestone balanced tires at the track. Again with a proper balancer but same concept. All the people commenting it still moved doesn’t mean any thing. As long as it’s under 7grams you will never notice it, and a tire will still turn just a few grams out. Another good video my friend
Thank you for the endorsement buddy, of course in terms of the race team's practices, I knew this, but you know how the armchair critics are, they always know better, even though they're never done it themselves... I've been balancing wheels this way all my life and never had a wheel out of balance on the road... not to mention, I've seen bikes come straight out of the dealership with 0 miles, and sporting 70gms of weight on the back wheel, so they're never made perfect... thanks for sharing your experience and expertise mate, much appreciated.
Thank you for the endorsement buddy, of course in terms of the race team's practices, I knew this, but you know how the armchair critics are, they always know better, even though they're never done it themselves... I've been balancing wheels this way all my life and never had a wheel out of balance on the road... not to mention, I've seen bikes come straight out of the dealership with 0 miles, and sporting 70gms of weight on the back wheel, so they're never made perfect... thanks for sharing your experience and expertise mate, much appreciated.
For those asking about balancing, you can buy a set of cones, a rod plus bearings for both ends for not much more than a tenner off ebay. They work extremely well. Lots of weights these days are zinc plated/painted steel - they're garbage . . . make sure you buy lead weights. I suspect they're illegal to sell for car wheels but you can still buy lead weights for bikes. Problem with steel is it isn't as heavy and so weights are bigger but also, they don't stick properly because the weights won't mould into a concave shape when pushed onto the wheel but instead, stay straight. This means they only really make proper contact with a small patch at either end of the weight and almost invariably come off. Del . . . you might want to make a video of how to change a tyre - I do my own . . . no need for any expensive kit. I made a circular bench about 18" in diameter with a central hole for the disk. Lay the wheel on the bench and use a 12" G-clamp to break the bead, easily and controllably. Then remove the tyre using zip-tie method BUT I use duct tape instead as it is infinitely thinner and allows very easy removal of the tyre when lubed with tyre wax/paste - same for replacing. Did front and back tyres on my 1050 Tiger but also back tyre on my S1000RR and managed to do it with not a single tool other than a G-Clamp to break the initial bead. Easy when you know how but it was certainly a learning process getting the technique sussed out the first couple of times I did it . . . . lots of videos on TH-cam but most will have you cringing in horror as owners bash and dink their rims into oblivion!!!This is how Mr Anal did it!!!! . . . th-cam.com/video/_8nghfByRww/w-d-xo.html
ybliga.... Having watched your uploads re: tyre change and wheel balancing I totally agree with all your comments. There's a lot of tut out there on fleabay so buyer beware.... the BZP iron/black painted FE iron weights are trash. They will not conform to the radius of the wheel, they will corrode/rust and the stickability is suspect long term due to the fact they cannot bend to the shape of the wheel. Please do your research and only buy lead weights that will adopt the natural curvature of the wheel shape after applying a little pressure and perform as well as expected..... Too many people get sucked in to this modern day advertising hype.
Where have you seen just rod/cone kits available on eBay? Here in US the kits only include jack stand equivalents and are USD 40+. The only rod/cone combo by itself is a ridiculous $70. Harbor Freight seeks a bullseyes/bubble style for $79...
here you go - I bought mine a couple of years ago but I am in the UK so maybe you can't pick this up in the States?? www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warrior-Motorcycle-Bike-Wheel-Balancer-Kit-Supplied-With-Paddock-Stand-Adapters/303015673685?hash=item468d243f55:g:h3IAAOSwfYpcLLCB:rk:20:pf:0
@@ybliga thanks for the link mate! :) btw i use extra heavy duty cable ties, like one ur mrs would be scared of kinda ones, i hung from 1 in my shed and it wouldnt snap. I imagine using duct tape might lead to a sticky situation ;) 😂
Is it possible to balance a tire using the axle on the stands, with the axle not moving and rolling on the bearings? What is the negatives of balancing a tire that way? What is the positive of doing it this way?
Regarding 'centering' the tubular spacer (radially) on the all-thread rod:Del advises securely tightening the cones to center the tubular spacer on the all-thread rod. However, since the cones will come to bear upon the edge of the wheel bearing inner race, the cones will never touch the spacer. How will tightening the cones 'center' the spacer on the rod?The position of the tubular spacer during balancing is probably insignificant, since it's so close to the wheel axis.
"Permanent.." yeh ha ha.. Walking my dogs over the last 13 years, pick up lots of crap, one thing is wheel weights, have kilograms of them, all picked up from the side of a road.. Cheers fo a great show again, think I finally understand wheel balancing. Got two new tyres to go on my Fazer b4 M.O.T. next wednesday... cheers
I set up a mobile motorcycle tyre fitting business in the south west just so you dont need to spend 2.5 hours of your time to not get it right and then paying someone to correct it.
biketyres emj but at the end of the day his 2.5 hours of his time is free, to knock the bar and make the cones must of cost penny’s! Del like me love to try and do as much as he can on his own. A few years ago I laced my own wheel for the very first time, it is a black art and at the end of the day my mate had to do the final truing, but I did most of the work and it was satisfying to do it. As I said your own time is free and if you don’t try anything different then life is boring. Looking forward to your next video Del 👌
This set-up offers way less precision. I would have never posted this. Also for anyone that's looking for a motorcycle wheel balancer do not buy the cantilever type. Why? because of increased loading on the bearings. Standard wheel balancers have bearings on each side of the wheel and tire which splits the weight of the wheel and tire between the bearings. A cantilever design works like a lever which multiplies the total load on each of the two bearings. The further the tire and wheel is from the bearings the more the load on them. More load equals less sensitivity for balancing. Senior Mechanical Designer, just say'n.
