Wheel Balance

According to many motorcycle riders, proper wheel balance makes no noticeable difference in performance. Some riders don’t even bother with balancing their motorcycle wheels. Wheel balance is critical on a car but not a bike. You probably won’t notice any difference in a balanced motorcycle wheel compared to an unbalanced motorcycle wheel. The main advantage to wheel balancing on a bike is that the tire will wear a little better than it would if it were out of balance. The suspension and steering should perform more stably when the wheels are balanced but you probably won’t be able to notice the improvement. I like to be thorough so I bought a balance stand. For the reasons just stated, I would not spend over a hundred dollars on a balance stand, however.

Dynamic v Static Balancing
The typical balance stand you will find online is a traditional static balancing stand. Many shops do something called dynamic balancing which requires sophisticated electronic equipment. Dynamic balancing takes into consideration not only the weight difference around the circumference of the wheel (radial) but also the weight difference from side to side (axial). You DO NOT need to have a motorcycle wheel balanced dynamically. In fact, unless you have one of those super wide rear wheels, I doubt you will benefit from dynamic balancing any more than good old fashioned static balancing. Here is a post I made based on an online search for an explanation of dynamic vs static balancing (see my post, #20, bottom of page 2).

http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=D6DD6484-D56B-84E2-1FCCE8D23A7D5801&searchTerm=dynamic%20balancing&page=2&show=0

Static balance takes into consideration what point on the wheel's diameter is heaviest. Dynamic balance goes on step farther, pinpointing the heaviest spot of the tire radius and the tire width. This illustration shows how dynamic balancing is important for wide tires.

Tire Balancing Stand. You can make one of these or you can spend about $100 and buy one online. Like the other special tools made for tire changing, this balance stand has several identical twin brothers sold by other companies. I went with one of the cheaper ones but I avoided the absolute cheapest since this is supposed to be a precision instrument. Mine seems to work great.

The way that static balancers work is that they allow the wheel to rotate very smoothly around its axis on bearings. The friction involved in the rotation is greatly reduced. If there is a heavy spot on the wheel, it will come to rest at the bottom under the force of gravity. A heavy spot on the wheel is counterbalanced by the addition of small weights that are fastened or adhered to the rim. The wheel is in balance when gravity does not cause any particular spot to stop at the bottom in repeated tests. Thus, when turning at speed, centrifugal force in the wheel is equal around the entire diameter of a balanced wheel.

Static balancers are available for under $100. If desired, a cone rod and bearings may be purchased and the stand made out of wood as shown in Step 5, Balancing, Part 1. in this pdf online tutorial by Adam Glass.

http://www.clarity.net/adam/tire-changing.html 

I felt it was worth the cost and time saved to purchase the entire stand. Look for a stand that includes both the cone rod and the second set of points that screw through the uprights of the stand and are used to check wheel, rotor and sprocket runout.

When balancing the wheels, it is important to include all of the parts of the wheel that contribute to the weight distribution that rotates around the axle. Brake rotors and sprockets certainly have weight and should be on the wheel for balancing purposes.

The static wheel balancing stand and wheel weights I own were purchased online from Competition Accessories.

http://www.compacc.com/p/BikeMaster-Wheel-Balancer

http://www.compacc.com/p/Tape-Adhesive-Wheel-Weights

Tools:
piece of plastic cut from a milk jug
straight slot screwdriver
heat gun
balancing stand
Sharpie or piece of tape
tape
balancing weights

When new tires are installed, the rim balance is first checked without the tire to determine if there is a heavy spot on the rim. Remove the old tire from the wheel (see Tire Removal and Mount, steps 1-14).

1. Remove the wheel weights from the rim. For clip-on wheel weights, place a piece of plastic cut from a milk jug between the rim and the wheel weight to protect the wheel surface from scratches,. Use a straight slot screwdriver inserted over the plastic to twist the screwdriver and pry the weight off. Self adhesive weights probably are best removed by heating them up a bit with a heat gun and simply pulling them free with the fingers.

If there is a standard rubber valve stem it should be replaced at each tire change. (see Tire Air Valve Replacement, Introduction and steps 3). Metal valve stems may have the gaskets and o-ring seals replaced. Replace the tire valve parts before balancing the rim. Also, be sure all rotors or sprocket are installed to the rim with their fasteners exactly as they will be positioned when the wheel is reinstalled for use.

2. Place the cone rod from the balancing stand through the axle hole of the rim and fasten the cones in place with an allen wrench. Position the cone rod with the rim, sprocket and rotor(s) on the bearings atop the balancing stand.

3. Gently rotate the rim and and allow it to stop on its own. The heavy spot will be at the bottom when the wheel stops turning. The heaviest spot is usually where the valve stem is located. Mark the heavy spot on the rim with a Sharpie or piece of tape. Repeat the process several times to confirm the heavy spot. If the rim comes to a stop at different points repeatedly, the rim is balanced. There is no heavy spot.

4. Remove the rim from the balancing stand and remove the cone rod from the axle hole. Mount the tire to the rim and seat the beads (see Tire Removal and Mount, steps 15 through 40).

5. Find the heavy spot on the wheel with the tire mounted. Follow the same procedure as described in steps 2 through 4 of this tutorial. If there is no consistent heavy spot, the wheel is balanced, you are done. Reinstall the wheel to the motorcycle (see Wheel Removal and Installation, steps 13-25 or 40-53 ).

6. If there is a heavy spot identified, use tape to temporarily hold a balancing weight opposite of (180 degrees to) the heavy spot. Test the balance of the wheel with the weight in place on the rim. Add or subtract weight as needed until the wheel has no consistent heavy spot. The wheel is now balanced and ready to install. Remove the tape from the balancing weights and and affix the balancing weights to the rim.

