Armycopter- PM me, I have a bunch of spoke weights left.

Mike

 

We only have Pseudo delaerships over here. No seperate cylcle stores. I doubt if they offer anything other than a credit check for free. I will probably buy rimlocks with my first RMATV order and then get them ballanced. I dont notice an unbalance but like I said I am not in tune with the bike yet.
Cheers, Jim
PWI-913

 

Spend the extra $$ on a Talon rimlock. T6 alloy and stainless, very light. I've yet felt the need to balance my rear as I fitted the tyre correctly. It's a little known bit of trivia that all tyres have a heavy spot. The manufacturer marks the heavy spot with a white dot. Fit the tyre with the dot 180o opposite the valve and rimlock. (The reason Kawa' put the rimlock hole next to the valve is for this reason, also it is easier to fit a new tyre with the valve and rimlock close to each other.)

When my bike was new I checked this, and sure enough there was a white dot on the tyre exactly 180o opposite the valve.

 

Allow me to introduce some heresy into this discussion. I don't use rim locks on my dual sport bikes...never have. Since 1985 to present I've had 4 KLR600/650's, all with some big nasty knobbies on them. Insanity, some would say.

Now, what is a rim lock for? When tire pressure gets down to a certain level, or if one needs to run flat to finish a race, rim locks are outstanding. I raced enduros from about 1974 to 1992. I ran low pressures on those race bikes. I needed/wanted every edge for competition purposes. And if I flated not too far from a gas stop or the finish, I could still motor on somewhat decently to salvage the race. Rim locks work.

I don't need to run pressures that low on my dual sport bikes...and in some cases if you're running down the highway at speed, it's probably not always safe. I don't want to putz with airing down at the trail and airing up on the pavement. I leave my pressures up in the 20's, and I still get good traction out of the knobbies I use without worry of spinning the tire on the rim. And if I get a flat in the boonies without my spare tube and tools, I always carry 4 industrial size and strength zip ties to fasten the tire to the wheel if I absolutely have to get out.

Even running a heavy KLR650 very hard in rocky terrain, I've never spun a tire and ripped the valve stem. I've ridden my KLRs in SoCal deserts, the Rocky Mountains, SE Utah, and other gnarly places at high speed and aggressively in technical terrain. I don't worry about pinch flats either. Yes, some absolute performance is compromised, but when I'm doing hardcore dual sport rides, I want to get in and out of an area without mechanical heartburn and still have fun. I don't balance tires/wheels either, and my current 2001 KLR650 will just tick over 100mph according to GPS. My KLX250 is a lot lighter than my KLRs and has less power. I've had no issues with it either as far as no rim locks are concerned. I only run DOT knobbies but don't know if that's really a factor on my results.

No one should take my observations and experiences as a statement against rim locks, as I've used them and know what good they can do. I just don't think they should be considered as absolutely-must-have equipment in all cases where dual sports are concerned.

 

I've had a couple flats before in local terrain and the fact that I had rim locks on made it much easier for me to get home.

I dunno, I'd say that if you ride off-road at all they're pretty valuable.

 

I rode close to 30 miles home on a flat and the tire came off the rim. It really sucked but I made it. After that I put on one rim lock and run HD tubes. Yes the rim lock made the bike vibrate badly after about 40mph. I'd say that if you mostly ride on the slab forget the rim lock altogether and just run HD tubes as your chances of getting a flat aren't too great. For the most part I ride on the street only too get to the forest which is where I ride this bike. During off road use I never notice the vibration and as far as tire, bearing, shock wear due to the imbalance, well I don't think it is significant compared to what the rocks,tree roots,etc do.

 

I have a related question. I have seen a few posts on the forum that recomend that if you dont have rim locks and want to run low tire pressures to run without the nut on the stem. That way if the tire spins on the rim the stem will be sucked up and not tear off.


Then what???? How do you get the air out of the tube if you want to get things back to normal? I can see the benifit that you wont be in BFE with a torn tube but your still gona have to poke a hole in the tube to get the tire off, no??
Cheers, Jim
PWI-910

 

I run rim locks, because why not? I purchased a balancer and a bunch of stick and and spoke weights to balance all my bikes tires. The rim locks weigh next to nothing, balance easy and are a HUGE comfort factor. Stuff happens on the trails and on the road, the rims have the hole for the locks, so what is the harm in running them? I see no downside, we aren't racing, the weight will not make a bit of difference and the cost is again, next to nothing.

 

I rode 40 km a couple of weeks ago on a flat rear and one rimlock. Paid for itself that day. I was able to remove the tyre, fix the HD tube and finish the ride, another 200 km all up.

I've since covered another 1000 km without issue with the tyre ,tube ,or rimock. No vibration and tyre hooks up great.

Worth it just so you can ride with a flat and not destroy the tyre and tube.

 

I've always thought this was a good idea when riding with a flat.



Anyone tried it?