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.

[tommy2cyl]

Huzo:  Great video.  Learned something and entertaining.  Win- Win.

[faffi]

I have not come across many wheels/tires that are perfectly balanced. Yesterday, I fitted a 180/55 to my son's MT07, and it was 1.5 oz off. That is massive in my book. You need no more than 0.2 oz, or less, to find that the heavy spot will always end up at the bottom. I am happy when I can place the tire in any position, and it will stay there with what little friction there is in the special low friction bearings used in my balancer setup. YMMV

[MikeP996]

Good video but I find nowadays my brain seems to function better with "This works" or "This doesn't work" as opposed to "Here's a 15 minute  explanation of the physics involved!"  Maybe that's why in many videos I skip immediately to the last minute or two!!  ;) 

My personal experience with tire balancing is that it does produce a smoother ride at Interstate/M road speeds but I've never had any real precision balancing done. I do it myself without any special tools/balancing devices.  My general "feeling" with the bikes I have owned is that it's more noticeable to have a front wheel out of balance than a rear wheel but whether that's always the case I couldn't say.

Clearly the video shows that the beads will work at higher speeds and they are certainly less work than traditional wheel balancing.  Seems like they'd be worth a serious look for folks doing a lot of cruising though I agree with the concern for the shop that has to deal with little glass beads when doing tubeless tire dismounting!  :)

[faffi]

A tire out of balance, be that on car or bike, will work the suspension/bushings/bearings harder. And the more out they are, the harder you punish the chassis. If severe, you will also wear the tire unevenly, which again will lead to more imbalance. For some reason I have forgotten, the imbalance is felt mostly at 30-km speed intervals, or about 20 mph intervals.

Then again, there are several tire shops in town that lack the equipment to balance motorcycle wheels, so apparently enough people are happy with unbalanced wheels.

[Ncdan]

If a motorcycle tire is out of balance enough to need wheel weights to keep it from shaking a bike then the tire should be considered defective and replaced by the manufacturer.
I’ve never had a motorcycle tire balanced and never detected and abnormal reactions from the bike after replacement of a tire.
In the 80s when I was a motor officer we had 14 Honda CB900c and ran Dunlop Elite’s. They had to have tires between 3-4k miles. The Honda shop never balanced the tires and I never recall any tire vibration issues ever reported.
This is just my personal experience on the subject of beads and balance of MC tires.

[SIR REAL ED]

Good video but I find nowadays my brain seems to function better with "This works" or "This doesn't work" as opposed to "Here's a 15 minute  explanation of the physics involved!"  Maybe that's why in many videos I skip immediately to the last minute or two!!  ;) 

My personal experience with tire balancing is that it does produce a smoother ride at Interstate/M road speeds but I've never had any real precision balancing done. I do it myself without any special tools/balancing devices.  My general "feeling" with the bikes I have owned is that it's more noticeable to have a front wheel out of balance than a rear wheel but whether that's always the case I couldn't say.

Clearly the video shows that the beads will work at higher speeds and they are certainly less work than traditional wheel balancing.  Seems like they'd be worth a serious look for folks doing a lot of cruising though I agree with the concern for the shop that has to deal with little glass beads when doing tubeless tire dismounting!  :)

A very interesting part of that video was the requirement to get above 50 mph for the ball bearings to distribute properly to balance the wheel.

Short version of that video is the wheel wants to rotate around the Center of Mass (CoM).*  Or the Center of Gravity (CoG) in some people's lingo.  When the CoM/CoG differs from the center of rotation ** there is an "imbalance," throw in some mobile mass, and the mass rearranges itself around the center of rotation given enough rotational speed.  Since the center of rotation is physically restrained to be the axle, the wheel balances itself.

Physics - the fine art of forcing reality to behave the way you think it should!!!  TM (Trade Mark not Trancendental Meditation)

* - proper technical writing, if you are going to use an acronym, define it in the first use.
** - I resisted the temptation to create an acronym just to sound like an "expert." Which instantly destroyed my credibility & cool kid status.

Side note to reclaim my cool kid status:  Yesterday I got on the TP and talked to the PWATP at the local MCD and asked HMTC to B2MCWs.  They never asked the MCM in the MCSD and they couldn't quote me a price so I said FAI!

 



 

[SIR REAL ED]

If a motorcycle tire is out of balance enough to need wheel weights to keep it from shaking a bike then the tire should be considered defective and replaced by the manufacturer.
I’ve never had a motorcycle tire balanced and never detected and abnormal reactions from the bike after replacement of a tire.
In the 80s when I was a motor officer we had 14 Honda CB900c and ran Dunlop Elite’s. They had to have tires between 3-4k miles. The Honda shop never balanced the tires and I never recall any tire vibration issues ever reported.
This is just my personal experience on the subject of beads and balance of MC tires.

