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Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:18 pm
by Seth
I've put tubeless stems in a couple sets of Lester wheels.
Tube stems are 8mm, so unless you are going to drill you wheels, you need to get stems with that size.
The BMW metal stem 36 32 1 452 748 is 8mm, but short and straight. It uses an o-ring in the inside of the rim.
Others, like these:
https://www.nomartirechanger.com/90_Deg ... er-8mm.htm
have their seal on the outside of the rim. Notice in the picture, the silver stem uses an o-ring, while the others use a stepped washer.
The problems I faced with the ones with the stepped washer was the threaded portion was too short and with the thickness of the aluminum wheel, didn't allow the nut to grab enough threads. This ruined these stems I bought
And with the o-ring, you have to have a good smooth flat surface for it to seal. I had to file the inside of the wheel for the BMW stem and the outside for the angle stems I bought. Unfortunately, the hole drilled into one of the Lester wheels wasn't centered and didn't seal.
My solution was to use the BikeMaster chrome aluminum stem with the washers from the ruined stems. Only their aluminum chrome stem comes in 8mm.
https://bikemaster.com/motorcycle-repla ... stems.html
These require 10mm holes.
https://bikemaster.com/motorcycle-repla ... stems.html
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:32 pm
by Seth
Wobbly wrote: ↑Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:41 pm
SteveD wrote: ↑Fri Jul 13, 2018 4:40 amThanks. Does it lose air? I have a newly powderoated snowflake that I want to try tubeless.
This applies only to PRE-SINGLE SIDED cast wheels...
When I bought the bike in 2014-15 the PO was already running tubeless front and rear. He had coated the interior of the rim with some type of gooey sealant to stop the porosity issue. I have since seen similar tire products for cast car wheels, but don't remember any specific names. Both my wheels (tube type and tubeless) loose about 2-4psi per month. So 'no', they don't leak despite me adding 30,000+ miles.
I'm currently running tubeless Bridgestone BT-45 "Battlax" tires F&R, both at 33-34psi. These were mounted with a generous amount of pro tire lubricant (1 gal/$6) to make the bead pop-out (seat) easier, but I think it also adds to the sealing efficiency of the bead.
If your rim interior was also powder coated, I think your air holding issues are taken care of. Otherwise you might look for a porosity sealer of some description. A last ditch attempt might be enamel paint for aluminum, which you brush on (simply to avoid hours of tedious masking).
Obviously, you'll also need a bolt-on, mag wheel, tire stem, and I would highly suggest anything
except straight.
Maybe these stems?
The
BIG thing you'll notice is that tubeless tires fit much tighter onto the snowflakes. Thus the need for pro tire lube. Even with that Michelins, Bridgestones, Avons, and Heidenaus sometimes take in
excess of 60psi to fully pop out.
This has left me looking for a lathe set up so I can turn my rim smooth on the interior and get rid of the "as cast" surface. Needless to say, I've also had to buy special tools to break the bead loose when it came time to remove the tire.
Hope this story helps in some way.
Wobbly:
What size BT-45's are you using. I'm thinking of using them on my 77RS next.
I've been using either 3.25x19 F / 4.00x18 R or
100/90x19 F and 110/90x18 R.
I had heard the Bridgestones run a little small. And I think the 110/90 provides a little easier turn-in that a 120...
Just wondering....
Thx
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 6:44 am
by SteveD
Wobbly wrote: ↑Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:36 pm
SteveD wrote: ↑Sun Jul 15, 2018 8:31 am
I have a valve like the one you linked to, but it is straight. What's wrong with straight other than air hose access?
The stem comes out so close to one of the main spokes that it's difficult to fill with air. A flat spot had to be ground on my air chuck just to get it in there. A 90° stem would be soooo much easier.
The front is hard with straight stems; the rear is nearly impossible.
OK. I add a bendy adapter when checking away from home. 
My home compressor tip is angled and fits ok. I'm not too fussed about it.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:32 am
by barryh
I have one of those right angled adapters in the toolkit but have never needed to use it.
I worked out that should the adapter be left on, the bending force on the stem at 100 mph would be in the region of 9.5lbs. I don't suppose it would do much for wheel balance either.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 10:05 am
by SteveD
barryh wrote: ↑Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:32 am
I have one of those right angled adapters in the toolkit but have never needed to use it.
I worked out that should the adapter be left on, the bending force on the stem at 100 mph would be in the region of 9.5lbs. I don't suppose it would do much for wheel balance either.
For that exact reason, it lives in my jacket pocket with a pencil tyre gauge and only gets used to add air if needed and if the station adapter is awkward.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:09 am
by SteveD
I've done 3Kkms with the rear tubeless Mich Pilot Actif @ 38psi...hasn't lost any pressure in 12 weeks. That includes one day ride of ~950kms at constant 120kph, sometimes a tad more 
So far, so good.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 6:52 pm
by Wobbly
Seth wrote: ↑Sun Jul 15, 2018 10:32 pm
Wobbly:
What size BT-45's are you using. I'm thinking of using them on my 77RS next.
I've been using either 3.25x19 F / 4.00x18 R or
100/90x19 F and 110/90x18 R.
Went metric after having poor mileage results with "vintage" inch tire sizes. I now realize it was most likely due to low tire pressures. I've since started using higher at 35/34psi.
100/90x19 Front looks and works well. 120/90x18 Rear (which is a size I think Bridgestone dropped in early 2018) fits with no shim. 130/90x18 if you shim the wheel away from the drive shaft.
I have also run those same sizes with Bridgestone Spitfire S11, which makes it easier to find the 120/90x18 rear.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:31 pm
by Seth
I recently bought 2 sets of the Bridgestone BT-45s with the V speed rating. Sizes 100/90-19 and 120/90-18. I have a few bikes they fit so they won’t sit on the shelf long. Just mounted one set on a friend’s R90s with no problem. No shim. One set left.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 10:32 pm
by Seth
I recently bought 2 sets of the Bridgestone BT-45s with the V speed rating. Sizes 100/90-19 and 120/90-18. I have a few bikes they fit so they won’t sit on the shelf long. Just mounted one set on a friend’s R90s with no problem. No shim. One set left.
Got them from Chaparral. Not trying to promote them. Just a fact.
Re: Who runs early alloy wheels tubeless?
Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:53 pm
by kmisterk
Wobbly wrote: ↑Sat Dec 29, 2018 6:52 pm
100/90x19 Front looks and works well. 120/90x18 Rear (which is a size I think Bridgestone dropped in early 2018) fits with
no shim. 130/90x18 if you shim the wheel away from the drive shaft.
I have also run those same sizes with Bridgestone Spitfire S11, which makes it easier to find the 120/90x18 rear.
Specifically regarding the shim bit, what's that about?
Sorry to revive a dead/ancient thread, but I'm trying to do research for my tires, how to pull them off, etc. Having a pain of a time finding anything. Perhaps I'm just not searching correctly. ><