Slow Leak

Hey Guys,

I had the local dealer mount my new shinko white walls....... I've had a very slow leak in the front for some time now. Checked for leaks in the hot tub and could not see any evidence of a leak. I would lose 5 - 6 psi in a week.

New tires mounted and now I'm losing the same 5 - 6 psi a week in both. I thought a long ride would nip it but no dice.

The dealer gave me this "well you should check your pressure every time you ride anyway" ****.

Can I shoot a sealer in there? I hate to remove both wheels again....argggg

Thanks

Coop

That stinks. Sounds like the dealer didn't do a single bit of cleaning the wheel and preparing it for a new tire (s). Lots of wheels get a corrosion pit and need a wire wheel taken to them. I think I'd argue a bit more with the Dealer, sounds like something a Hardly Dealer would do to a Venture Rider. And secondly, yes you can put a sealer in there. Personally it's not a fix to the wheel that needs wire wheeled, and it can throw your balance off as well. Besides that stuff is nasty once inside. I think the first thing I would do is air them up to max pressure and take a careful ride and hope the heat up and seat a bit better. Good Luck

That stinks. Sounds like the dealer didn't do a single bit of cleaning the wheel and preparing it for a new tire (s). Lots of wheels get a corrosion pit and need a wire wheel taken to them. I think I'd argue a bit more with the Dealer, sounds like something a Hardly Dealer would do to a Venture Rider. And secondly, yes you can put a sealer in there. Personally it's not a fix to the wheel that needs wire wheeled, and it can throw your balance off as well. Besides that stuff is nasty once inside. I think the first thing I would do is air them up to max pressure and take a careful ride and hope the heat up and seat a bit better. Good Luck

Agreed!

I'd check the valve core first and then around the stem. Not all dealers change valve stems.

I'd check the valve core first and then around the stem. Not all dealers change valve stems.

:sign yeah that:

IMHO, a bad seal and/or corrosion at the base of the valve stem where it sets in its rubber seal can cause some mysterious slow leaking issues (so can corrosion/ickyness along the bead areas) that can occur while the wheel is spinning up at speed. Perhaps, this is why the following video of all my dorky video's on YouTube has the highest level of viewage??

:sign yeah that:

 

IMHO, a bad seal and/or corrosion at the base of the valve stem where it sets in its rubber seal can cause some mysterious slow leaking issues (so can corrosion/ickyness along the bead areas) that can occur while the wheel is spinning up at speed. Perhaps, this is why the following video of all my dorky video's on YouTube has the highest level of viewage??

Is "ickyness" the technical term?

Thanks for the replys guys. And thanks for the video PUC. This **** pisses me off....that's why I took the wheels on / off myself cause I don't trust anyones work and these jerks can't even mount the tires. I have aired them up to 45 and put 100 miles on her with no luck. Arggggg

Get your valve stems to the 6:00 position and spray soap water around them and try to wiggle them around looking for bubbles. Take off the caps and spray into the valves. At 5-6 psi a week the leak may not show up instantly, let it set a while and look for the bubbles. I'm against sealers in my tires and if it's leaking at the bead they may never get in there to seal it anyway.

AND if any of our tips so far work I'd find a new tire shop.

Soap and water is the WORST thing to mount tires (using as a bead lubricant) as it will corode wheels over time. I know I am gonna catch hell on this as I had to convince my own dealer not to use soap and water. Dealer said, "well we have never had any trouble with it." I told him that is because you don't keep your bike ten years and have to deal with crusty coroded rims caused by soap and water mounting.

Go to Nomar and read about this stuff.

https://www.nomartirechanger.com/Tire_Lube_Paste_1_Pint_Jar_p/sp-lube-pint.htm

Read about what Michelin says about tire lube

MichelinTireLubeTB_Bulliten.pdf

Now, on your rims they must be clean and polished if they have deep corosion or scratches in the bead area. Do what everybody tells you about the valve stem and then find a shop with the proper tire lube to mount your tire.

Sealer is a emergency or temp fix. The stuff is nasty and can ruin wheels. My bet would be the O ring gasket at the valve stem. If they have not been changed out in say 4 years or so they get pretty dried out. The valve cores are a good bet to. My RSV had a rear that would slow leak like that rite after a change. About 3 lb or so every 4 days. Finally I went about 3 or so pounds over pressure and rode it a couple hundred miles and I guess it must have seated the bead or what ever. Fine after that.

Thanks for the replys guys. And thanks for the video PUC. This **** pisses me off....that's why I took the wheels on / off myself cause I don't trust anyones work and these jerks can't even mount the tires. I have aired them up to 45 and put 100 miles on her with no luck. Arggggg

To all those giving advice in this thread I give a healthy fellow lop eared tire swappin varmint a double dose of !! Coop,, I know it is frustrating as all get out but take a minute or so and watch the first minute and a half of time to gander the following video to see that you are far from alone on what you have discovered about dealership tire swaps.. IMHO, the frustration is probably due to the amount of time it takes to do a tire swap properly. Most shops are ran as establishments "for profit" and the back room guys simply dont have the time to treat a scoot as if they were working on a bike of their own. This isnt meant as an excuse on their behalf but a simple reality check..

Ask the Star of this video (@VideoArizona) about his experience with the same as you have discovered. Hey Vaz,, you ever get back with your tire swapper on what you found when you and I swapped out that rear tire? Be interesting to hear their reply if you did

By the way @coop,, you are welcome!! Always happy to share some free advice and video or two

Is "ickyness" the technical term?

As a little Puc I ended up having to eat my share of soap as a result of using improper choice of words when working on my Mini-Bikes and soon enough learned to use the word "Icky" of just "Ick" on the occasion when I discovered something that didnt fit into my world of gearheadedness Corporal.. That term and the usage followed me thru the years and can even be found in my CTFW experiences when talking about "Ickspressways" and so on.. I know brother,, I am one strange varmint

cowpuc, yep.. Sure did talk to the dealer in Phoenix who is the manager over the Tucson store. He said he had a discussion (training moment) with the other stores manager about cleaning rims BEFORE mounting a new tire. I was a lucky in that I didn't have any issues until the nail bit my rear tire.

Lesson learned for me too. I'll be asking them to clean the rim the next time I go in for a tire change! I figure it doesn't hurt to remind them...