Good point many over look about the middle area of the hub spacer tube. I was thinking that the stock axle could be used with some home spacers so the axle nut could be snugged up similar to your set up. To get any colour weights you want use the same type of touch-up I have used for decades on frames and wheels which is finger nail polish. The polish dries hard and I have met many street motorcyclists at drugs stores in the nail polish area. LOL. I have taken a tail section into the store to help better match its colour.
At the shop where I worked they had an old bubble balancer that I loved. Then the owner had the great idea to buy a spin balancer. I hated it and I set up the old bubble balancer in a corner for me to use on my own. LOL, Thanks for the easy peasy video.
One guy on you tube did what you did Del but with the weights on put the wheel at either 9 or 3 o’clock, if the wheel went down towards 6 he took weights off and if it went towards 12 he out more on. Simples
All right!! My friend 🤓✌️ New knowledge for the brain 😉 Cool! I say again and one More time.... your channel it's the best 👍🤘 Best wishes Regards And....see you!! 🤓🤘
Hi Geoff, Thank you in advance sir.. which reminds me, ill have a parcel for you too soon.. havent forgotten your grips mate.. they'll be on the way with a few other bits once ive changed them, and its in the next few videos... have a good week mate.. D&Px
I thought the cones were designed to nestle inside the bearing and thus the wheel rolls on its bearings not the jack stand saddle? This seems more prone to inaccuracy because as you said it depends on the jack stands sitting on a perfectly level surface.
No, the bearings offer too much resistance as they're packed with grease, they won't react to a 10 or 5 gm indifference, they're too stiff and having the jack stands level is important and exactly why I said it in the video.
Moonfleet41 ah, gotcha Del. Having never balanced a wheel myself I didn’t have a sense how sensitive this rebating were but you’re right; the grease would be way too viscous to allow free rotation. Thanks for the clarification. Great video. I’m so annoyed at having to pay to have this sort of thing done when it is “relatively” simple. 👍🏻
I have balanced many wheels using the propriety motorcycle wheel balancer and by and large they aren't accurate (I now have a dynamic balancer, which is 100% reliable). Your set up does have a couple of issues that further creates inaccuracies: 1) The tops of your axle stand pads are unlikely to be flat or level enough to allow free running of the balance rod (i know mine aren't!). The propriety units have pairs of ball bearings set at a uniform height for the plain rod to run in. 2) The threaded rod will generate drag as it rolls across to axle stand pad simply because it has a helical thread, it will try to move laterally as well as to and fro. Couple the above together and you have an unreliable arrangement. Have you checked the balance on a dynamic machine to confirm the accuracy of the balancer?
Reading recently that tyre manufacturers will not guarantee tyres that have any foreign objects or substances inside them at the time of failure.. whether its balance beads of gel.. personally ive used and trusted tyre gels for years.. and yeah, there's probably self protecting liability politics at work here.. but none the less.. ive also had a tyre turn out to be faulty (grew and egg on the side wall) and it was replaced under warranty.. so there's always considerations aye..!
Nice one Del bro, A cool wee updated vid to the old classic simple skills. Humility is key as well eh!! Awrabesht to you both from me & all the clan. 😉💙🤘
Thank you so much for this information. If you understand physics then this can be done at home. My biggest fear is the changing of the actual tyre. It seems so easy to damage either wheel or tyre or both. The balancing seems the easy part. I insist on very good tyres because, quite literally, my life is riding on those in all weathers. I guess I am just a bit too nervous to fit them on. I guess it's having the right tools for the job. If you have a video on (gently) changing a tyre you would have my vote for youTuber of the year. :) Well, you and Penny have that one in the bag anyway. :) Best wishes!
HI Patricia, too right indeed never attempt what you are not confident of.. and if in doubt, farm it out to someone you trust.. Have a good week and take care.. D&Px
I watch this channel because Del explains it all and Always States that if you try and it and your not happy then spend ya money and go to a so called pro , How many of us have been to shops and been less than impressed with the results ? i personally have learnt a lot and tried things that i thought i was not capable of doing and the satisfaction of " Yep i done that " is second to none ,
Thank you so much Mike, its usually no more than the fear of the unknown that keeps people from getting involved themselves.. and in some, that fear is so acute that they deem anything done at home to be dangerous and must be taken to a commercial person to do the job... i guess you either have an adventurous spirit or you don't aye... Thanks for your kind support sir,, enjoy your weekend.. Del.
I used to enjoy wrapping lead solder around spoke nipples to balance wheels..now solder is lead free and i have cast alloy wheels mostly ..how times change..👍🏻👍🏻☮☮❤❤
Times change indeed brother.. i used to enjoy pegging playing cards to my spokes....but ill leave that there, you know they crying platoon will only get upset..!
Okay, you're going to laugh. They honestly didn't have stick on weights when I started riding. So Harleys could use standard weights used on car rims that clip to the bead lip. On Trumpets (Triumphs), as they were affectionately called, we would go through a similar procedure to balance. Then we would use plumber's heavy wire solder and wrap it in a spiral around the spoke....
