Calibrating new tires

Hey guys,

When you install new tires, you do always calibrate them, right?
I ask this because where i live it is usual that bike shops have the machine to change tires, but almost none of them has the equipment to perform calibration.

What is your insight on this?

Thanks,

By 'calibration', do you mean balancing the tyre to the wheel? 

Here, all tyre changers I know, have a balancing machine to identify where to attach the balancing weights.  I'm not sure how you could do it without one.....

Something like this perhaps?!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-GA10-Wheel-Balancer-Manual/dp/B001K48KZW

Or this?

23£ at Biltema.

I guess by 'calibrate' you mean balance?

Most place here will balance the wheels when new tyres are fitted, but really, if you fit the tyres with the light-spot in the correct place (lining up with the valve) it is often unnecessary.

If your tyres are really out of balance then you will notice vibrations, usually at one particular (often high) speed.

If they are so badly balanced that you notice then you will probably also be able to balance them while they are on the bike:  

1. Remove the the bake caliper and tie it out of the way and jack up which ever end of the bike you need to balance.  If you are balancing the rear wheel then remove the chain from the sprocket.

2.  The wheel should now spin freely on the axle.

3. Spin the wheel slowly and watch where it comes to rest, mark the lowest point with some chalk.

4. Spin it again and see if it comes to rest in the same place.  If the wheel always comes to rest with the same point towards the ground then this is the heaviest point.

5. Buy some wheel balancing weights from ebay, wemoto or whereever eg. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-STRIPS-LEAD-FREE-STICK-ON-WHEEL-BALANCE-WEIGHTS-CAR-VAN-MOTORBIKE-/141277099544?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20e4c57618

6. Take the smallest weight and sellotape it onto the wheel *opposite* the heaviest point.

7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to see if the wheel still stops in the same place, if it does then add more weights, if not carry on.

8. Clean/degrease the wheel at the point you want to put the weights on and stick them on.

9.  Repeat steps 3 and 4 just to makes sure there aren't any more 'heavy' points, if there are then
treat them the same way.

10. Put everything back together.




Sorry for the poor description - if you type 'motorcycle wheel balancing' into youtube you can probably find a video of this.  You don't need a special stand unless you really get into it or you race bikes - doing it on the bike is probably good enough for everyday use.

Thanks for the writeup ET.
If there is one thing that it is not lacking is for bad description.

I always wanted to mention "balancing" yes.
I do not have 1 real life motorcycle friend, so im always doing and discovering things on my own.
And although i can make many theoretical motives to justify balancing or not balancing, i wanted to get a feedback from you guys. Feedback from people who ride everyday (like Badseeds and Little Donkey) are always more trustworthy than from an ordinary guy who is more like a webRider than an actual real life one.

Thanks for your input.