Tires... Tube or Tubeless?

[J_C]

Hey guys, I'm trying to order some new treads. Besides finding some that actually have both of my sizes in a given model (100/90-19 and 130/90-16) I've realized that I don't know if I have tubed or tubeless tires...

Presently, the tires on there are the Bridgestone Spitfire 11... Does this mean anything to anyone? Thanks!

[mark]

You're 1980 should have the rims stamped "tubeless". If there isn't any such stamp the rim originally came with a tube on it.

My '79 has one of each. The back is marked "tubeless" the front has no such marking, even though both originally came tubed (I think).

I run both of my rims tubeless now, (there is some controversy here) although after some research it seems to be true that a tubeless rim has a little more of a lip on it and is said to hold the tire better in case of a flat. Also my tube rims are said to be a little more porous and my front leaks air a little faster than the rear which others have noted. The shop I went to, in order to mount the tire said there is no problem. Others disagree.

To run tubeless you need a valve stem, which you don't need on a tube rim.

[focus frenzy]

tubeless tires are tires that can run without a tube in them.
you can put a tube in them.
now your wheels are not listed as tubeless type wheels but you can go tubeless if the wheels will hold air.

early cast wheels were often porous and would leak air above a reasonable level. with the Suzuki wheels it is hit and miss, most work just fine and don't leak, but some do and you have to use tubes with them.

later model GS's have improved wheels that are marked tubeless.

you can clean up the inside of the rim and put down a thin coat of epoxy sealing the rim to prevent any leaks or you can paint the inside of the rim to seal them.

or you can just use tubes.

I have a 80 1000G and I run tubeless, the rear tire does not loose any pressure, but the front does loose about 3psi every two weeks.

[J_C]

Thanks for the response guys. Really I'd just like the easiest way out possible. So if that means I have to run tube tires, then I guess that's what I have to do. Albeit.... I'm not sure if the spitfires are tubed or not, so that just creates more questions


Edit: Where would it say "Tubeless" on the rim?

[focus frenzy]

you can put tubes in tubless tires.

odds are you will be perfectly fine without tubes.

and taking a can of wall mart spray paint and coating the inside of the rim will make sure it won't leak.

[J_C]

ok, thank you! I appreciate all the feedback Ive received

[Hap Call]

I've run tubeless tires for 15 years on my '81 1100 with no problems but there is a difference at the point that the tube and the tire meet. There is an additional sealing ridge that you would not normally notice on a rim designed to run tubeless. There have been reports on the tire slipping on a tube rim, but I've never seen it happen myself.

Hap

[chuckycheese]

Tubed

I may be mistaken but I don't think you could find tires of that size that are not tubeless. (I run tubes in mine.)

[J_C]

Hey guys, thank you for all of your help. I have a new set of spitfires on the way; I think I'll try the 404s next. Anyway; as for running the tube inside of a tubeless tire... How exactly is this done?

Where would I purchase the tube, at the place that's mounting the tire or is this a specialty item?

And is this a pain in the ass for the guy mounting, or is it no big deal.

Lastly, can tubes be reused from tubeless tire to tubeless tire?

Thank you very much!!

[mark]

The issue won't be with the tires....it will be with the rims. If you have valve stems mounted on your rims, they will need to be taken off in order to make room for the stem on the tube to poke through the hole.

None of this should be a big deal for the place that mounts your tires, although they might have to order the tubes that you need.

Just to keep things clear: You keep saying tubeless "tire". As noted above, you probably can't find a tubeless tire, the tubeless issue you have with GS bikes has to do with the rims.

[J_C]

Ahhhh, ok things are becoming much clearer now. Thanks for the explanation Mark, I think I'm beginning to see the issue. I'm not exactly sure how the valve stems work (if they're mounted on the rim now, doesn't that mean I'm running without a tube?) but I am confident the shop will be able to figure it out without me rattling on about it. They're a salvage shop specializing in older bikes, so this shouldn't be a problem. Cheers.

[Joe Nardy]

JC,

Here's the condensed version of the tube vs. tubeless story:

Prior to the late 70's motorcycles had spoked wheels. Spoked wheels require tubes because they have a bunch of holes drilled in them and are not airtight.

Around the late 70's to early 80's cast wheels started to appear on motorcycles. Casting techniques weren't perfected as of yet and cast wheels weren't always air tight. Plus tubeless motorcycle tires weren't very common at the time so most early cast wheels were still designated for tube-type tires. As time went on tubeless tires became more popular, casting techniques got better, and the bead design of wheels was changed to seat the tire better. The bead redesign was due to the fact that a bead failure in a tubeless tire means instant deflation which was not an issue on tube-type tires.

So, a wheel marked 'tubeless' should have an airtight casting and a slightly different bead design. That being said, many wheels not marked 'tubeless' are indeed airtight and many people have run tubeless tires on non-tubeless wheels for years with no problems whatsoever. Due to liability laws you may have a hard time finding a shop that will mount a tubeless tire on a non-tubeless wheel.

There will aslo be a difference in the size of the valve stem hole. A tubeless wheel will have a larger hole than a tubeless wheel. The hole can be drilled out to accomodate the larger stem if you decide to go tubeless. If your existing valve stem has a nut or two nuts on it and is the same diameter from top to bottom you probably have tubes.

Hope this helps,
Joe

[J_C]

Joe, that answered all my questions, Thanks! I now know that I most likely do have tubes; if the tire guy recommends replacing them then that is what I will do. Thank you for the explanation!