Uncle Phil
Site Supporter
You won't know until you try - and no real harm in trying.
Balancing beads for St1100
- Thread starter 1996St1100
- Start date
drrod
Site Supporter
I used the glass beads once (Counteract). They pulverized into a powder that coated the inside of tire. When checking the tire pressure some of this powder would get sucked into the schrader valve just enough to cause a slow leak. If you look at the video with the GoPro inside the tire, at the 7:30 mark, where he deflates the tire, there is a "cloud". I am thinking that the particles in the cloud are just big enough to clog the Schrader valve a bit. 
So from my limited experience, I would suggest you not use glass beads.
So from my limited experience, I would suggest you not use glass beads.
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Okay, try this. On my 2014 BMW F800GT, the bike came with weights on the wheels. It ran fine. Years later and I started changing my own tires, I removed the weights and installed the new tires. I'd seen a Concours rider use balancing beads. Worked fine.
Now this is the crucial part...on one of my later tire changes, I left out the balancing beads on purpose. And remember I'd also removed the wheel weights earlier. I was now riding with nothing to balance the tires except to align the dot on the side of the tire with the valve stem. And the tire rode just as smooth as can be.
A member on another forum once wrote one of the tire manufacturers about why their tires didn't have the dot on the sidewall. Their reply was that the tires are checked as they come off the assembly line, and if a tire was out of balance enough to require balancing, they would've scrapped the tire. So is it your wheel that's out of balance, and not the tire?
I haven't yet changed the tires on the F900XR, but when I do, I'll have balance beads ready just in case.
Chris
Yeah the ones I use are ceramic. They work good in the vehicles I use them in.
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Always those that tell me I am wrong, don't know what I am talking about, can't be right etc etc...
One of my previous careers was with Michelin, left them in mid 90's... spent some years visiting many large truck fleets and coach companies, Police forces etc etc.. and proved time and again that through proper vehicle and tyre maintenance, you could get some serious mileage out of your tyres.... car, bike, truck, industrial, earthmover.....
I discovered Dynabeads after I left the company and gave them a try, I had been riding for years, even demonstrated Michelin radials on my own CBR600F...... but not with the beads at that time!
I have used then in many bikes, started without them and then switched over, once I was sure they worked I added them as soon as practicable!.
The improvement on my two ST1100 in terms of smoothness and mileage was quite amazing, I went from a best of 8000 miles to 10,000 miles on my Avons, used them as Michelin didn't make a fitment back then that I could use......
I really, really don't care what folk say to me, I tested the life out of Dynabeads and continue to use them, have been using them for a very long time now on a good many different bikes., kept spreadsheets for maintenance, tyres, and all accessories to show costs and also tyre life etc....
Of course if you don't maintain your bike, don't check your tyre pressures regularly etc etc, then you should expect not to see the best performance from the bike or the tyres!
So, some say "snake oil" others will argue until blue in the face, carry on.... I have had people argue with me about why tyres wear badly and it's always the same stuff.
I've seen forensic examination reports on tyres involved in accidents and still had the user argue that they are right and Michelin were wrong...... until they get to court.....
Folks, you will never know until you try something for yourself, so have at it..... or don't, your choice!
Bit of a rant that, wasn't it....
-->
Always those that tell me I am wrong, don't know what I am talking about, can't be right etc etc...
One of my previous careers was with Michelin, left them in mid 90's... spent some years visiting many large truck fleets and coach companies, Police forces etc etc.. and proved time and again that through proper vehicle and tyre maintenance, you could get some serious mileage out of your tyres.... car, bike, truck, industrial, earthmover.....
I discovered Dynabeads after I left the company and gave them a try, I had been riding for years, even demonstrated Michelin radials on my own CBR600F...... but not with the beads at that time!
I have used then in many bikes, started without them and then switched over, once I was sure they worked I added them as soon as practicable!.
The improvement on my two ST1100 in terms of smoothness and mileage was quite amazing, I went from a best of 8000 miles to 10,000 miles on my Avons, used them as Michelin didn't make a fitment back then that I could use......
I really, really don't care what folk say to me, I tested the life out of Dynabeads and continue to use them, have been using them for a very long time now on a good many different bikes., kept spreadsheets for maintenance, tyres, and all accessories to show costs and also tyre life etc....
Of course if you don't maintain your bike, don't check your tyre pressures regularly etc etc, then you should expect not to see the best performance from the bike or the tyres!
So, some say "snake oil" others will argue until blue in the face, carry on.... I have had people argue with me about why tyres wear badly and it's always the same stuff.
I've seen forensic examination reports on tyres involved in accidents and still had the user argue that they are right and Michelin were wrong...... until they get to court.....
Folks, you will never know until you try something for yourself, so have at it..... or don't, your choice!
Bit of a rant that, wasn't it....
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I really appreciate your input. I have used them previously in big truck tires as well and had good luck with them there . Getting ready to put new tires on the bike so I figured I would give them a try. What kind of tire pressure are you running on your bike? I have been running my pressures a little high to help with cupping on the front tire. Thanks again
Well a few things can cause cupping..... on my ST1100's I always ran 38lbs/psi Front and 42lbs/psi rear...... always solo.....
I fitted my own tyres for years but as age increases my hands aren't what they used to be, that and laying on the garage floor is not something I like to do anymore, as folk say, never get on the floor without a plan for getting up.... I used t laugh at that... not any more!
Many years ago I had a guy who had been to the Black Forest on his RT, had a strange wear pattern on his front tyre.... asked him if he enjoyed the roads, the twisties, the downhill fast ones etc.. He replied that he had indeed.... I asked if he braked heavily whist making the most of the twisties.... Oh yes! Was his reply....... I then explained that he was basically running for short periods with an overloaded front end and hence underinflation on the front tyre.... and so some bad wear pattern....
HIs eyes glazed over and he said he had never considered that......
I fitted my own tyres for years but as age increases my hands aren't what they used to be, that and laying on the garage floor is not something I like to do anymore, as folk say, never get on the floor without a plan for getting up.... I used t laugh at that... not any more!
Many years ago I had a guy who had been to the Black Forest on his RT, had a strange wear pattern on his front tyre.... asked him if he enjoyed the roads, the twisties, the downhill fast ones etc.. He replied that he had indeed.... I asked if he braked heavily whist making the most of the twisties.... Oh yes! Was his reply....... I then explained that he was basically running for short periods with an overloaded front end and hence underinflation on the front tyre.... and so some bad wear pattern....
HIs eyes glazed over and he said he had never considered that......
I do definitely ride hard on the front tire. the higher pressures I run helped a lot with the tire cupping. hopefully the new tires won't have that issue.