Tires and Plugs... with *NEW* pictures...

[treybrad]

So I've got a couple of questions since I'm not exactly sure what to do here... take a look at my back tire:



What do you think about those cracks? Is that unsafe? I don't want to explode the first time I get up to highway speed.. I just don't know if those are superficial or serious, the tires themselves have some tread life left. If I need new ones, seems like everyone is less than pleased with the Kenda tires, are the BT45's worth the extra $30 over the Maxxis? (i'm probably opening up a huge can of worms there...) If I buy tires online.. what's my best bet on getting them mounted? Do you guys take them to bike shops or will a regular old tire shop for cars do it?

Question 2 is the plugs... here's a pic:



The oil covered one kind of concerns me.. the bars are bent, and the prev. owner said it was because of a tip over one night, could oil leak up and cover the end of that plug like that? I'm thinking so, but maybe not...

Anyway, the tire is what's really important.. i'm not going to crash if my plugs are getting a little oily. There's bigger pics here:

http://webspace.utexas.edu/treybrad/www

I'm going to try to get a better pic of the tire.. the lighting is horrible in that one.. my batteries went dead as soon as I took that it so that's it for now..

trey

[Roadstergal]

You're getting oil into the combustion chamber.  That's not good.  On a car, I would suspect, in order of annoyance, head gasket, valve seals, and piston rings.  Someone else will be more helpful on the GS side, though.

[GRU]

the tire is still usable but not recomended nor safe....

the right plug looks good but the left one is burning oil.....if it's not much oil than don't worry about it.....maybe switch to 20W50 motor oil

[Rema1000]

If the left isn't misfiring or fouling, then there's not much you need to do.  Maybe try a thicker oil, and a cheaper oil (not sythentic).  If it starts to misfire, you could try hotter plugs.

I find the Pro Max to be acceptable (lots of wet city riding lately too); see my recent tire pricing run-down posting http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=99804#99804.  My general opinion is that many bikes are not cared-for at all.  Simply caring for the bike (e.g. storing it properly; keeping decent rubber on it, checking the tire pressure, oil level, electrolyte, charging voltage, brake pads, brake fluid, chain tension, fuel filter) will get you 95% of the way towards having a great bike.  Having the right brand of tire, or motor oil, X-ring chain, or AGM battery will get you the other 5%, but will double the cost of upkeep.  I should mention that I commute/shop/whatever on the GS, and do not race (or even ride terribly aggressively).  So my priorities are different from many folks.

[Alias]

I paid $126 for a rear BT45 mounted and balanced at my local shop. Thats bringing in the wheel. Tack another $50 if you just bring the bike. If you bring them a tire and wheel its $17.50 for mounting/balancing and like $4 for disposal?

[dgyver]

Personally, I would not ride on those tires. Tires are cheap compared to bike repairs if they fail.

If the bike was tipped over completely for a while then oil may have leaked past the rings. After a few minutes of running most of the oil would have been burned off. If it still looks that way after running for a while then it may need new rings. Nothing major though.

Another possibility.....the valve guide seals are worn. Actually, they are very easy to replace.

[treybrad]

Ok.. new pics of the tires uploaded.. but sounds like I need a new one anyway..

On my forks, that is THE fork seal right? That's not something really easy to do that's not my fork seals is it? Here's a pic:



Just thought I'd double check before I order parts.. My Clymer book will be here soon and i'll stop w/ the stupid questions! Promise!

trey

[dgyver]

Not the fork seal. That is the dust seal.

reference #7: http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/300_0027/front_damper/front_damper.cfm

[treybrad]

So you think maybe the fork seal is ok? How do you know when they go bad??

trey

[Rema1000]

Big failure: you come to a hard stop, and suddenly there's a big puddle of fork oil under your front tire.  Small failure: you are constantly wiping oil off the lower fork tubes.

If you haven't done the Progressive fork spring upgrade, that's a good way to start.  Before you remove the old oil, you can measure the fork oil level that was in the tubes, and if it is too low, or one side is much lower than the other, then you may need to do replace the seals.

But usually, the bike will let you know when the seals are leaking.

[dgyver]

Push down on the front end several times and you will see tell tale signs on the fork tubes from the oil leaking past the seals.

[Kerry]

So you think maybe the fork seal is ok? How do you know when they go bad??

Here's one example:

[treybrad]

Great, I think they're ok. Phew... now to get some electrical tape and "fix" that until I have time to take off the bars... I'll check the fluid levels when I install my prog. springs...

Here's another quickie though.. do I need to get 15w "Fork Oil" or can I pick up a general purpose oil at the auto parts store or something?

trey

[dsmirnov83]

STOP STOP STOP.
That pic

It's showing both the dust seal (on top) and the oil seal (on the bottom). If that is you bike, and you can see both come out like that then DO NOT RIDE THAT BIKE. To replace the oil seals yuo don't need to take the handle bars off, do a search and you'll find plenty of info. I know I've writen up extensive stuff on fork seal change. Good Luck

This might help:
http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9684&highlight=
and this for the rear wheel:
http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8720&highlight=

[sprint_9]

If your tight on funds Kenda's will do, I think it would be better to have a kenda on there then what you have now.  You might have to watch yourself with kenda's and remember you have cheap tires and take it easy.

[Kerry]

STOP STOP STOP.
That pic [removed]
It's showing both the dust seal (on top) and the oil seal (on the bottom).

NOT TRUE!

At first glance I thought the same thing you did, but then I realized that his dust seal had actually come apart - separated into 2 pieces.  If the lower bit were the oil seal then there should be:

1) A big puddle of fork oil somewhere.

2) A few other pieces traveling up and down the fork in plain sight.  Namely, items 3-6 in the

Ron Ayers diagram posted before.  Luckily, item 6 must still be retaining items 3-5 down where they belong.[/list:u]