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Balancing my rear tire - with or without sprocket

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Baja_Bound

Baja_Bound

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Garon
I am balancing my wheels after Cycle Gear installed new Shinko 705 tires. I use the traditional static balance with small weights. I have a 2009 650ABS.
Do you recommend doing the balance with or without the rear sprocket attached? The rear sprocket pulls straight out so I removed it for the balance but not sure if that is best. I have not put the wheel back on the bike yet.

52155101253_d8575816ca_z.jpg
 
I would balance it with the sprocket and carrier in the position it will be in. I doubt it makes a real difference, though. The mass at the perimeter of the wheel has exponentially greater effect on balance the further it is from the center.
 
Good point, thanks. Gotta love physics.

This wheel is quite wide. Do you think any counter balance weights can go on a single side or need to be distributed between left and right side?
 
Most tire sellers that I have seen at the road race tracks balance without the sprocket and put the weights all on one side. That's how I do it for street bikes and race bikes. Watch the tire changes at the Daytona 200. The sprocket stays on the bike.
 
I've done it with the sprocket but I agree it may not make much difference. Another thing is if the sprocket is any bit loose because of wear on the cush drive, it won't balance as things will move around.

I use stick on weights and try to apply them as close to the centerline of the wheel as possible.
 
Balance the wheel, mount tire matching the heavy spot with light spot on tire them balance the assembly with sprocket attached. Permanently mark the rim heavy spot for future use. Not as complicated as it sounds
YMMVSmoky
 
Thanks for all the replies. I found it easier with the sprocket off and put the weights on one side. The reason I decided to 'rebalance' both tires after Cycle Gear had balanced them is I now have a constant buzzing / virbration I did not have with the older Anakee Adventure tires.
 
check that they have the tires on right direction if they are directional tires. 705s are always way noisier than anakees. Good news is they wear out faster too so you can get back to anakees in 5K miles or less if you really ride them off road. I loved the 150/set price on shinos, but the anakee adventure I ran on my GSA front was world class, regarding longevity and smoothness/noise levels on a big adventure bike.
 
Thanks for all the replies. The balancing went fine on the front and back (no sprocket). I still have a very small amount of buzzing but I do not feel vibration that I would consider problematic. I also confirmed the tires were installed in the correct orientation / direction. I did not realize how a certain tire can make that much of a difference, but I am learning. :thumb:
 
The Shinko 705s so utterly transformed the whole ride, feel, everything of my GS500, it was like an entirely different bike. I also found they were easier to balance than the Avon sport-touring tires I put on my Bonneville (took less weights), but the king of all for balance were the Michelin and Pirelli combo which required almost no weights.
 
I was replacing Michelin Anakee tires which were very smooth and quiet. They had plenty of tread, but were 12 years old and I was not taking any chances since my wife would be riding with me (pillion). I tried to get Michelin Anakee Adventures, but was unable to locate any at the time. The Shinko 705s were available at my local Cycle Gear and they did the mounting at no charge.
 
I would say if it is just held in place by the cush drive balance without.
 
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