Tire balancing beads, good or bad?

[SIR REAL ED]

Does anyone here use tire balancing beads?

Or if you are opposed to using them, what are your reasons?

Enquiring minds want to know!

[Wayne Orwig]

I mounted tires for a few decades without balancing them. Never noticed.
I got a static balance setup and started balancing them. I never noticed a change.

Just saying, if someone claims their 'magic dust' is best, how would they really know.

[TN Mark]

I’ve never used Dyna Beads or the slime/goo stuff people squeeze into their tires. But I have used the Centramatic disc system for 150k miles on two Victory bikes with excellent results. Excellent tire life with equally excellent tire wear patterns.

If a shop removes your tires from the rim and dumps beads or goo/slime all over the floor, they’d be rightfully torqued off at you.

[faffi]

The beads work, but only above 45-50 mph. You can find good tests of this on YouTube and otherwise online. Best for Interstate use, not for town riding/driving.

[Perazzimx14]

For years I used Dyna Beads then moved to CounterAct balance beads as they were more cost effective. I used to buy 2 or 3lb bulk and used 1oz front and 2oz rear in most common motorcycle tires. As a side note I also used 95/5 solder on wire spoke wheels and stick on balance weights if that what people wanted. None of them ever had a negative effect on a but were a PITA to deal with when replacing tires. You have to be very careful so as not to sill them all over the place. I even made a scoop out of a squirt bottle to scoop out the beads to reuse.

In 2018 I bought a 2007 R1200GS and in anticipation of a trip to Labrador it needed fresh tires. I ordered a set of Shinko 705's and installed them and thought lets go for a ride before I install the balance beads. If I experienced a imbalance I could always add in the beads. Took the bike out and it was smooth at all speeds and from that day forward abandon balancing tires. I experience no better or worse ride quality, fuel economy or tire wear with ot without balance beads or any type of balancing. A friend of mine a high mileage rider who goes through around 10 sets of tires a year also has skipped balancing and see's no difference in the aforementioned.

Interestingly enough the 2024 GSA I'm on my 3rd set of tires and since I hate removing the sticky residue from the wheel weights I have left the factory wheel weight in place and just spooned on new tires and still no imbalance or difference in ride quality. These wheels also have TPMS.

In short I'm saying you can balance your motorcycle tires with any means possible or don't balance them at all and there is no difference.

If you want I think I still have several ounces of CounterAct balance beads on the work bench. I can send them to you for free and even cover shipping. I do ask in return that you do a good deed like donate blood or time and/or money to your favorite charity as a sort of payment.

[malik]

I've been using them since, at a guess, about 2010/11 - say about 400,000km (258k miles) on the two V7s. Good, & I average 20,000km (12,000 miles) on a rear tyre & 50,000km (30,000 miles) on a rear. Works well with tubes, tho' I don't know how convenient they'd be in tubeless - I can see them getting loose easily.

I started using them after getting a flat mid trip (farm country outside Adelaide; not a lot of passing traffic), changing the tube & carrying on - that tyre scrubbed out in less than 5,000km - seriously out of balance. I came across the Dyna beads & have used them ever since. Automatic balancing, no special tools, skill or judgement required. No worries about changing a tyre beside the road in the back of beyond. The spare tubes packed on long rides are usually already loaded, as well as a spare ounce in a vinyl tube in the tool bag next to the tyre levers, just in case.

Recommended. At least try them out & see if they work for you. Resupply (once, only recently) is very cheap - I bought the small pack & now have enough for the next millennium.

[kballowe]

I mounted tires for a few decades without balancing them. Never noticed.
I got a static balance setup and started balancing them. I never noticed a change.

Just saying, if someone claims their 'magic dust' is best, how would they really know.

^^^^   This  ^^^^

[tommy2cyl]

I always balance, but I  balance just the wheel alone which cuts down substantially adding additional weight with a new mounted tire.

[Perazzimx14]

I guess to answer the question "Tire balancing beads, good or bad?" the answer is neither 

If the question do balance beads work or do motorcycles benefit from balancing the tires that is s different kettle of fish and the topic of much debate.

[SIR REAL ED]

I guess to answer the question "Tire balancing beads, good or bad?" the answer is neither 

If the question do balance beads work or do motorcycles benefit from balancing the tires that is s different kettle of fish and the topic of much debate.

Luckily, as always at WildGuzzi, one question asked leads to several questions answered!!!

Reading between the lines is a great talent to possess!!

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

I don't use them, simply because I don't want to buy and deal with them. I haven't done tire work on my Moto Guzzis, but on my Hondas, Yamaha, Ducati, Cagiva, etc in the past I have always just stuck to wheel or spoke weights. If more than a few are required, then investigate a potentially damaged wheel or defective tire. I've noticed that Michelin, Avon, and Continental tires often lack a balance dot on the tire and have been told this is because their tolerances are so tight any tire that would have one fails quality control and is not sold. I have had defective Pirellis and Shinkos though, so tire defects are certainly not a thing of the past!

I have used slime in a tubed tire to address a tube leak around the valve stem. I know many people run it all the time, but for me that was a limp-home ride. The tire felt "off" with slime in it, especially at low speed.

[Huzo]

https://youtu.be/T47s4L1Wje4?si=0VBD7JhZLEIYHBmM
This is the best explanation I’ve seen.

[SIR REAL ED]

Just for giggles, I got out a pair of jack stands and a length of all thread and checked out the wheels.

The front wheel will balance with 1.25 ounces of weight.  Say 1 ounce at 12:00 and 1/4 ounce at 10:00.

The rear wheel is perfectly balanced as is.

So I am going to ride it as is for a bit, then add weights to the above locations and see if I notice a difference.

[Littlefield]

I don’t use them because I can’t understand how they work. For the life of me, I can’t visualize why the little beads would migrate and stay at the light side of the tire. If  anything, it seems like they’d go to the heavy side.

[Bulldog9]

I've never used the beads. Didn't sit right with me. I do as a matter of course add a bottle of Rideon which has helped. I have a shop mount and balance my tires.. Just not my thing.