tires-wheels

[Il-Ed]

I have a GS550L with a flat rear tire so i ordered a new tire thinking it had tubeless tires then found it has a tube.Can i run a tubeless tire or do i need a tube for it?
Thanks in advance
Ed

[chef1366]

If you do it yourself like I do use a tube.
Check the rim it should be marked tubeless and if a shop does it go tubeless.

[mixongw]

I do all my tire work and never use a tube. Why use one?

[chef1366]

I do all my tire work and never use a tube. Why use one?

Most people don't have the tools to seat the beads. How do you do it?
Hairspray and a lighter?

[Nessism]

I do all my tire work and never use a tube. Why use one?

Well...maybe because most GS's have rims designed to take a tube?

[TheCafeKid]

I have run tubeless on "tube" rims with pretty good success. ALthough, it can be a BI7CH to get them to seat, especially on the fronts for some reason. I would suggest running a tube however, because the early rims were accused of being pourous.

[Steve]

Most people don't have the tools to seat the beads. How do you do it?
Hairspray and a lighter?

I have seen the hairspray/lighter fluid videos and they scare me. I just use lube on the tire, a clean rim and about 50 psi.

Well...maybe because most GS's have rims designed to take a tube?

I have not done a count of bikes produced per year, but the cast rims came out, when, 1976? 1977? "Tubeless" rims started appearing in 1980? 1981? GS production stopped in 1984? 1985? Depending on how many bikes were made in each year, it seems that there might have been more years of production with the "tubeless" rims.

I have run tubeless on "tube" rims with pretty good success. ALthough, it can be a BI7CH to get them to seat, especially on the fronts for some reason. I would suggest running a tube however, because the early rims were accused of being pourous.

If you have early (maybe porous) rims, you can apply some epoxy to the inside to seal them, if you really want to go tubeless. Difficulty seating the beads has a lot to do with how the tire has been stored and how well it's lubed. If the tire has been squashed during storage, it will be hard to spread the beads enough for them to grab. If the inner edge of the bead is dry when trying to seat it, it will take a LOT of pressure to get them in place. Generous amounts of lube will help that process.

.

[mixongw]

Most people don't have the tools to seat the beads. How do you do it?
Hairspray and a lighter?

I am using DynaBeads ceramic balancing beads from Inovative Balancing, so I want to avoid moisture in the tire. Instead of using soapy water on the beads, I use silicone spray. I spray only the tire beads and not the wheel so as to avoid getting silicone on the brake rotors. I just inflate the tires to the maximum pressure and they usually go "pop" and the beads are seated. If the bead doesn't seat, don't be tempted to add more pressure. Deflate the tire and rotate the tire on the rim about 1/4 turn and give it another go. I've only had to do that once. If you are having a problem with the tire beads meeting the rims so as to take pressure, I use a ratcheting tie-down strap. Just go around the circumference of the tire at the center of the tread with the strap and tighten so the beads meet the rims. Then add some pressure. After the tire starts to take pressure, release the ratchet on the strap. Don't forget to reset the pressure to the proper running pressure. Good luck and be careful.

[mixongw]

Well...maybe because most GS's have rims designed to take a tube?

I could be wrong but I thought that most GS's used cast aluminum wheels, not spokes. Every aluminum wheel I have seen are compatible with tubeless tires. My GS1100 has the word "Tubeless" cast into the edge of the rim.

[Steve]

I could be wrong but I thought that most GS's used cast aluminum wheels, not spokes. Every aluminum wheel I have seen are compatible with tubeless tires. My GS1100 has the word "Tubeless" cast into the edge of the rim.

Yes, yours is among those that are marked "Tubeless". I don't know when the cast wheels came out, but they came with tubes, too. About '80 or '81 some of the rear wheels were marked "Tubeless", but the fronts (on the same bike) were not. About a year later, both wheels had the "Tubeless" markings.

.

[geisterfahrer]

Yes, yours is among those that are marked "Tubeless". I don't know when the cast wheels came out, but they came with tubes, too. About '80 or '81 some of the rear wheels were marked "Tubeless", but the fronts (on the same bike) were not. About a year later, both wheels had the "Tubeless" markings.

.

My '81 is marked that way. I am running tubes in both, anyway.

[Il-Ed]

Thanks guys i installed the tubeless tire and all is well so far.I am waiting on a set of brake pads so will be a few days before i can ride it which will give me a chance to keep check on the tire pressure.
Ed