Wheel weights....

[bumtarder]

Steel stick-on works good. Tape them on temporarily to see what you need then peel and stick on for final balancing. Pretty economical and fast imho. Lead weights have been outlawed a long time now.

[777654321]

Just have tire shop balance. 

[SnowMule]

On my dirt bike, I balanced the rim/rimlock by putting 1/4oz stick-on weights inside the dish of the rim.  Tube locks the weights in place, and you don't have anything on the outside of the wheel.  The tire itself is balanced well enough it doesn't make that big of a difference.  Counteracting the weight of the rimlock, however, made a HUGE difference both on- and off-road.  

1190, I have the tire shop balance the tires.  They use little 1/8oz stick-on weights on teh outside of the rim.  Those rims are balanced better from the start, and the higher speeds that bike is capable of means a better balance is necessary to maintain control and ride quality.

[Randy300XC]

This video offers pretty good advice. 
 

 

[firsthere]

14 minutes ago, snowfever said:

Seen a lot of riders here in Ontario just use lead solder, cut to weight and then wrap it around the spoke. Cheap and easy to use and change.

 

That's a great idea. Probably not enough bling for the cats around here though.

[mikd]

I used the weights that clamp onto the spokes and it was well worth the effort on my Beta 300rr. The difference in stability even on short street rides connecting trailheads was very noticeable. 

[CRF420X]

22 minutes ago, bumtarder said:

Steel stick-on works good. Tape them on temporarily to see what you need then peel and stick on for final balancing. Pretty economical and fast imho. Lead weights have been outlawed a long time now.

I hadn't heard about bans on lead weights. Apparently its a thing in some states and the EU. Is there a federal ban? I couldn't find it. but I did find a map that may be as old as 2017 or so with a map of states that have a ban.

[bumtarder]

Banned by the federal government a long time ago.

The last primary lead mine/ smelter from ore was in Herculaneum,Mo  closed in Dec.2013 by EPA action.

No wheel weights made of lead anymore. Only secondary lead smelting for recycling is done today.

Edited November 17, 2021 by bumtarder

[Jeff aka Bolt]

7 hours ago, D H said:

I have a brand new 2022 KTM 500 EXC-F and am planning on changing my tires. I have a wheel balancer but have no clue what weights I should buy. They go from 1/2 ounce up to 1 1/2 ounce. I don't need a toolbox full of these things. I'd prefer the No-Mar spoke type over the lead double sided tape type. Any help deciding would be welcomed.

You spent north of $13,000 on a dirt bike. I think you can afford a handful of wheel weights to have at hand what you might need now and in the future.

I don't even believe you started this thread to ask this silly question. I think it was more of an excuse to have a "Look at me, I have a fancy new expensive dirt bike" moment.

So... Congratulations! 

[CRF420X]

27 minutes ago, bumtarder said:

Banned by the federal government a long time ago.

The last primary lead mine/ smelter from ore was in Herculaneum,Mo  closed in Dec.2013 by EPA action.

No wheel weights made of lead anymore. Only secondary lead smelting for recycling is done today.

https://www.mining-technology.com/marketdata/five-largest-lead-mines-the-us-2020/  Seems like a lot of lead mining there. Pretty sure there is at least two lead mines in Northern Idaho but I haven't ridden up that way in a few years.

I bet its lead weights in the production of new vehicles. That looks to be a thing. Could be the cause of confusion.

Edited November 17, 2021 by CRF420X

[N4HHE]

$64 is an awful lot for wheel weights. Much cheaper to buy a couple Motion Pro Lite rim locks per wheel.

Solder sounds like a great idea but 4oz will need 1/3rd to half that pictured roll per wheel. As for lead, the production and sale of lead weights is banned, not the use. And, I doubt that solder contains lead.

The brass weights are a good idea but go to the effort to find those which fit over the nipple, set screw screws into the nipple, and has a shoulder inside to rest on the nipple off the rim. The set screw nicks the spoke creating a weak point. It will break there, so you want the set screw contacting the nipple not spoke. 