Most balancing weights used by DIYers are the self adhesive kind. They can be cut if necessary with a hack saw to make lighter weights for precise balance.

You also may wish to use a piece of double sided tape instead of relying on the adhesive backing of the weights. I did this with the weights that I cut to a smaller size. The weights will stick to the wheels just fine but if you want, you can cover the weights with a color matching piece of duct tape for extra security.

You might wish to spray paint the weights a color that matches the rims before affixing them.

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/10/2018 @ 12:43 PM *

That stand is killer...I bought one myself...really a nice tool for getting wheels checked and balanced;)

Yes, it's a very simple principle. It's only as good as the bearings that the cone rod spins on but I think for most of us, the average bearing used to make these stands are perfectly fine. Mine turns very smoothly with the weight of a motorcycle tire. I don't see that it will ever need to be replaced as long as it is kept indoors and free from rust.

Yup....it's a cool stand.I have the ceramic bearings in my wheels...spin 'forever'LOL!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....ceraaaaaaamic beaaaaaaaaarings!

I hit mine with a few drops of 3-in-1 oil to keep the bearings from drying out over time. It seemed to make them spin better, too.

^^will have to try that danno. The bearings are completely closed but a light oil will seep in. The manufacturer grease might thin out but since these are not bearings that get constant use like wheel bearings do, I doubt there would be a problem with it.

I came back to this thread to report one thing that seems to be happening consistently and is making me question the rule about positioning the tire so the red dot is aligned with the heavy spot on the rim. I have balanced about 8 wheels now and I have always removed the wheel weights, found the heavy spot on the rim, installed the new tire and found the heavy spot again with the tire on....then reinstalled the proper amount of weight to balance.. What I am seeing is:

A) the heavy spot on the wheel without tire is always in the same spot. This should come as no surprise. The wheel is not changing; the tire is.

B) out of the 3 front/rear sets of rims I own, only one wheel has the heavy spot right on the valve stem.

C) I always line the red dot on the tire up with the heavy spot on the wheel ....BUT--when I put the wheel with new tire on the balancer, the heavy spot is the same as it was WITHOUT the tire.

D) The amount of weight needed to perfectly balance the wheel changes from one tire to the next (including one tire of the same brand to another of the same brand). The point on the wheel where the weight is placed doesn't seem to change very much.

This last wheel I balanced was marked carefully before removing the weights and the weights went back in nearly the same location as last time. The tire installed was exact same brand/model as previous tire. The new tire required twice as much weight to balance however.

I seem to be using using a lot more weights with Pirellli tires than I had been using with other tires. ...seems to suggest I am balancing the heavy spot of the rim and tire combined rather than using the tire to help balance the rim. I'm starting to wonder if the dot on the tire shouldn't be positioned opposite of the heavy spot on the rim. Installing a tire with the dot aligned to the heavy spot on the wheel does not seem to be improving the balance of my rims. Maybe Pirelli marks the heavy spot of the tire instead of the light spot??????

Next tire change, i will try positioning the dot 90° from the heavy spot on the rim. I don't want to try going a full 180 because if I'm wrong about this, I'll be putting a quarter pound of weights on the wheel to balance it.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/19/2016 @ 7:17 AM *

Are there 2 dots on the Pirelli? When I was getting my Dunlop Q3s mounted there were 2 dots one red and one yellow. Created some confusion as to which was which. For Dunlop the yellow is the light spot and the red dot is the harmonic imbalance?

* Last updated by: david5525 on 10/19/2016 @ 9:10 AM *

I have used Diablo Supercorsas twice and Diablo Pros one time. Both of these tires made by Pirelli had 2 red dots (transparent red paint---very hard to see unless you look closely) but they are only about an eighth inch apart. I'm sure the 2 red dots are marking the same spot. all six tires, front and rear had these two almost invisible red dots very close together so I guess that's just how they mark it. There are a couple threads on Pirelli tire red dots that come up when i google. From these, I gather that there is no manufacturer info about the red dots. People assume they mean light spot like other tires. I think they might be wrong but won't have a better idea until the next time I put on a new set of Pirellis----which should be soon. The 14 is due.

I used Q2s a few years ago. I think I had the same confusion you did. There was a dark red dot and a pink-orange dot. Found an explanation online and those tires balanced with very little weight.

I think you guys may be working at this too hard...I balance mine on the stock axels which I place on stands ..Seems to work for me ...and I ran 192 last weekend at Mojave..??? ( I cudda gone faster if I had shifted into 6th :)

That is one of the best tips ever!

Thank you

I think you guys may be working at this too hard.

* Last updated by: Rook on 10/19/2016 @ 7:22 PM *

Mine do :)

The double rollers spin the wheel at a touch and my stand was about as cheap as I could find. If the stock wheel bearings do that, they must be good enough. I don't think any of the 6 wheels I have are even close. ..but some people throw a handful of dynabeads in there and call it good. IDK if it works but it doesn't seem to hurt.

When I was racing I always static balanced my wheels. Believe me I could tell if they weren't balanced. I recently had someone else balance a rear tire on an electronic spin balancer. Tire felt like crap. I finally figured out they had not pulled all the old weights off. Had a ton on one side and some more old weights on the other. I'm back to doing my own.

Mad

In my opinion, Dynabeads are an insult..If you are going to ride these machines at even half their potential, you should learn basic maintenance for your own peace of mind..Again, my opinion..I will be shooting for 200 Plus in April at Mojave and I want to know every person personally who has touched my 14 :)

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