Yeah ive seen clamp on weights on old steel rims, probably still a really efficient way of doing it.. Hope its beginning to thaw over there noe buddy, keep warm and keep in touch.. D&Px
Love the engineering and the craft on the wheel balancing set up you made Awesome Can you use the holes that the axel stand have for your set up just saying 🤔
Ok so I’m gonna have go at this, but is the first way you showed us around 6 years ago with a piece of tubing going through the wheel on axel stands( you even suggested using boxes) now not the way to do it... because I don’t have a lathe to turn those cone bolts that centre the wheel..
Use what you have Colin, the more accurate equipment you can either buy or make for yourself, then the easier you will make the job, the principle is the same either aye... Good luck with it. !
Harley Street Glide with Roulette rims, put on Michelin Commander ll 's, I brought my tire and rims to a buddies shop for balance and install. He installed them and put the small stick on weights on the rims. At about 100 miles those little suckers flew off and dented (outward) my front fender in 2 places (spider cracked the metallic paint) Brought it back and he said "usually we dont balance Michelins since they are pretty balanced from the factory."...WHAT....Del what's your take on that! Do I really need to balance the tires...this is the 3 rd time the weights flew off and from different installers. Could it be my rims are too porious for the sticky foam backing of the weights? Cracked fender paint, Im pissed!
Hi Scott.. Sorry to hear that buddy, and i have a theory, ever tried sticking a bumper sticker to the textured plastic fender on your car?.. or a textured plastic dash board?... notice how they peal right off again!!! If the paint on those rims is textured like the "wrinkle finish" on the motor... then that'll be the problem.. nothing sticks to wrinkle finish... those weights need to be stuck only to shiny flat metal...and also more importantly, laying flat on a horizontal plane, that way centrifugal force keeps them in place, not vertical on the side of the rim where it would actually rip them off..!!! You could try riding the bike with no weights on and see how it rides.. its not impossible that a wheel can be close enough to perfect with no weights..you'll soon feel it if its way out.. the bars will shake at certain speeds and the wobble will be pretty evident... so give it a try carefully and see how it goes... !! good luck with is sir, let me know how you get on... Del.
@@Moonfleet41 Hey Del I have been riding w/o the weights on the rims for 2500 miles, I can live with the little big of unbalance, its not bad enough to make me buy new rims. I might eventually take them off and polish out the aluminium sections so they shine. Thanks for your videos
Another good vid Del. I really appreciate your down to earth how to vids...they help alot. Have a brake question for you. Recently changed out wheels and rotors on a 2001 Fatboy. Brake pads are touching rotor (both front and rear---no daylight between pad and rotor). I have been told they will rub some that it is the nature of a brake pad setup (stock calipers). Old stock setup front had slight rub but would free spin about 1 1/2 turns with minimal effort (while on jack)...back seem to rub even less (stock wheels and rotors). The pads are the original factory pads...bike did sit for a few years (brake fluid is at least 5 years old). I can see one of the pads has a few chips on side of it...gonna go ahead and install new pads and new fluid in both front and back. Also will clean caliper and will check brake piston to make sure no rust (if so I will clean it). Your vids showed me the proper way to do pads and new fluid (thank you). If I do the spin test on jack now both the front and back spin maybe a half cycle and that is with alot more effort than it did on old setup. Could this just be a matter of the old pads needing to be bedded in for the new rotor? How many turn should it do on a free spin with an 01 Fatboy? Sorry for long question. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Hi there buddy, good to hear from you, ok to answer your question in a short, straight way... give it time to bed in before you judge it, if you've cleaned the pistons on the caliper properly, then when you push them right back in to their sockets in order to fit the fat new pads, then they can be a little stiff when they're right back like that... so go ride the bike for say 50miles, day to day... just stick your hand on the disc each time you stop to make sure it's not binding and getting too hot... and they should bed in and free off once they've settled down. Once they're settled down they'll start working properly... then you can judge them again o the spin test, and a full turn is plenty, they're heavy wheels remember, and as for that fluid, you really need to change that at 5yrs old... make sure you use the correct fluid, Harleys generally use the DOT5 silicone fluid, you can get it from the dealer, it's not expensive, but it does not mix with anything else... have a video coming up at the weekend, which you may wanna watch... I've cleaned, re-furbished the brakes on the Dyna, fitting new pad and new fluid, so should help you out a great deal if you need it... good luck, all the best, Del
@@Moonfleet41 Thanks Del. Look forward to the vid...ordered pads online and they will be here Tuesday (ordered Lyndall Brake pads-- Gold Plus 7195-GPLUS...splurged on the pads...figured they are important and shouldn't cheap out this time. lol). thanks again.
The tyre gel actually helps to balance the wheel... its a moving substance and will find the lowest point via centrifugal force...works a bit like DynaBeads.... so yeah, go ahead.!
Well presented fella, just about bang on how the tyre trade do it. Quick tip for ya, chop a couple of strips of weights up into single ones for initial balancing, then for the permenant sticking on, cut the exact amount as one piece if possible, looks much better than a few odd single weights. IE: one ten and two fives instead of 2 single tens. :) RSM8
@@Moonfleet41 Anytime mate, anytime. There is or was a cleaner called Bufsol, (short for buffing solution lol) that didn't harm any paint type coating, but it was never cheap. Had a lovely smell though, one sniff and you're high for a few minutes lol.
