Front Tire Loosing Air PSI Need Ideas

[k9bdm]

First off I would like to thank everyone on this forum for help I needed with my rear fender suction cup marks. Rear fender looks good as new with wet sanding and 3M imperial hand glaze and buffing. Now I need help with another problem.

My front tire on my K9 was going low on me last year. I would air it up to 42psi and it seemed every 3 days it was down on the rim flat so I would refill it no issues. During the duration of a ride I never needed to add air (knock on wood). I didn't want to chance a flat while riding and have the tire get worse on these PA roads. Tread could have got me through probably 1 more riding season but I figure spend the money now and fix the issue. I bought a new avon cobra tire and took the rim and tire to a local Harley shop to have them mount my tire. The new tire was good and holding air. A few rides latter same problem is back.

I've read on here some people having the same problem with a little bit of junk being on the rim and when they mount the tire it messes up the bead. I filled the tire up today and sprayed the rim and found very tiny bubbles coming from the beam around the rim in different spots. The rim itself is not bent and shows no sign of damage. My thoughts were slim it but read that's a temp fix and shouldn't ride over 65mph due to throwing off the balance of the rim and so on. I ve also heard some tire shops can put a layer of a tar type sealent and remount the tire? Should I wait till the tire goes flat and try to cean the inside of the rim? Or wait till I take the bike in for insection in 2 weeks at Harley and have them try to re fix the issue? Or take the tire to an actual tire shop and have them do their thing with it since they should know how to address issues since that's all they deal with?

 

[pauldeepsea]

Check your valve stem to make sure its on tight, Also use soapy water and you may be able to find the leak

 

[BWG56]

When I install tires I usually wire brush the wheel where the tire bead seats against the wheel if it looks rough, I think that may be your problem, however the tire prolly has to come of to clean that area properly

 

[Brew]

^^^^X2^^^^ Remove the tire and clean the beads on both sides of the rim and re-install the tire on the rim. Make sure you add soapy water to the tire as you mount it to the rim for a good seal when you seat the tire on the bead.

 

[Sven]

^^^^X3^^^^
When the old lady is not around, fill up the tub. Have the level up to the spokes/hub, but lower than the axle hole so when you hold the tire upright, more or less half is sitting under water. Rim wise is one thing with solid spokes, but a cast wheel and to lighten it, the spokes might be hollow, so the bird kill is maybe not the rim but add the porosity at the hollow spoke but you cover your rims, spokes, hub housing, not just the tire and bead down at the bottom. Now slowly move the whole wheel with 50/60 psi thrown at it.

 

[FrankBDPS]

I would take it back to the guy who fucked it up in the first place and tell him to fix it right.

 

[mjsk9]

First off I would like to thank everyone on this forum for help I needed with my rear fender suction cup marks. Rear fender looks good as new with wet sanding and 3M imperial hand glaze and buffing. Now I need help with another problem.

My front tire on my K9 was going low on me last year. I would air it up to 42psi and it seemed every 3 days it was down on the rim flat so I would refill it no issues. During the duration of a ride I never needed to add air (knock on wood). I didn't want to chance a flat while riding and have the tire get worse on these PA roads. Tread could have got me through probably 1 more riding season but I figure spend the money now and fix the issue. I bought a new avon cobra tire and took the rim and tire to a local Harley shop to have them mount my tire. The new tire was good and holding air. A few rides latter same problem is back.

I've read on here some people having the same problem with a little bit of junk being on the rim and when they mount the tire it messes up the bead. I filled the tire up today and sprayed the rim and found very tiny bubbles coming from the beam around the rim in different spots. The rim itself is not bent and shows no sign of damage. My thoughts were slim it but read that's a temp fix and shouldn't ride over 65mph due to throwing off the balance of the rim and so on. I ve also heard some tire shops can put a layer of a tar type sealent and remount the tire? Should I wait till the tire goes flat and try to cean the inside of the rim? Or wait till I take the bike in for insection in 2 weeks at Harley and have them try to re fix the issue? Or take the tire to an actual tire shop and have them do their thing with it since they should know how to address issues since that's all they deal with?

