mpg and balancer tension adjusting

[Don S]

Excellent write up Norm. Never knew the mechanics of tire construction/changing until now. Thanks for taking the time to share this with the group. Don Norm Keller wrote: Usually I start by calling it rude names (VBG) and if that doesn't help I resort to WD40. Going beyond 60 psi is beyond my courage and even that is likely beyond the limits one should use. Most wheels have a raised ridge parallel to the wheel rim, called a "safety bead" which is intended to help in preventing the tire side wall from separating from the wheel rim. So long as the tire remains in firm contact with the wheel rims the tire will usually operate in a reasonably predictable manner. If the tire separates from the wheel rim, it will roll and bunch so as to cause it to steer the wheel in unpredictable ways. If that happens you're likely going to be sliding rather than riding. I read an article recently in which the writer recommended grinding a section of the safety bead to allow the tire to be more easily broken away from the rim for easier off road tire repair. He did not recommend this practice for on road use. I would not resort to the practice at all. When mounting or dismounting a tire it should be quickly evident that the bead area of the tire is not elastic. The area is reinforced by steel wire, nylon, Kevlar or some other fibre to prevent the tire from stretching so as to loose its grip on the wheel. In order to force one section of the tire over the wheel rim, the opposite side of the tire will have to be in the drop section in the centre of the wheel. If anyone hasn't noticed this area, have a look at any bike or cage wheel and you will notice a ring of wheel which is of smaller diameter than the bead area next to the wheel's rim. The drop section is usually near the centre of the wheel and the spokes typically depart from the drop section. Sometimes a ham fist type would succeed in forcing a cage tire over the wheel rim without placing the opposite section of the tire into the drop section. The force required to do this would often bend the steel wheel rim over or break an alloy wheel. If that were not enough, the tire's bead reinforcement would sometimes be broken so the tire would blow off when attempting to inflate. Really nice for the next of kin..... In order to seat the bead which is to say, "force the tire's bead area over the safety bead such that the tire is in firm contact with the wheel rim, quite a lot of force is required. Remember, the tire will not stretch so the relatively thin rubber between the bead reinforcement and the wheel must compress/deform enough to allow the tire to slip up over the safety bead. The more ridged the tire, the safer it is likely to be in resisting separating from the wheel in the event of driving while flat. The more ridged the tire, the more difficult to seat the bead. Add to that friction due to deposits on the wheel or rough wheel surface........ A basic principle of tire mounting has always been that a mounting lubricant must not damage the tire or wheel, and that the lubricant should become inactive after mounting so that it does not encourage the tire to rotate on the wheel. If a tube type tire rotates on the wheel the valve stem is most likely to be torn from the tube which will result in a flat. Perhaps this will result in a very rapid deflation.... Fast Eddie Copeman advocates that the valve stem nut be run out against the valve cap so that the valve stem is free to cock if the tire rotates on the wheel. Pre-ride inspections would make it obvious that some movement has occurred, hopefully before damage. If some movement were to occur the tube would need to be deflated and reinflated to allow the tube to relocate so as to remove the strain. I have adopted this practice as it seems to be so logical with no real downside. WD40 would seem to be less than ideal as a mounting lubricant however I finally had to eat crow and resort after 3 hours of fighting a Kenda 270 on my KLR. Long term listers will recall the debate over this practice but will (hopefully) have forgotten the position I took. (VBG) The practice is so wide spread with users who are more than credible so I've joined. WD40 dries readily and inspection of my own tires indicates no detectable residue so the proof seems to be in the pudding..... Warming parts is an almost ignored possibility but works very well for many things. I don't understand the concern over conservatively riding on a difficult tire to encourage seating however it goes without saying that seating should occur quite soon or the tire must be assumed to be defective. It amazes me that so many people seem to ignore the need to inspect and clean the wheel and tire to encourage mounting. If anyone does not accept the risk of having a tire come off the wheel during inflation, a simple experiment can be set up. Select a rubber soled sandal and hand it to your ex-wife. Now tell her you never loved her and that her butt is hideously large....... Consider how that sandal would feel with about 5,000 pounds behind it rather than the 400 pounds of the ex-wife...... The defence rests....... Norm

>Hi Norm, >Death by tire--No thank you very much. >Always the voice of reason, >what is your 'upper limits' and what does Norm >do when he has reached >that limit when dealing with an abNorm-al, >difficult tire? >revmaaatin. going to heaven, but hopefully not >during a re-tirement ceremony

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Birdmove]

My 2005 KLR650 had been averaging about 56mpg while I was working in Seattle and commuting 65 miles a day via freeway riding. Since I switched jobs and my commute has dropped to about 15 miles round trip via nice lower speed backroads my mpg has improved. My last tank came out to 61.4 mpg! I just did an oil change at 2000 miles (yeah-low miles-buy I have two other cycles).I'm using up my supply of Chevron Delo 400 15W-40 diesel engine oil (popular oil for Kenworths etc). I also did the balancer chain adjustment.My KLR runs noticeably quieter after this adjustment.Maybe ts my imagination, buy it seems to run smoother also. jon in Puyallup, Wa.