Tire balancing beads, good or bad?

[SIR REAL ED]

Acronyms can mess you up if splashed around thoughtlessly.
I used to go to the Swan Hill Institute of Technology and belonged to the Australian National Union of Students..
But I always expressed it in long hand…

You always struck me as a "blue collar Frat Boy" type.

Next time you get near the book store, pick up a couple t-shirts or sweat shirts for me in XL please.

[Huzo]

You always struck me as a "blue collar Frat Boy" type.

Next time you get near the book store, pick up a couple t-shirts or sweat shirts for me in XL please.

Are you sure you picked up the meaning in the post SRE ?

[wirespokes]

I've never seen a yellow dot, only the red. Perhaps those who say there's no difference (balanced or not) have rubber mounted handlebars. I know I can feel the difference. I even balance my clutch when it's all apart. Also, I believe I'll start balancing the wheel when the tire is off or at least mark the heavy spot. The valve stem isn't always the heavy spot, and the location to place the red dot.

[faffi]

As I have learned it, the red dot is the heavy spot, the yellow is the light spot of the tire. Hence, if this is correct, the red dot should be placed opposite the valve stem, the yellow next to it.

Anyway, I fitted the new Bridgestone something-23 to my son's MT07, yellow dot lined up at the valve, but I left the 25 grams of balance weights from when I fitted the former CST front tire to the bike. Amazingly, the new Bridgestone was balanced perfectly without changing anything

[michaell32]

Also, I believe I'll start balancing the wheel when the tire is off or at least mark the heavy spot. The valve stem isn't always the heavy spot, and the location to place the red dot.

This has been my experience as well.  I've tested my 21" front wheel as well as a 17" and 18" rear wheel on my DR650.  On all three the heavy spot of the bare wheel and the heavy spot with the tube on the wheel has not been at the valve stem.  I have seen the yellow and red dot though.

[wirespokes]

Come to think of it, ever since I've been doing my own tires since the 60s or 70s, the data I had was that the red dot goes at the heavy spot which everyone assumed was the valve stem. It wasn't till the 90s when I got an airhead that I changed tires in earnest. Before that, it was mostly removing/replacing a tire when straightening a rim. Probably never rode enough to wear out a tire before that. And I sure don't recall having ever seen a yellow dot. I'll be watching for it now.

[SIR REAL ED]

This has been my experience as well.  I've tested my 21" front wheel as well as a 17" and 18" rear wheel on my DR650.  On all three the heavy spot of the bare wheel and the heavy spot with the tube on the wheel has not been at the valve stem.  I have seen the yellow and red dot though.

I like that idea!  Check the balance of the wheel itself if fitting a tubeless tire, or check the balance of the wheel & tube if fitting a tube type tire.  Mark the wheel accordingly if the tire is fit with a red dot or yellow dot.

 

[kballowe]

The yellow dot indicates the lightest point on a tire and the red dot indicates the highest point.

Some wheels are marked for the lowest point and that's where the red dot aligns.

Some tires are marked with neither and that's OK.

[guzziart]

My Eldo came with balancing beads the PO had installed.  The only problem I had with them was whenever I had to add air to the tires the schrader wouldn't reseal until I gave it another blast of air.  Why it required another shot or two of air to clean the valve seating area is beyond me.  Maybe they beat themselves to smaller particles, idk.  I suspect the beads did their job though, didn't notice any unbalance with those tires that I recall.  As for balancing, I use a Marc Parnes balancer & spool solder on all my laced wheel stuff to stay in touch with the old skool ways.

[Moparnut72]

My recently purchased Jeep Gladiator had the red dots directly opposite the valve stems on all four wheels.
kk