Beads or weights for tire balance?

[Chopper]

Guess I'm old fashion but I would go with stick on's, chrome weights would not look bad and I would use a drop of Loctite 420 (Superbonder) to make sure they don't fall off. I can[t see that plastic bottle in the video being 1 oz out of balance and if you're tire is two oz. out of balance and you add 1 oz. of beads how does that work or do you check tire for balance before adding beads? I would go with stick on's because I'm comforable with it, on the other hand I like trying new stuff also, flip a coin.

 

[Drumrguy]

Have used both, only thing about the beads is they are hard to put in the tire and you have to run their valve stem insert, so now I just run regular weights.

 

[BigDaddyDon]

My two cents, go with the weights. In my experience, I just have fewer problems over the years with weights.

 

[Rockchalk]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Still sounds like a toss up. I have 2 friends who just got a new Lowrider and Night Train last year and have had no problems using the beads. So I have a couple of months to think about it. Thanks again.

 

[wildey]

Sometimes change is hard to accept. I still like the external weights myself, but a local indy here when i called for a new tire in 09 said they use Liquid Balancing. Said they been using it since it came out and had no problems.

I just went the old fashion way, guess im old school still

 

[RetiredJake]

I have been running beads in both my Dyna and my Ultra for more than a year. I'm sold on them. As the weights fall off of the Ultra, the wheel stays in balance because the beads redistribute as needed. If you research their website, you will see that they have no problem with adding them to a previously balanced wheel. They will fine tune that balance and compensate if a weight is lost. Also, you do not need to run their filtered valve stems. If you do not use them, just make sure the valve stem is at the bottom prior to checking your air pressure. It is a good idea to tap the valve stem with your air gage just to make sure there are not any balls in the valve stem that could cause it to stick open. I think this is what caused my valve stem valve failure and subsequen tire deflation last summer in NY. Since then I have made sure the valve stem is at the bottom and tapped it prior to checking the air pressure and have not had any problems since. I'm a believer!

 

[Retrop]

I have used both the beads and the stick ons for balancing tires and wheels. Because of my age I have logged way more miles with lead weights than the dyna beads. But, I can honestly say there are absolutely no ill effects from running the last 25,000 miles on my bike which has cast wheels using the beads. There seem to be a lot of people who somehow are not able to grasp the principals of how they work, so they just catagorize it as something they don't understand and therefore it is not to be trusted. It costs about the same to put beads in a new install as it does to use new weights. But, the big advantage is that your tire and wheel combination is rebalanced every time you ride it, as opposed to when you used the fixed lead weights, so you have a perpetually balanced combo. I have long ago quit trying to explain the principals involved with using tire beads as it seems hard for most to grasp. The important thing for me is they work very well and I have yet to find any reason not to use them. The beads have been used for a long time in truck fleets that put on far more miles than we bikers ever put on. You can't hear the beads and they never, ever fall off.
One ounce in the front and two in the rear and you are good to go until you wear the tire out and are ready for a new one. I think the biggest reason beads have never come of age is due to the fact that all the businesses out there that install tires and wheels have no incentive to push the sale of beads. Tire balancing with lead weights is a pretty big business. Anybody can balance their tires and wheels at home with the beads. Remember how for years Harley would have us believe that the minute we poured synthetic oil in our bikes the crankshafts would fall out and the pistons would freeze? It is about the same way with tire beads. Lead weights are fine but the dyna beads offer more advantages and are better suited for about the same price. This subject is sure to be debated forever but there is just no reasonable reason not to use beads. I have had them in my truck and the wifes car for more than five years now. There are a whole lot more vehicles out there running beads in the tires than you might expect because they don't don't give you a little stick on sigh that says "I have beads in my tires".