I love your videos! Thanks for all the great information. My motorcycle was knocked over recently, and the steering lock broke (among other things)! Any advice on how to repair?? @moonfleet41
Not sure Josef, there are so many different thing that could be wrong with your lock, like all things, its a case of strip it alart, check what is actually broken, and replace it if you can.. Thank you for your kind words, Del.
There are a few negative comments here. For those with pockets FULL of cash, take your Bike to the Tyre shop and let them do it all. This video is about saving pennies when you don't have the luxury of a good income.
Doesn’t even have to be about income, some of us aren’t so defeatist as to not be open to learning something new every once in a while. Saving money is just a bonus that comes with the satisfaction of not paying money for old rope to a bike shop..
@@deano7955 Exactly why i don't fit my own tyres, they're only pennies cheaper to buy online once you factor in the shipping..and they'll never damage a rim line you can yourself..!
See we have the usual keyboard experts,yes you can take it to an expert and yes there is probably 101 different ways you could do this,but please remember this is dels “how to” way,and you do have the CHOICE!!! And we really don’t want to be here all day just balancing a couple of wheels,its only a harley so probably wont go much over 50 mph any way....hahahahaha,sorry del,now can we get on with the assembly and wrapping hahahahaha
ha ha, my sentiments exactly.. just sharing what "I" choose to do.! Not wrapping yet, thats last on the list, but I rather think you like the next two videos James..!..
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Thank you! I love that you show methods to use existing or more useful accessories to do these jobs!!!
I bought a tire changer kit that came with a wheel balancer, it's paid for itself and then some. I now have most of my riding buddies come over and we'll change the tires and balance the wheels, of course we don't go by time, we go by pints...some wheels it's only a two sip balance, others take a couple of pints ;)
Been fitting my own tyres for more years than I can remember, sick of the poor service and silly prices at tyres fitters. Never bothered Balancing but I will now. Thanks Del.
I have a balancer that works on this Principal. Never had a tire come back out of balance. 25 years of mounting tires in a bike shop. FYI this is how Dunlop and Bridgestone balanced tires at the track. Again with a proper balancer but same concept. All the people commenting it still moved doesn’t mean any thing. As long as it’s under 7grams you will never notice it, and a tire will still turn just a few grams out. Another good video my friend
Thank you for the endorsement buddy, of course in terms of the race team's practices, I knew this, but you know how the armchair critics are, they always know better, even though they're never done it themselves... I've been balancing wheels this way all my life and never had a wheel out of balance on the road... not to mention, I've seen bikes come straight out of the dealership with 0 miles, and sporting 70gms of weight on the back wheel, so they're never made perfect... thanks for sharing your experience and expertise mate, much appreciated.
Thank you for the endorsement buddy, of course in terms of the race team's practices, I knew this, but you know how the armchair critics are, they always know better, even though they're never done it themselves... I've been balancing wheels this way all my life and never had a wheel out of balance on the road... not to mention, I've seen bikes come straight out of the dealership with 0 miles, and sporting 70gms of weight on the back wheel, so they're never made perfect... thanks for sharing your experience and expertise mate, much appreciated.
For those asking about balancing, you can buy a set of cones, a rod plus bearings for both ends for not much more than a tenner off ebay. They work extremely well. Lots of weights these days are zinc plated/painted steel - they're garbage . . . make sure you buy lead weights. I suspect they're illegal to sell for car wheels but you can still buy lead weights for bikes. Problem with steel is it isn't as heavy and so weights are bigger but also, they don't stick properly because the weights won't mould into a concave shape when pushed onto the wheel but instead, stay straight. This means they only really make proper contact with a small patch at either end of the weight and almost invariably come off. Del . . . you might want to make a video of how to change a tyre - I do my own . . . no need for any expensive kit. I made a circular bench about 18" in diameter with a central hole for the disk. Lay the wheel on the bench and use a 12" G-clamp to break the bead, easily and controllably. Then remove the tyre using zip-tie method BUT I use duct tape instead as it is infinitely thinner and allows very easy removal of the tyre when lubed with tyre wax/paste - same for replacing. Did front and back tyres on my 1050 Tiger but also back tyre on my S1000RR and managed to do it with not a single tool other than a G-Clamp to break the initial bead. Easy when you know how but it was certainly a learning process getting the technique sussed out the first couple of times I did it . . . . lots of videos on TH-cam but most will have you cringing in horror as owners bash and dink their rims into oblivion!!!This is how Mr Anal did it!!!! . . . th-cam.com/video/_8nghfByRww/w-d-xo.html
ybliga.... Having watched your uploads re: tyre change and wheel balancing I totally agree with all your comments. There's a lot of tut out there on fleabay so buyer beware.... the BZP iron/black painted FE iron weights are trash. They will not conform to the radius of the wheel, they will corrode/rust and the stickability is suspect long term due to the fact they cannot bend to the shape of the wheel. Please do your research and only buy lead weights that will adopt the natural curvature of the wheel shape after applying a little pressure and perform as well as expected..... Too many people get sucked in to this modern day advertising hype.