One of my buddies who works at a motorcycle dealer recently installed a tire that bounced even after being balanced.  The out-of-roundness was visible enough and was easily measured.  He sent a video to Shinko of the rotating tire that showed the out of roundness.  Shinko said "A new tire is on it's way to you.  Just send us a video of you destroying the defective tire."

The explanation was that some tires on the bottom of the pile during shipping get deformed.

Interestingly, the last Shinko tire I bought had 5 braces installed between the tire beads when I received it.  I've never seen that before.

[kballowe]

These static balancers are a handy item to have and they're not all that expensive.

I like to give the wheel a good spin in order to check rotor runout, roundness, etc.

Most tires will show good balance already.

[faffi]

Each and one must do what works for them. If anybody is interested, here is what AI said about the forces involved:

A 50-gram (approx. 1.76 oz) unbalance has a severe and highly destructive effect on a standard passenger vehicle wheel, creating heavy vibrations and placing immense physical stress on your car's suspension. While 50 grams sounds small, the centrifugal force generated by that mass multiplies exponentially as the tire rotates faster.

## The Physics: What 50 Grams "Turns Into"
Because centrifugal force rises with the square of your speed, a 50-gram heavy spot pulls outward with drastically higher forces the faster you drive:

| Driving Speed | Centrifugal Force Created (Approx.) | What it Feels Like |
|---|---|---|
| 50 km/h (31 mph) | ~3 kg (6.6 lbs) | Minimal to mild shaking in town |
| 100 km/h (62 mph) | ~12 kg (26.4 lbs) | A rhythmic, hammer-like pounding |
| 130 km/h (80 mph) | ~21 kg (46.2 lbs) | Violent shaking; highly dangerous over time |

## The Real-World Effects on Your Vehicle
An unbalance of this size is highly noticeable and will rapidly cause damage if left uncorrected:

* Violent Vibrations: You will feel a dramatic shaking in the steering wheel (if it's a front tire) or through the seats and floorboards (if it's a rear tire). This vibration typically peaks at highway speeds (between 50–70 mph).
* Suspension & Bearing Wear: That 12 to 21 kg of force is yanking your wheel assembly out of alignment roughly 14 times every single second. This rapidly degrades wheel bearings, shocks, struts, and tie rods.
* "Scalloped" Tire Wear: The tire will bounce minutely against the asphalt, causing uneven, wavy tread wear known as "cupping" or "scalloping". This permanently ruins the tire.
* Decreased Fuel Efficiency & Braking: The constant micro-bouncing reduces the tire's uniform contact with the road, lowering traction, decreasing fuel economy, and slightly increasing braking distances.

## Is 50 grams normal?
During a fresh tire installation, it is very common for a computer balancer to detect a 50-gram imbalance due to natural manufacturing imperfections in the rubber and wheels. However, it must never be left that way. A technician will apply 50 grams of counterweights to bring the wheel down to a perfect "0" balance.


MOTORCYCLE SPECIFIC FOLLOW-UP REPLY:
A target of 5 grams as the maximum allowable imbalance matches the official factory specifications of premium manufacturers. For example, BMW Motorrad officially specifies a maximum balance tolerance of 5 grams for front wheels.

Why skipping balancing is bad practice:
1. The Physics: Motorcycles are Way More Sensitive Than Cars. People who skip balancing think, "A motorcycle wheel is small, how much can a few grams matter?" In reality, an unbalance is much more dangerous on a motorcycle than a car for two major reasons:

A car wheel is bolted to a massive, 1,500 kg chassis. The car's sheer mass dampens a small wheel vibration. A motorcycle is incredibly light. A 15-gram or 20-gram unbalance represents a much higher percentage of the vehicle's total weight, meaning the energy is transferred directly into the chassis and handlebars.

Car wheels only turn left and right on a flat plane. Motorcycle front wheels are critical to the bike's self-stabilizing geometry and gyroscopic effect. A vertical hop caused by an unbalance interacts with the steering axis, which can trigger low-speed handlebar wobbles or catastrophic high-speed "tank slappers" (headshake).

 Why Shops Skip It (And Why They Shouldn't)
When tire shops claim "modern tires are so well-made they don't need balancing," they are being lazy:
The Rim Factor: Even if a tire were 100% perfectly balanced out of the box, the wheel rim is not. Brake rotors, tire pressure monitoring sensors (TPMS), and the valve stem all create heavy spots on the bare wheel.
The "Dot" Myth: Premium tire manufacturers place a yellow or red dot on the tire sidewall, indicating the lightest or heaviest point of the tire, which is meant to be aligned with or opposite the heavy valve stem. This is a starting point to minimize the amount of weight needed, not a replacement for actual balancing.