I had the same issue a couple of years back on my '06 K9; however, not as severe. I would lose air every few weeks, never to the point of flat. My mechanic said he had other customers experience the same thing over the years and suggested putting in a tube. Had him do that and have not since had a problem.

 

[bigdog10]

What Frank said

 

[francoblay1]

Check your valve stem to make sure its on tight, Also use soapy water and you may be able to find the leak

That was my problem a couple years ago.

 

[BWG56]

I've read on here some people having the same problem with a little bit of junk being on the rim and when they mount the tire it messes up the bead. I filled the tire up today and sprayed the rim and found very tiny bubbles coming from the beam around the rim in different spots. The rim itself is not bent and shows no sign of damage.

 

[HMAN]

Fixed the same issue the other day. Let the air out and push the tire in the rim a abit. Clean out as much crap as you can and air up the tire, while airing, stop every little bit and beat the shit outta the tire with a bar or deadblow hammer. Dont hit the rim. Over air the tire and check with soapy water. Do this until the air bubbles stop or lighten up, then set proper air pressure and go for a ride. I know its a poor mans way of fixing shit, but its all I gots....it worked for me. FWIW, dont go to a normal tire shop, they will probably trash your rim. Bike shop or diy.

 

[semi]

I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM EVEN AFTER CLEANING. PUT A TUBE IN IT, INEXPENSIVE AND NO MORE PROBLEMS !

 

[Th3InfamousI]

The only issue with sticking a tube in your tire is you lose the benefit of being able to plug it if you get stranded on the road. Tube tires you are pretty much just SOL.

Like others have said take if off clean around the rim should be good to go, worst case scenario they make a paste called a bead sealer you can also use. If you use the sealer just need to make sure you clean off all the old stuff and apply new when you change tires next time



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[k9bdm]

Thanks for all the help. I am gonna pull the tire clean the bead up and re mount. If its still leaking I'll use bead sealer and if it leaks after that just tube the damn thing. That's my only worry with a tube, if I get a flat I keep plugs at the house I can have the ole lady run them out with my compressor and fill it up. Don't wanna trailer it for just a flat while running a tube. And if it leaks with a tube I am gonna get a wooden wagon wheel and be set lol.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Thanks for all the help. I am gonna pull the tire clean the bead up and re mount. If its still leaking I'll use bead sealer and if it leaks after that just tube the damn thing. That's my only worry with a tube, if I get a flat I keep plugs at the house I can have the ole lady run them out with my compressor and fill it up. Don't wanna trailer it for just a flat while running a tube. And if it leaks with a tube I am gonna get a wooden wagon wheel and be set lol.

I agree that's the correct route.

I do some touring and weekend trips, I've had a guy get a flat on a tube tire during a trip and it was a 2 day fiasco. The flat he got late Saturday night, we were in West Texas so nothing was open Sunday and had to find someone to trailer him 100 miles to the nearest city with a MC shop that didn't open until Monday. I had plugs in my pack that would have fixed me but not him, he picked up a nail going down the road. Shit happens

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[k9bdm]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse here and keep commenting on the subject but, doing more research seems like running a tube and puncturing it would loose pressure too fast and cause control loss way faster than running without a tube. I ve never ran a tube in a tubeless tire and don't know anyone who has. So that's why I am a little against it. If someone told me "yes I ve popped a tube and control loss is not bad" then I would go with that idea. The more I try to think about it from both sides it would seem loosing air in a tubeless tire that has a tube in it wouldn't be bad because a tubeless tire is ment to take a puncture and not loose pressure as fast. Last tire I had a tube tire it was a peddle bike lol.