[dmac1]

10 minutes ago, N4HHE said:

$64 is an awful lot for wheel weights. Much cheaper to buy a couple Motion Pro Lite rim locks per wheel.

Solder sounds like a great idea but 4oz will need 1/3rd to half that pictured roll per wheel. As for lead, the production and sale of lead weights is banned, not the use. And, I doubt that solder contains lead.

The brass weights are a good idea but go to the effort to find those which fit over the nipple, set screw screws into the nipple, and has a shoulder inside to rest on the nipple off the rim. The set screw nicks the spoke creating a weak point. It will break there, so you want the set screw contacting the nipple not spoke. 

I weighed the Motion Pros vs the OEM rim locks for my 2015 300 XC. I dont have the data any more, but the MP are not on my bike. Nearly same weight as OEM and a waste of $.

[trepur]

If the spokes are plated and any other metal other than the plating metal is fixed to the spoke (lead, solder (lead/tin), brass (copper/zinc), etc.) then galvanic corrosion will develop between the two metals. I used solder wire without isolating the solder from the spoke with plastic tape and had a corrosion problem. 

[pilot jet 34]

6 hours ago, Rubberband said:

I've balanced the front of my plated dirt bike w/ those clamp on weights and I have yet to lose one in three seasons of use. I just bought a variety pack of weights off amazon and my only complaint is the worm screw can corrode and get tough to remove if you're using one of those small allen keys.

anti-seize

[kcposty]

3 hours ago, D H said:

 Lots of great information and opinions here.. Has anyone ever tried the dyna beads for a dual sport bike?

I use Ride On balance and sealer goop on my DS. Works great balancing and sealing thorn punctures .

Note; I rough balance the wheel after mounting and let the goop finish it off.

Edited November 17, 2021 by kcposty

[kcposty]

24 minutes ago, pilot jet 34 said:

anti-seize

Doesn't protect the Allen socket or exposed threads from corrosion where the problem typical develops.

[SparkinPegs]

   Skipped all that and just mounted the weights on the rim on the inside, under the rim strap, then tube. Been doing it this way for awhile now, works incredible well for me.

[Jeff kirk]

I use these on a FE501S with Tubliss. weight mounted opposite of rim lock. I have a static balance rack it it says they are good. makes a big difference when on pavement. and I only use pavement to connect trails. I bought these at a local shop. they said they get them from Best Dual Sport.    

[D H]

16 hours ago, Gimmickless said:

You spent north of $13,000 on a dirt bike. I think you can afford a handful of wheel weights to have at hand what you might need now and in the future.

I don't even believe you started this thread to ask this silly question. I think it was more of an excuse to have a "Look at me, I have a fancy new expensive dirt bike" moment.

So... Congratulations! 

Look at you. Ignorant, jealous troll....Get a job.

Edited November 18, 2021 by D H

[N4HHE]

2 hours ago, dmac1 said:

I weighed the Motion Pros vs the OEM rim locks for my 2015 300 XC. I dont have the data any more, but the MP are not on my bike. Nearly same weight as OEM and a waste of $.

I have Motion Pro Lite rim locks (Motion Pro offers non-Lite too) on my Husaberg and found them to be much nicer and much lighter than the OE (don't know who the OEM was, don't care) KTM I took off. IIRC 12 years ago the Lite model cost a budget busting $2 extra, "but I am worth it!"

It doesn't matter because my whole point was to have (2) of exactly the same nearly opposite of each other on the rim. The better dirtbike wheels have 36 spokes in a pattern which repeats every 4 spokes. Opposite of the other the spokes spread on one side where the factory puts the rim lock then converge 18 spokes on the other side. So one places the 2nd rim lock 16 or 20 spokes from the first just as the inner tube valve is 4 spokes from the rimlock in the next "opening".