Where have you seen just rod/cone kits available on eBay? Here in US the kits only include jack stand equivalents and are USD 40+. The only rod/cone combo by itself is a ridiculous $70. Harbor Freight seeks a bullseyes/bubble style for $79...
here you go - I bought mine a couple of years ago but I am in the UK so maybe you can't pick this up in the States?? www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Warrior-Motorcycle-Bike-Wheel-Balancer-Kit-Supplied-With-Paddock-Stand-Adapters/303015673685?hash=item468d243f55:g:h3IAAOSwfYpcLLCB:rk:20:pf:0
@@ybliga thanks for the link mate! :) btw i use extra heavy duty cable ties, like one ur mrs would be scared of kinda ones, i hung from 1 in my shed and it wouldnt snap. I imagine using duct tape might lead to a sticky situation ;) 😂
@@ybliga thanks mate!!
Is it possible to balance a tire using the axle on the stands, with the axle not moving and rolling on the bearings? What is the negatives of balancing a tire that way? What is the positive of doing it this way?
Right on bud. I will do the same. Thank you sir!
Regarding 'centering' the tubular spacer (radially) on the all-thread rod:Del advises securely tightening the cones to center the tubular spacer on the all-thread rod. However, since the cones will come to bear upon the edge of the wheel bearing inner race, the cones will never touch the spacer. How will tightening the cones 'center' the spacer on the rod?The position of the tubular spacer during balancing is probably insignificant, since it's so close to the wheel axis.
"Permanent.." yeh ha ha.. Walking my dogs over the last 13 years, pick up lots of crap, one thing is wheel weights, have kilograms of them, all picked up from the side of a road.. Cheers fo a great show again, think I finally understand wheel balancing. Got two new tyres to go on my Fazer b4 M.O.T. next wednesday... cheers
enjoyed that tutorial del even at 56 (the wife will be furious because we live at 54 !) lol.. i'm learning something new each day !
Thanks Tom, always appreciate your kind words!
From what I could see when you were finished the tyre was still moving
Shouldn't it stop were ever you leave it .
Yup...
Yes. This wheel is not balanced. It was still moving quite a lot.
I set up a mobile motorcycle tyre fitting business in the south west just so you dont need to spend 2.5 hours of your time to not get it right and then paying someone to correct it.
biketyres emj but at the end of the day his 2.5 hours of his time is free, to knock the bar and make the cones must of cost penny’s! Del like me love to try and do as much as he can on his own. A few years ago I laced my own wheel for the very first time, it is a black art and at the end of the day my mate had to do the final truing, but I did most of the work and it was satisfying to do it. As I said your own time is free and if you don’t try anything different then life is boring. Looking forward to your next video Del 👌
Absolutely brilliant del you explained it so simple and I'm definitely going to give this a try. .thank you so much del
Thank you Sir, much appreciate your kind words, glad it might help you mate!
as always Del......thanks bud.....brill explanation, what would we do without you......best regards, Pan rider...
Thanks Nigel, you're most welcome Sir!
This set-up offers way less precision. I would have never posted this. Also for anyone that's looking for a motorcycle wheel balancer do not buy the cantilever type. Why? because of increased loading on the bearings. Standard wheel balancers have bearings on each side of the wheel and tire which splits the weight of the wheel and tire between the bearings. A cantilever design works like a lever which multiplies the total load on each of the two bearings. The further the tire and wheel is from the bearings the more the load on them. More load equals less sensitivity for balancing. Senior Mechanical Designer, just say'n.
Good point many over look about the middle area of the hub spacer tube.
I was thinking that the stock axle could be used with some home spacers so the axle nut could be snugged up similar to your set up.
To get any colour weights you want use the same type of touch-up I have used for decades on frames and wheels which is finger nail polish.
The polish dries hard and I have met many street motorcyclists at drugs stores in the nail polish area. LOL.
I have taken a tail section into the store to help better match its colour.
At the shop where I worked they had an old bubble balancer that I loved. Then the owner had the great idea to buy a spin balancer. I hated it and I set up the old bubble balancer in a corner for me to use on my own. LOL, Thanks for the easy peasy video.
One guy on you tube did what you did Del but with the weights on put the wheel at either 9 or 3 o’clock, if the wheel went down towards 6 he took weights off and if it went towards 12 he out more on. Simples
D&P Magic!
It's such a pleasure to watch and learn from you "guys" .
Rgds from S Africa
Clive
Thanks Clive, always good to hear from you, thanks for your support brother! D&Px
Wow that was really cool Del. Thank you for showing how to balance a tire. I have learned something new today.
Thanks Del, really useful as always. Keep up the good work.
Glad you enjoyed it mate, you're very welcome!
Never new it was that easy Dell thanks pal 👍😎
Awesome job Del. Thanks for sharing..
Concise and precise, with sensible caveats - nice one, Del 👍
Thanks Keith, nice to hear from you mate, hope you're well, looking forward to seeing ya Sunday...
All right!!
My friend 🤓✌️
New knowledge for the brain 😉
Cool!
I say again and one More time.... your channel it's the best 👍🤘
Best wishes
Regards
And....see you!! 🤓🤘
Thank you so much as ever David, always good to hear from you my friend, have a great week and keep in touch... D&Px
@@Moonfleet41 🤓✌️👍 it's a deal !!!
I've always wanted to balance my own wheels but never had the confidence maybe on my next project I will do them myself thanks del 👍
Go for it mate, if you aren't happy with the outcome, then what have you lost... !
