Go Tube Less

[pit0rz]

Anyone had any experience with these?
http://www.niksindustries.com/pages/tubliss.php
They look very interesting.

[HappyMan]

Anyone had any experience with these?
http://www.niksindustries.com/pages/tubliss.php
They look very interesting.

I've read about them in a book somewhere but I can't remember which book it was.  I believe it was a motocross technique book I bought for my oldest boy.  My recollection was that they are not the end all but they serve a purpose with limitations.

I'd love to hear of some people here that have experience with them.

[pit0rz]

I've only ever seen them advertised and discussed in motocross situations and pure off roading.  I don't see why they couldn't be used on the road unless they just can't keep the beads seated.  Assuming they lose a little air out of the red bladder area.  It says 100psi to seat the bead.

[littlefield]

A Harley friend of mine converted his spoked rims to tubeless. Clean the rim thoroughly and hit the OD with something abrasive to rough up the chrome. On each spoke end fill in the hole and blend the edges into the rim with silicon leaving no voids anywhere. After this is dry rig up the rim on something you can rotate. Get some pourable, 2 part RTV silicon. Not a auto parts store item  but it's made by Dow Corning or GE and you can probably locate some on-line. Mask off a little circle for the stem. Pour the sealant onto the rim while you're rotating it, keep turning until it sets up. I don't think thicker is necessarily better. No more tube.

[TigerTrax]

My money says it is highly questionable for highway use.

At highway speed the additional force on your wheel will probably render it unsafe. And at 80 mph... I don't even want to think about something coming loose inside my wheel.

In reality... how many flat tires have you had?

Stick with good tires, know how to fix a flat on the road, carry a small
air compressor ( strip the housing off an air compressor and keep the
'head, hose, electrical plug... it will almost fit in the palm of your hand )

For those running tubless already.... Ameriseal is the best on the market.
It will seal your puncture in ONE revolution; Will not corrode wheels or deteriorate rubber.

[HappyMan]

My money says it is highly questionable for highway use.

At highway speed the additional force on your wheel will probably render it unsafe. And at 80 mph... I don't even want to think about something coming loose inside my wheel.

In reality... how many flat tires have you had?

Stick with good tires, know how to fix a flat on the road, carry a small
air compressor ( strip the housing off an air compressor and keep the
'head, hose, electrical plug... it will almost fit in the palm of your hand )

For those running tubless already.... Ameriseal is the best on the market.
It will seal your puncture in ONE revolution; Will not corrode wheels or deteriorate rubber.

Tell us more about Ameriseal.  I can't find anything but concrete companies when I Google it.

[TigerTrax]

You can usually find it in farm/implement stores.

It's milky white and comes in 5 gal buckets with pumps and small squeeze bottles.... it's manufactured in Kansas.

Several years ago I had a Suzuki Cavelcade and ran Amerseal in the tires. The night before a Poker Run I went out and checked the bike.
After I rolled it to the middle of the floor I saw a wet spot where a tire had been setting... it was Amerseal.. just a wet spot.

So I checked the rear tire for a nail and instead found a nice sized screw.
I checked my pressure and was down 2 lbs. So I pumped it up to spec and rode the bike on the poker run 78 miles..... and lost 2 lbs!
Afterwards I replaced the tire!

I always figured it would be best to be able to run another 50-100 miles..
if I was in a remote area.... I'm convinced Amerseal will help me do that!

[Sasquatch]

25,000 miles on my converted rims.  Did tests of various glues/epoxies on aluminum to test adhesion.  Permatex RTV Black was the best blend of availability, price and function.  That is what I have in both dad's and my Tigers.

[rainycoastguy]

I converted to tubeless on my 02 Tiger a couple of years ago.  It was quick and painless....but...I found that although the rear never lost air, probably because of the built in rim groove that sits inside of the tire bead, the front tire bead could slip when the bike was ridden aggressively and consequently loose pressure.  One morning following a ride the day before the tire was flat.  That convinced me to re-install a front tube which unfortunately means that once again I am carrying tire irons, patch kit and pump.  So I am interested in some bead locking mechanism that would lighten my tool load.  I emailed Tubliss for pricing and availability but have yet to hear back from them.  Does anyone have any idea of the above?

[iansoady]

I converted to tubeless on my 02 Tiger a couple of years ago.  It was quick and painless....but...I found that although the rear never lost air, probably because of the built in rim groove that sits inside of the tire bead, the front tire bead could slip when the bike was ridden aggressively and consequently loose pressure.  One morning following a ride the day before the tire was flat.

That's a bit worrying as if you'd had a tube it would probably have ripped the valve out. How do you know the tyre had slipped round?

In my trials riding days we used a security bolt that clamped the tyre to the rim, but that would be too heavy for the front wheel of a Tiger.

[rainycoastguy]

Hi Ian:  I don't know if the tire slipped around on the rim or the bead was just pushed inwards.  I'd assumed it was the latter.  The road I had been riding on had numerous filled potholes plus lots of 1" to 2" steps where the outer portion of the road had slipped a bit down the hillside.  It was probably one of these "steps" on a corner that had the power to knock the bead inwards enough to start it leaking.  Thankfully it must have happened on the way home because there wasn't enough leakage to cause handling problems.  It did, however, give me serious cause for concern, hence the return to a front tube.  I still haven't received a reply from Tubliss.

Cheers, Rainycoastguy

[iansoady]

I hadn't realised you'd been off-road - had you reduced the tyre pressures?

[rainycoastguy]

Hi Ian:

I wasn't off road.....just a normal secondary highway in a province where the road tax dollars are disappearing into some other government worm hole.  When I do ride off road I don't normally lower tyre pressures unless I am on sand, and that happens rarely.  I think it was a quick hard jolt to the sidewall from one of the aforementioned sharp edges - and that could happen anywhere!

Rainycoastguy

[TigerTrax]

Strange...
I do amerseal.com on Goole search and the first thing that pops up is
the Amerseal home page....

[HappyMan]

Strange...
I do amerseal.com on Goole search and the first thing that pops up is
the Amerseal home page....

I just Googled it quick and I never tried the obvious ameriseal.com.  My bad. :roll: