K11 Owners Group

[dwerbil]

Hey there, for years I've changed and balanced my own tires on my airhead collection myself, using a homemade wheel balancer similar to this one....



I am looking to do the same with my 'new to me' '93 K1100RS. Anyone here balance their own tires and wheels? Am hoping the above rig will work to balance the K bike tires. If not, what direction/balancer should I get to do this in-house.
Thanks
_________________


93 K1100RS ~ 2004 R1150RT ~ 84 RS ~ 78 R100/7 ~ 65 R60/2
Click for pics
Randy at Round Rock, Texas

[SugarHillCTD]

http://marcparnes.com/

Has worked great for me. I use it between 2 jackstands, but 2 similar chairs work just as well.

While they have different end cones for different bikes, I have used the K bike specific balancer for 3 different Kawasakis, a Ducati Monster and a Yamaha FZ1.

Nice lifetime tool. And it is easy to store (small box).

John
_________________
John & Cathy

'92 K100RS4V Pearl White SOLD
'04 K1200GT
IBA Several-SS1k, BBG, 50CC NYC to S.F.

[Manhattan Rider]

Totally agree with using the Marc Parnes Wheel Balancer. I've balanced literally hundreds of tires with mine. Here's an article I wrote and was published in BMW ON under product reviews.

Product Review – Marc Parnes Wheel Balancer

Marc Parnes Products offers a portable, cost effective, extremely accurate, and easy to use static wheel balancer for all motorcycle makes and models. With limited shop space, I needed a wheel balancer that takes up little space when not in use, is extremely accurate, and easy to use. With an overall length of just 12” x 1 ¾ “ and weighing only 1 ½ lbs, this wheel balancer fits in my tool box or tank bag, giving me the ability to very accurately balance a tire like a professional just about anywhere.

When I decided I needed a wheel balancer for my shop, I had three choices. I could purchase a dynamic or "spin" balancer, a bubble balancer, or a static balancer. A spin balancer has its advantages. It can balance a tire within a couple minute with great accuracy. However, they are expensive, require maintenance and calibration, are space consuming, and require upgrades for different models. For home use, they are simply not practical. Bubble balancers are not as accurate as either a spin or static balancer. Their main advantage is that they are inexpensive. For the small shop or home use, the simplest and most durable balancer is a static balancer.

However, is a static balancer accurate enough for home use? The answer to this question is at any racetrack. If you ever have the opportunity to attend an AMA or World Superbike race, take a stroll through pit lane. Professional race teams can afford the best equipment available. But what you will find in the pits are static balancers. They are simple the most accurate balancers available.

Static balancers haven't changed much in design over the years. They basically consist of a frame of one kind or another, with a pair of bearings at each end supporting an axle. What makes this balancer different is it’s designed for saving space by not including a stand. The user supplies two supports of equal height such as chairs, jack stands, cinder blocks or whatever you have available.

So what technical considerations did I consider when purchasing a wheel balancer? The first was adaptability. With multiple motorcycles, the balancer had to work on all of them. Marc Parnes Products provides affordable mountings for just about any motorcycle currently on the market. Another consideration is the type and quality of the bearings used to support the axle. They should be of a low drag design that provides protection from the elements to maintain accuracy from year to year. Many balancers use exposed bearings. These balancers have very low drag. However, if you can touch the balls in the bearings, then so can dirt and grit. Over time, dirt and grit will affect accuracy. On the other hand, sealed bearings like those in your wheels are designed with rubber wipers in order to protect the bearing from water and dirt. They stay clean inside, but the wipers produce drag and stiction making them a poor choice for a wheel balancer. Marc Parnes Products use shielded bearings with steel covers on the sides. This design protects the bearing from dirt and grit, while not producing drag.

Another technical consideration often overlooked is the wheel balancer axle. It must be perfectly round, straight, hard and resistant to bending. This balancer axle is made from 1/2" hardened tool steel. The manufactured tolerances are within .001" over its 12" length. The cones that support the wheel are machined by a CNC lathe producing both the taper and bore at the same time in one setup. What this means is that the axle bore and surface are the same. Another consideration is the mounting cone material. The material should be durable. Plastic cones may not last or hold their size over time. A better cone material is steel or aluminum. This balancer uses machined cones made from 6061-T6 aluminum billet.

The balancing instructions are clear and easy to use. You simply mount your wheel on the balancer, placing it between two equally tall supports so it can spin freely. I use jack stands at their highest adjustment. You then give the wheel a very slight spin. Spinning the wheel too hard will have you waiting for 5-10 minutes to allow it to stop. The wheel stops with the lightest point at the top. After taping wheel weights to this location, you rotate the weighted area to the nine or three o’clock position. If the weights are too heavy, the weights will rotate to the bottom of the tire. If too light, the weights will rotate to the top of the tire. The weight is correct when the wheel no longer rotates in any position. I was able to very accurately balance a tire within 10 minutes on my first try.

Marc Parnes Wheel Balancers are available for all motorcycles starting from $105, shipping included. I received my balancer in my mailbox by priority mail in just three days. For more information or to order, call Marc Parnes at (714) 842-9210 or visit his website at http://www.marcparnes.com.
_________________
Ken Krumm
Manhattan, Kansas
2014 BMW R1200GSA
1996 BMW K1100LT
1996 BMW R1100RT
2004 BMW R1150GS
BMW 500,000 Mile Award
2004 Ducati ST3
1974 Norton 850 Commando Roadster
1969 BSA 441 Victor Special