Elite Se50 1.85 rims - What tire?

[snowmann]

I have an 87 elite 50 with the us 1.85 rim. I didn't think when I ordered to see if this was a tube or tubeless setup. I ordered tubeless Dunlop sl 26 tires in 10x3. Will these tires work on this rim or will I need to send these back and replace with tube tires again?

[Dio89Elite]

You can run tubeless tires, just be sure to replace your stems to the tubeless type. Otherwise, run these tubeless tires with the tube still. Yes, you can do this too. I've seen both done on these rims.

I'd just be careful in checking the tire pressure each and every time before you head out (Doesn't everyone do this anyway as part of the pre-ride trip safety check? ), it's no fun to find out that your tire is flat when you're already a half mile away from home.

PS If you are paranoid that those aren't tubeless rims, then you can always upgrade to a set that is (Honda Metro is a popular choice) or again run them like tubeless with tubes.

[snowmann]

Will a cycle dealership hassle me about mounting since these aren't tubeless rims? I'm guessing there is some liability there?

[Dio89Elite]

they might, it'll depend on the dealership; otherwise, they'll flat out refuse to do it (because of liability issues).

if you do run tubeless, you'll still need to change out your stem (air valve);
the generic tubeless stems may not fit without enlarging the hole

I personally have run tubeless tires on non-tubeless rims but with the tubes (I haven't switched out the air valve stems yet; and I needed a replacement tire and all they had was tubeless...). With a pair of decent tire irons, you can do the installation yourself.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

I have not seen any "tube type" tires in a long time. Laced Harley wheels require a tube, but the tires are Tubeless with the inscription: "For Tube-Type Rims Fit Tube". I recommend 3.00 x 10 with a tube. There is considerable risk on the 1.85 rims of sudden deflation otherwise.

[Dio89Elite]

Greetings:

I have not seen any "tube type" tires in a long time. Laced Harley wheels require a tube, but the tires are Tubeless with the inscription: "For Tube-Type Rims Fit Tube". I recommend 3.00 x 10 with a tube. There is considerable risk on the 1.85 rims of sudden deflation otherwise.

^^which is why I just run'em with tubes.

[snowmann]

I used the tubes. Mounted myself with soapy water and a few old screwdrivers I could take the edge off of.

[alexfleury]

There are dozens of tube and tubeless tires avail at Ron Ayers I chose this one http://www.ronayers.com/Kenda-K413-Perf ... 67C71.aspx

I did have to call them to find out if it was a tube type tire. It doesn't take any time to get someone on the line who knows what they are talking about. I got these tires and two tubes shipped to my door for about $65

Unfortunately yo have to go to their site, click on tires and wheels, pick a manufacturer and then choose rim size to see all the choices.

So you have to go thru all the manufacturers to see all the tire choices, and there are many! With tires from about $25 to $65 or more.

As mentioned above, mounting the tires is no problem with two good tire irons and some soapy water.

This is an excerpt from my "Bang for the Buck" thread http://www.hondaspree.net/phpBB3/viewto ... 8&start=30

Someone asked me a question about the yellow dot. That is the lightest point on the tire. YEP the manufacturer weighs them and checks balance before they leave the factory. That's why you line up the yellow dot next to the valve stem which is the heaviest point on the rim. This will give you the closest combination to a balanced wheel. Also you notice that on this tire, and I'll bet any of the high performance tires, there is an arrow that shows the direction of rotation. This is important! The tire will not wear correctly or grip correctly if this is "backward".

Now what I did wrong! There are TWO nuts on the valve stem. This is the way a new tube comes out of the box. I put both of the nuts on the outside of the rim and didn't realize that I was wrong until I took off the front tire and tube and discovered that one of the nuts was INSIDE the rim on the front. And my bike had 170 miles on it so I'm sure this is the way it came from the factory. WHY? I had to think about it. While a 50cc may not generate a lot of torque on the tire from acceleration, the brakes will ! The two nuts are there so that you can tighten the valve stem in the rim enough to keep the tube from sliding inside the rim. If both of the nuts are on the outside, then you MIGHT tighten them enough to basically pull the stem thru the rim and tear the tube. With one inside and one out you are just tightening one nut against the other one. Not pulling on the tube.

You might notice that I have motorcycle tire irons laying on the floor next to the two wheels. I wouldn't try to change these tires without good tire irons. I think I could pull off not pinching a tube, but I'd bet that I'd scratch a rim or maybe even bend one using screw drivers.

If you are going to change tires, have a bottle of dishwashing liquid mixed with water and use it liberally. Buy a couple of tire irons. They aren't expensive. Be aware that it is possible to bend a rim. Put in a new tube if you are mounting a new tire. The old tubes will look fine, but they are likely years old.

They axle nut on the back of the bike calls for 80 ft lbs. My torque wrench only goes to 75. I didn't worry about it. I clicked it a couple of times on 75 and called it good. I just put a piece of wood thru the wheel but made sure there wasn't any side torque on the spoke.

This isn't much different than changing a tire on you bicycle, but it takes lot more force. That's why you have to be careful how hard you pull against the rim.

I changed both tires in about 2 hours, but I do a lot of cleaning and checking as I go. The next time I have the wheels off I think I am going to paint the spokes RED !! And maybe the rims black!

That thread has a lot of info from me and others that you might be interested in.

[alexfleury]

I see Snowman has already got his tires done but this info might be useful to others who check this thread.

[Dio89Elite]

Thanks for the addition Alex. That is a lot of great info!

[impalo]

I ordered a tube and tire from Amazon and the tube did not have the nuts on it. It was just a copper tube bent on a 45┬░ angle. I installed this tube with new tire. 2 days later the tire was flat??? I did put about 15 miles on this setup before it went flat.

Could I have received the wrong tube? Or did I puncture tube putting wheel back on? Looking for a reason for the flat?
The air does leak from around the valve stem.

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

The air will leak around the valve stem because basically that's the only place the air CAN come out. I suspect an errant pinch with a tire iron caused a puncture in the tube. Either way, it must be removed for inspection.