Brilliant and simple
G'day guys , so easy to follow, & a bit of common sense in the end. Btw check your PO box towards the end of the week, 👍👍😎🏴
Hi Geoff, Thank you in advance sir.. which reminds me, ill have a parcel for you too soon.. havent forgotten your grips mate.. they'll be on the way with a few other bits once ive changed them, and its in the next few videos... have a good week mate.. D&Px
@@Moonfleet41 thanks guys all the best 👍😎
@@geoffozevans4500 Thanks Geoff... just emailed you privately buddy re. the postal delivery!!
@@Moonfleet41 Good on you Amigo 👍😎x
I thought the cones were designed to nestle inside the bearing and thus the wheel rolls on its bearings not the jack stand saddle? This seems more prone to inaccuracy because as you said it depends on the jack stands sitting on a perfectly level surface.
No, the bearings offer too much resistance as they're packed with grease, they won't react to a 10 or 5 gm indifference, they're too stiff and having the jack stands level is important and exactly why I said it in the video.
Moonfleet41 ah, gotcha Del. Having never balanced a wheel myself I didn’t have a sense how sensitive this rebating were but you’re right; the grease would be way too viscous to allow free rotation. Thanks for the clarification. Great video. I’m so annoyed at having to pay to have this sort of thing done when it is “relatively” simple. 👍🏻
I have balanced many wheels using the propriety motorcycle wheel balancer and by and large they aren't accurate (I now have a dynamic balancer, which is 100% reliable). Your set up does have a couple of issues that further creates inaccuracies:
1) The tops of your axle stand pads are unlikely to be flat or level enough to allow free running of the balance rod (i know mine aren't!). The propriety units have pairs of ball bearings set at a uniform height for the plain rod to run in.
2) The threaded rod will generate drag as it rolls across to axle stand pad simply because it has a helical thread, it will try to move laterally as well as to and fro.
Couple the above together and you have an unreliable arrangement. Have you checked the balance on a dynamic machine to confirm the accuracy of the balancer?
Skillfully done as always, Del!
🏍👍🏍
Two words....Ride On.
It's a flat tire preventer that also balances. Works best on non tubed tires though. It's just a modern upgrade to Slime.
Reading recently that tyre manufacturers will not guarantee tyres that have any foreign objects or substances inside them at the time of failure.. whether its balance beads of gel.. personally ive used and trusted tyre gels for years.. and yeah, there's probably self protecting liability politics at work here.. but none the less.. ive also had a tyre turn out to be faulty (grew and egg on the side wall) and it was replaced under warranty.. so there's always considerations aye..!
Nice one Del bro, A cool wee updated vid to the old classic simple skills. Humility is key as well eh!! Awrabesht to you both from me & all the clan. 😉💙🤘
Thanks Al, good to hear from you brother, love & hugs to the clan, D&Px
I figured out a way to balance my tires easily. Take them to the tire shop 😂 good tutorial mate
Hey that works too, did you know you can clean fogged up headlights with toothpaste... the baking soda kind!
@@Moonfleet41 yep and a few other chemicals too lol
Can you not just use the axle from the bike?
nicely done mate
Don't use nail polish remover as a degreaser Del, it is Acetone, quite aggressive. Instead use iso-propyl alcohol or brake cleaner.
Good tutorial for those who wanna give it a try.
👍👍👍.
Thank you so much for this information. If you understand physics then this can be done at home. My biggest fear is the changing of the actual tyre. It seems so easy to damage either wheel or tyre or both. The balancing seems the easy part. I insist on very good tyres because, quite literally, my life is riding on those in all weathers. I guess I am just a bit too nervous to fit them on. I guess it's having the right tools for the job. If you have a video on (gently) changing a tyre you would have my vote for youTuber of the year. :) Well, you and Penny have that one in the bag anyway. :) Best wishes!
HI Patricia, too right indeed never attempt what you are not confident of.. and if in doubt, farm it out to someone you trust.. Have a good week and take care.. D&Px
Great video thx! Where can you buy the cone bolts for the threaded rod?
I machined those myself Mark.
@@Moonfleet41 impressive skills! Well
done;)
where did you get the cone nut for the treaded rod
thanks for the video.
Great vid as always!🙏🏍
Would like to se a "spoked wheel truing tutorial" don't time 💪💪
Hi buddy, wheel building is a dark art, and I leave it to the talented professionals, that one's out of my skill set I'm afraid.
I watch this channel because Del explains it all and Always States that if you try and it and your not happy then spend ya money and go to a so called pro , How many of us have been to shops and been less than impressed with the results ? i personally have learnt a lot and tried things that i thought i was not capable of doing and the satisfaction of " Yep i done that " is second to none ,
Thank you so much Mike, its usually no more than the fear of the unknown that keeps people from getting involved themselves.. and in some, that fear is so acute that they deem anything done at home to be dangerous and must be taken to a commercial person to do the job... i guess you either have an adventurous spirit or you don't aye... Thanks for your kind support sir,, enjoy your weekend.. Del.
Del, what about balancing beads? Are those effective for bike tires? Or not worth it? Noisy maybe?
I have to say I've never used them, but i hear they are good, no good for inner tubes, but ok for going inside tubeless tyres..!