[SIR REAL ED]

It is interesting that AL said that.  Pretty much everybody I have ever met named AL is full of it.

My calculation: 1.25 ounce imbalance in a 24 pound wheel is 3/10 of 1%.

I doubt I will notice that while riding below 140 mph... 

But I do agree with AL that if you can notice an imbalance, it should be corrected.

Land Speed Record chasers take note!!

[Perazzimx14]

It’s why I have all my bikes governed to 139.9 MPH

[Groover]

I've used Ride-On tire sealant in the first set of tubeless tires I had on my G5, and I liked it a lot. Bike felt like it was more "on a track" with it in the tires, also gave me a little piece of mind that it would save me from a flat in the middle of no-where. I saw how it looks when the tire is removed, looks just like a thick layer of really thick honey about 2" wide (with the amount I had it, which was a tad short from the recommended) on what would be the back side of the part of the tire that comes in contract with the road in a straight line. It does not spill, or even run. I had the old tire on its side and it never even moved from that middle strip where it settled in. Maybe if it's hot, it may move but seems like a great reliable product. I plan to use it again.

https://ride-on.com/

Direct link to the tire brochure, here you can see what it looks like:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0816/1935/3899/files/Motorcycle_Formula.pdf?v=1699462167

Dosage Table:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0816/1935/3899/files/Copy_of_Motorcycle_Kit_Dosage_Table_19_-_September_2022_1.pdf?v=1723135526

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I've used Ride-On tire sealant in the first set of tubeless tires I had on my G5, and I liked it a lot. Bike felt like it was more "on a track" with it in the tires, also gave me a little piece of mind that it would save me from a flat in the middle of no-where. I saw how it looks when the tire is removed, looks just like a thick layer of really thick honey about 2" wide (with the amount I had it, which was a tad short from the recommended) on what would be the back side of the part of the tire that comes in contract with the road in a straight line. It does not spill, or even run. I had the old tire on its side and it never even moved from that middle strip where it settled in. Maybe if it's hot, it may move but seems like a great reliable product. I plan to use it again.

https://ride-on.com/

I've used Ride-On several times with good results, but only inside of tubes. It's the modern equivalent of PJ1 Balance Plus, which I used in all of my motorcycles tires back in the '90s.

[SIR REAL ED]

I've used Ride-On tire sealant in the first set of tubeless tires I had on my G5, and I liked it a lot. Bike felt like it was more "on a track" with it in the tires, also gave me a little piece of mind that it would save me from a flat in the middle of no-where. I saw how it looks when the tire is removed, looks just like a thick layer of really thick honey about 2" wide (with the amount I had it, which was a tad short from the recommended) on what would be the back side of the part of the tire that comes in contract with the road in a straight line. It does not spill, or even run. I had the old tire on its side and it never even moved from that middle strip where it settled in. Maybe if it's hot, it may move but seems like a great reliable product. I plan to use it again.

https://ride-on.com/

Direct link to the tire brochure, here you can see what it looks like:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0816/1935/3899/files/Motorcycle_Formula.pdf?v=1699462167

Dosage Table:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0816/1935/3899/files/Copy_of_Motorcycle_Kit_Dosage_Table_19_-_September_2022_1.pdf?v=1723135526

Fascinating stuff.  Thanks for posting.

[Huzo]

A very interesting part of that video was the requirement to get above 50 mph for the ball bearings to distribute properly to balance the wheel.

Short version of that video is the wheel wants to rotate around the Center of Mass (CoM).*  Or the Center of Gravity (CoG) in some people's lingo.  When the CoM/CoG differs from the center of rotation ** there is an "imbalance," throw in some mobile mass, and the mass rearranges itself around the center of rotation given enough rotational speed.  Since the center of rotation is physically restrained to be the axle, the wheel balances itself.

Physics - the fine art of forcing reality to behave the way you think it should!!!  TM (Trade Mark not Trancendental Meditation)

* - proper technical writing, if you are going to use an acronym, define it in the first use.
** - I resisted the temptation to create an acronym just to sound like an "expert." Which instantly destroyed my credibility & cool kid status.

Side note to reclaim my cool kid status:  Yesterday I got on the TP and talked to the PWATP at the local MCD and asked HMTC to B2MCWs.  They never asked the MCM in the MCSD and they couldn't quote me a price so I said FAI!

 

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…