I ve talked to a guy that I work with who I remember working at the Harley shop I took the tire too and he informed me that when he was working there they never used bead sealer. His first response was put a tube in it. I told him why I was against it as a first choice and he said he agrees with me but its whatever I wanna do to resolve the issue. I told him I wasn't pissed off at the Harley shop but seems like they just mounted it in a hurry and didn't look at the rim in detail to see if anything needed cleaned. Again he said more than likely that's what happened. That shop is backed up on work for about a month but offer "first come first serve" service on the weekends, thats when I took it up there. So that's what leads me to believe that's what happened.

I have mounted my own tires before but with my work schedule and the fact that I usually end up pissed off for 20 minutes trying to mount it is why I took it to them in the first place. Now I came to the fact its better to see it myself instead of paying to have the damn tire remounted over and over. So I ordered some new tire irons. (I gave mine away when I moved awhile ago, so a figured order a $20 se). I also picked up some bead sealer too. Should in here within a week and I will update and let everyone know how it goes. Again I hate posting long comments but I figure if someone has the same issue down the road they might have a better understand on what to do. That's the whole reason, I am just trying to help others from my learning. Thanks again

 

[FrankBDPS]

I found you're comment about the petal bike ironic. I had a new tube put in the rear tire on my petal bike a year ago. I got busy at work and never rode it. Went to get it out for a spin yesterday. Flat rear tire. WTF good luck fixing you're tire. Be careful not to mark up you're aluminum wheel.

 

[pauldeepsea]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse here and keep commenting on the subject but, doing more research seems like running a tube and puncturing it would loose pressure too fast and cause control loss way faster than running without a tube. I ve never ran a tube in a tubeless tire and don't know anyone who has. So that's why I am a little against it. If someone told me "yes I ve popped a tube and control loss is not bad" then I would go with that idea. The more I try to think about it from both sides it would seem loosing air in a tubeless tire that has a tube in it wouldn't be bad because a tubeless tire is ment to take a puncture and not loose pressure as fast. Last tire I had a tube tire it was a peddle bike lol.

I ve talked to a guy that I work with who I remember working at the Harley shop I took the tire too and he informed me that when he was working there they never used bead sealer. His first response was put a tube in it. I told him why I was against it as a first choice and he said he agrees with me but its whatever I wanna do to resolve the issue. I told him I wasn't pissed off at the Harley shop but seems like they just mounted it in a hurry and didn't look at the rim in detail to see if anything needed cleaned. Again he said more than likely that's what happened. That shop is backed up on work for about a month but offer "first come first serve" service on the weekends, thats when I took it up there. So that's what leads me to believe that's what happened.

I have mounted my own tires before but with my work schedule and the fact that I usually end up pissed off for 20 minutes trying to mount it is why I took it to them in the first place. Now I came to the fact its better to see it myself instead of paying to have the damn tire remounted over and over. So I ordered some new tire irons. (I gave mine away when I moved awhile ago, so a figured order a $20 se). I also picked up some bead sealer too. Should in here within a week and I will update and let everyone know how it goes. Again I hate posting long comments but I figure if someone has the same issue down the road they might have a better understand on what to do. That's the whole reason, I am just trying to help others from my learning. Thanks again

Gotta ask, did you check your valve stem? The nuts can back off

 

[KaptinAmerika]

I've used tubes in several customer's bikes simply beacuse no matter what we did the rim continued to leak and they were not up for buying a new $900 wheel.
One of the customers was back a few months down the road with a gash in his tire.
Amazingly enough the tube barely got nicked so the leak down was slower than it would have been without the tube.
I don't see a tube in a tubless tire being any type of issue.
Of course I am speaking in terms of front tires. I'm not sure I could even find a tube that would fit the 300 tires.

 

[BWG56]

You could put a bicycle tube in a 300 and it would work. Did ya ever just take a tube and hook the air nozzel to it and see how big they get before they blow? I did this to a wheel barrow tube once and it got as big as a tractor trailer tire before it blewsounded like a bomb going off, it stretched the rubber that bad that it didn't return to its size after it exploded, funny as hell. I don't recommend doing it indoors