I used to enjoy wrapping lead solder around spoke nipples to balance wheels..now solder is lead free and i have cast alloy wheels mostly ..how times change..👍🏻👍🏻☮☮❤❤
Times change indeed brother.. i used to enjoy pegging playing cards to my spokes....but ill leave that there, you know they crying platoon will only get upset..!
i was thinking on Delboy from only fools and horses show
Nice one Del , enjoyable as usual 👍👌
(P) Great as always, I used your last vid on this to do the wheels on the T140V. Proper job 👍🏻
Cheers mate, simple stuff aye mate, you could use it on your Tiger too!
So you are telling me that on motorcycle wheels, the balance is not affected by which side on the wheel you are putting the weights?
How do you make the cones without a lathe???
Best hack is to mount the hex bar in a pillar drill, then cut the taper with a hand held grinder as it spins....but be careful, it's a bit sketchy..!
Okay, you're going to laugh. They honestly didn't have stick on weights when I started riding. So Harleys could use standard weights used on car rims that clip to the bead lip. On Trumpets (Triumphs), as they were affectionately called, we would go through a similar procedure to balance. Then we would use plumber's heavy wire solder and wrap it in a spiral around the spoke....
Yeah ive seen clamp on weights on old steel rims, probably still a really efficient way of doing it.. Hope its beginning to thaw over there noe buddy, keep warm and keep in touch.. D&Px
Where did you get those cone nuts from ?
....From my own skilled hands !
Nice well balanced video lol. 👍
See what you did there Dave lol
Love the engineering and the craft on the wheel balancing set up you made Awesome Can you use the holes that the axel stand have for your set up just saying 🤔
Ok so I’m gonna have go at this, but is the first way you showed us around 6 years ago with a piece of tubing going through the wheel on axel stands( you even suggested using boxes) now not the way to do it... because I don’t have a lathe to turn those cone bolts that centre the wheel..
Use what you have Colin, the more accurate equipment you can either buy or make for yourself, then the easier you will make the job, the principle is the same either aye... Good luck with it. !
Thanks for the reply... I’ll give it a go...
How did you make the cones?
Spun them up on the lathe mate.
why not start with rotating tire (dot) to the heavy spot, less weights needed
Word of caution, some nail polish removers are acetone based. 91% Alcohol or 100% alcohol are safer for painted surfaces.
Powder coated rims mate.
Harley Street Glide with Roulette rims, put on Michelin Commander ll 's, I brought my tire and rims to a buddies shop for balance and install. He installed them and put the small stick on weights on the rims. At about 100 miles those little suckers flew off and dented (outward) my front fender in 2 places (spider cracked the metallic paint) Brought it back and he said "usually we dont balance Michelins since they are pretty balanced from the factory."...WHAT....Del what's your take on that! Do I really need to balance the tires...this is the 3 rd time the weights flew off and from different installers. Could it be my rims are too porious for the sticky foam backing of the weights? Cracked fender paint, Im pissed!
Hi Scott.. Sorry to hear that buddy, and i have a theory, ever tried sticking a bumper sticker to the textured plastic fender on your car?.. or a textured plastic dash board?... notice how they peal right off again!!! If the paint on those rims is textured like the "wrinkle finish" on the motor... then that'll be the problem.. nothing sticks to wrinkle finish... those weights need to be stuck only to shiny flat metal...and also more importantly, laying flat on a horizontal plane, that way centrifugal force keeps them in place, not vertical on the side of the rim where it would actually rip them off..!!! You could try riding the bike with no weights on and see how it rides.. its not impossible that a wheel can be close enough to perfect with no weights..you'll soon feel it if its way out.. the bars will shake at certain speeds and the wobble will be pretty evident... so give it a try carefully and see how it goes... !! good luck with is sir, let me know how you get on... Del.
@@Moonfleet41 Hey Del I have been riding w/o the weights on the rims for 2500 miles, I can live with the little big of unbalance, its not bad enough to make me buy new rims. I might eventually take them off and polish out the aluminium sections so they shine. Thanks for your videos
Another good vid Del. I really appreciate your down to earth how to vids...they help alot. Have a brake question for you. Recently changed out wheels and rotors on a 2001 Fatboy. Brake pads are touching rotor (both front and rear---no daylight between pad and rotor). I have been told they will rub some that it is the nature of a brake pad setup (stock calipers). Old stock setup front had slight rub but would free spin about 1 1/2 turns with minimal effort (while on jack)...back seem to rub even less (stock wheels and rotors). The pads are the original factory pads...bike did sit for a few years (brake fluid is at least 5 years old). I can see one of the pads has a few chips on side of it...gonna go ahead and install new pads and new fluid in both front and back. Also will clean caliper and will check brake piston to make sure no rust (if so I will clean it). Your vids showed me the proper way to do pads and new fluid (thank you). If I do the spin test on jack now both the front and back spin maybe a half cycle and that is with alot more effort than it did on old setup. Could this just be a matter of the old pads needing to be bedded in for the new rotor? How many turn should it do on a free spin with an 01 Fatboy? Sorry for long question. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Hi there buddy, good to hear from you, ok to answer your question in a short, straight way... give it time to bed in before you judge it, if you've cleaned the pistons on the caliper properly, then when you push them right back in to their sockets in order to fit the fat new pads, then they can be a little stiff when they're right back like that... so go ride the bike for say 50miles, day to day... just stick your hand on the disc each time you stop to make sure it's not binding and getting too hot... and they should bed in and free off once they've settled down. Once they're settled down they'll start working properly... then you can judge them again o the spin test, and a full turn is plenty, they're heavy wheels remember, and as for that fluid, you really need to change that at 5yrs old... make sure you use the correct fluid, Harleys generally use the DOT5 silicone fluid, you can get it from the dealer, it's not expensive, but it does not mix with anything else... have a video coming up at the weekend, which you may wanna watch... I've cleaned, re-furbished the brakes on the Dyna, fitting new pad and new fluid, so should help you out a great deal if you need it... good luck, all the best, Del
@@Moonfleet41 Thanks Del. Look forward to the vid...ordered pads online and they will be here Tuesday (ordered Lyndall Brake pads-- Gold Plus 7195-GPLUS...splurged on the pads...figured they are important and shouldn't cheap out this time. lol). thanks again.
