83 1100E - tube or tubeless?

[mcycle-nut]

Interestink! Neither my '82 E or my '83 ES have rims that say "tubeless" on them. The '82 E is at the present in tubeless form, as that's how it was when I bought it, and I didn't even think about whether that was the norm or not. I have not changed tires on the '83 ES yet, but it appears to have tubes in it, just by looking at the valve stems.

[trumpetguy]

My 82 GS1100E rims are tube rims, but I am terrible at mounting tires with tubes in them -- I pinch it EVERY time. I put enough miles on my bikes that I don't want to pay someone else (or have to get them to a shop) to mount tires. When it still had a tube in it, I had a flat on the rear and ran it flat with my wife on the back. I was new to the bike and had never run two up and didn't know it was flat. The tire stayed on the rim at highway speeds with a passenger. I'd say the security lip is not all that important (MY opinion only).

So on my most recent rear tire replacement in May I decided to go tubeless in the back. I cleaned the rim really well and smoothed any nicks in the seating area with a file. I used a scrubber to get all old rubber off and rinsed it clean before mounting the new tire. Front tire was not replaced, still has a tube in it, and it needs air added regularly. The rear holds air flawlessly and handles great. I have done a long tour loaded with camping equipment and several long rides two up with NO issues.

FWIW, as hard as it is to break the bead loose on those tube wheels, I'm not even a little worried. I have a 98 Suzuki and it is absolutely no harder to break the bead on that one (WITH the safety ridge).

[BlackandBlue]

The rims on my 83 GS1100E say nothing about tube or tubeless. Although the closest thing I found was "TB". After running tubes since I've owned the bike I installed one of these tubeless valve stems on the rear last night. This morning the tire was still at 35 psi. After a ride I'll post an update.

http://www.bikebandit.com/drag-specialties-metal-valve-stem

[themess]

This discussion gives me wonder about the physics involved. If you have a sudden blowout at speed, is that small little lip going to have a marked effect on how the deflated tire carcass will behave? If so, would it not have the same effect when an inner tube deflates? Why would it not be a part of all rims? It is the same tire whether or not you put a tube in it. Does this mean that non "tubeless applicable" rims are inherently less safe than tubeless rims whether or not you use an inner tube?

Has much if any testing been done to confirm the efficacy of that lip in real world blowout scenarios? What sort of history do we have of crashes or other incidents caused by the absence of a lip on a tire rim? These things would be good to hear because the overwhelming body of empirical evidence seems to favor that there is little if any difference between the two types of rims in normal use. I simply have never heard from anyone who had a serious problem based on the design of the rim, only on the condition (cracks, casting flaws, etc.).

I don't know how much testing was done on the bead sealing ridge. I can only guess, and here is my guess: The ridge makes no difference when the tire is properly inflated. But when the tire is low on air, and simultaneously it severely disturbed (hitting a pothole at highway speeds) the bead could be induced to slide a bit, leading to instantaneous loss of all air in the tire.

I personally would not run a tire without a tube on a motocycle rim that doesn't have the ridge. In your circumstance, I'd probably get a replacement 19" wheel from another model of Suzuki. Other option: Check tire pressure before every single ride.

[bwringer]

I personally would not run a tire without a tube on a motocycle rim that doesn't have the ridge. In your circumstance, I'd probably get a replacement 19" wheel from another model of Suzuki. Other option: Check tire pressure before every single ride.

Mmkay, what about the wheel in my photo above that clearly does not have ridges, yet is marked "TUBELESS"? (That wheel is from an 1100G or GL, FWIW.)

Hmmm? Hmmm? What about THAT?

[themess]

Mmkay, what about the wheel in my photo above that clearly does not have ridges, yet is marked "TUBELESS"? (That wheel is from an 1100G or GL, FWIW.)

Hmmm? Hmmm? What about THAT?

You've got me there!

Here's a guess: a scheduling screw-up at the factory. The TUBELESS label probably made it into the sand casting, while the grooves didn't. A few times I saw the wrong sidewall marking plates put into tire molds. Those tires were always scrapped.

And another guess: DOT probably requires the bead ridge for tubeless motorcycle rims. Just a guess.