I am sorry for pointing this out but your camera lens is dirty a bit my friend ride safe great video very very useful
Simple and effective. As usual, an excellent video! 👍
Hi, those wheels are SO nice; fact is, I was that lost in admiration I almost missed the Swedish nut lathe at 10:33 : ) x
Thanks buddy, am proper proud of them...!
Do you change your own tyres? I'f so have you or could you do a vid. Thanks.
No I don't mate, I get such a good price on them from the guy I use, that there's no benefit in doing it myself!
Bloody hell, wish my ktm would keep tyres for that long mate 😂 great video, again :)
Nice tutorial Del. That will help a lot of people out. Ride safe mate. Cheers
Hey Del. Great tutorial as usual. I was wondering what you thought of balancing beads? Do they work or are they junk?
Thank you Shannon, i have heard a lot of good feedback about them.. but not used them myself..
cool video.... i can use this ty
It will be accurate to do that if you put slime inside your tire? Is anyone tried balancing that before?
The tyre gel actually helps to balance the wheel... its a moving substance and will find the lowest point via centrifugal force...works a bit like DynaBeads.... so yeah, go ahead.!
Only Tea Money 😉👍
Up there for thinking del and down there for dancing my grandfather use to say that all the time 😂😂 I mean no offence by that at all dell 👍
Mine used to say the same!
LAST !! (SO FAR) 😁
Love your videos about practical stuff like this. I do fit my own tyres and use a similar method to balance. 👍🏻😬
Would it not be better to pay for a dynamic balance? Not that expensive, much quicker and wheels would then be spot on.
No need for a motorcycle tyre, would be worth buying a 30 quid static balance rig though
Great video buddy, great advice and tutorial, regards Stu
Great video as ever Del thank you
Yes take it to a professional. Tea money well spent.
👍
Do we really need a video for this ?...
👍👍👍👌👌👌👌
Top man, I need to do this. Wondering if I can buy a balancing bar as I don’t have a lathe, will do some research.
What did you end up buying? Im learning and want to know what is a good balancer to get
Ain't gravity useful. Any chance you can knock out some cones for people to buy from you ;-)
If i had the time mate, then i would, but two videos a week, plus a day job, i struggle to keep up as it is..!
@@Moonfleet41 thought it might be a nice little earner ;-)
Well presented fella, just about bang on how the tyre trade do it. Quick tip for ya, chop a couple of strips of weights up into single ones for initial balancing, then for the permenant sticking on, cut the exact amount as one piece if possible, looks much better than a few odd single weights. IE: one ten and two fives instead of 2 single tens. :) RSM8
Thanks buddy, great advice, much appreciated!
@@Moonfleet41 Anytime mate, anytime. There is or was a cleaner called Bufsol, (short for buffing solution lol) that didn't harm any paint type coating, but it was never cheap. Had a lovely smell though, one sniff and you're high for a few minutes lol.
I love your videos! Thanks for all the great information. My motorcycle was knocked over recently, and the steering lock broke (among other things)! Any advice on how to repair?? @moonfleet41
Not sure Josef, there are so many different thing that could be wrong with your lock, like all things, its a case of strip it alart, check what is actually broken, and replace it if you can.. Thank you for your kind words, Del.
Moonfleet41 Thanks Del :) I’ll get to work.. will also keep watching and stay subscribed! Keep it going!!
How the heck do you get 1 thumbs down let alone 26.....I cant fathom the reason why.
There are a few negative comments here. For those with pockets FULL of cash, take your Bike to the Tyre shop and let them do it all. This video is about saving pennies when you don't have the luxury of a good income.
Too right Tim.. well put.!
Doesn’t even have to be about income, some of us aren’t so defeatist as to not be open to learning something new every once in a while. Saving money is just a bonus that comes with the satisfaction of not paying money for old rope to a bike shop..
@@TheSmartStar Couldn't have put it better myself Connor.. thanks buddy.
To be fair most places fit free to loose wheels..
@@deano7955 Exactly why i don't fit my own tyres, they're only pennies cheaper to buy online once you factor in the shipping..and they'll never damage a rim line you can yourself..!
First
See we have the usual keyboard experts,yes you can take it to an expert and yes there is probably 101 different ways you could do this,but please remember this is dels “how to” way,and you do have the CHOICE!!! And we really don’t want to be here all day just balancing a couple of wheels,its only a harley so probably wont go much over 50 mph any way....hahahahaha,sorry del,now can we get on with the assembly and wrapping hahahahaha
ha ha, my sentiments exactly.. just sharing what "I" choose to do.! Not wrapping yet, thats last on the list, but I rather think you like the next two videos James..!..