Show Me Your Tubeless Conversion

So I have been looking into a tubeless conversion for my stock CB750 spoked wheels. I have seen both good and bad, why to and why not to, as well as kits and DIY.

After all that I am still on the fence about it.

Soooooo I am asking for anyone here who has done a spokeless conversion to show me yours, be it a kit or DIY as well as your 2 pennys.

Thanks

I've done it successfully.

I would NEVER seal the spoke nipples to the rim. You would never be able to re-true the wheel. I do it by making two rim strips made from old tube, and glued together with contact cement. One is slightly wider than the other. The first one is just wide enough to cover the spoke nipples. I apply a urethane sealant to the edges of that strip, then put the wheel in a vacuum jig that I build. I keep the wheel under vacuum until the sealant is cured.








Then I apply another coat of sealant over that rim strip using a spreader cut to fit from a body filler spreader.




A second, slightly wider rim strip is added.



It gets another coat of sealant and goes back into the vacuum jig to cure.



You can see how the rim strips have conformed to the shape of the nipples. I don't know if the vacuum part of it is really necessary. I just seemed to me that it gave me a better chance of success. Certainly, when you pressurize the tire, the rim strips will be pressed tightly against the nipples, and I would not want the distortion to break the seal.

I modified my small air compressor to have a vacuum connection on its intake. That was a bit improvised, but it worked.

Why go to all that effort?
Is a tube really that bad?

SONIC. said:

Why go to all that effort?
Is a tube really that bad?

Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing as I read through the post. One thing tubeless tires have going for them is they are easier to fix if you get a flat out on the road somewhere. Just need a plug kit and you can get home. Bit more labor with the tube.

HerrDeacon said:

One thing tubeless tires have going for them is they are easier to fix if you get a flat out on the road somewhere.

Click to expand...

That is the entire reason for doing it.

Well, this is true.
Just seems like a whole lot of work to avoid changing a tube. I suppose if you already have it apart.

Is tire selection any different, or better, with tubeless?

It's a lot less work than a single incident of having a flat with a tube many miles from home.

You guys are all accustomed to these smaller bikes, and pulling a wheel in the field is not that big a deal. The wheel I sealed in those pictures was for a Harley. Not as easy to field repair a tubed tire on a 600 lb bike, or worse yet, an 800 lb bike loaded with luggage.

Harley now has tubeless spoked wheels. They did it with an insert that covers the entire inner surface of the rim, and the tire beads seal directly to it.

HerrDeacon said:

Is tire selection any different, or better, with tubeless?

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As a general rule, there is no difference. The vast majority of tires available are made for tubeless installation. When a tube is required, a tube may be put into a tubeless tire. I have even seen tires labeled as "Use with tube or tubeless."

I can definitely see the advantage of sealed rims for road-side repairs. If you can fix a puncture without having to remove the wheel from the bike, that's a massive gain, especially under less than perfect conditions like cold, rain, dark... all the times when shit goes bad.

My one and only flat (knocking on wood) was my front wheel, which I noticed when moving the bike a few hours after having arrived at the Spring Thaw last May. Rode for days at 100MPH, and then just sitting at the Thaw it went flat.

Turned out to be a defect in the tube that finally leaked. Nothing catastrophic was likely to occur - tire wasn't punctured. But I consider myself lucky. I think doing even a less than perfect version of what ADC describes would be useful, as slow leaks in a tube would be contained and not necessarily kill you.

Maybe there's a kit out there - rim strip backed with industrial strength adhesive. Peel and stick

very interesting
however what keeps the tire from coming off the bead as most all spokes rims do not have a bead retention groove?i like the idea of just plugging the tire and adding air but once the bead drops center yer gonna have to get the weight off the wheel
simply adding air wont do any good if the bead wont seal
a centerstand would do it or lay the bike over ? hahahah had t layer down

Tim said:

I can definitely see the advantage of sealed rims for road-side repairs. If you can fix a puncture without having to remove the wheel from the bike, that's a massive gain, especially under less than perfect conditions like cold, rain, dark... all the times when shit goes bad.

My one and only flat (knocking on wood) was my front wheel, which I noticed when moving the bike a few hours after having arrived at the Spring Thaw last May. Rode for days at 100MPH, and then just sitting at the Thaw it went flat.

Turned out to be a defect in the tube that finally leaked. Nothing catastrophic was likely to occur - tire wasn't punctured. But I consider myself lucky. I think doing even a less than perfect version of what ADC describes would be useful, as slow leaks in a tube would be contained and not necessarily kill you.

Maybe there's a kit out there - rim strip backed with industrial strength adhesive. Peel and stick

Click to expand...

TUbliss its what the off roaders use

http://www.bikebandit.com/neutech-tubliss-core-motorcycle-tube-eliminator?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=merchantfeed&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=COytreuF_LoCFQqCQgodnzcAvw

xb33bsa said:

TUbliss its what the off roaders use

http://www.bikebandit.com/neutech-tubliss-core-motorcycle-tube-eliminator?utm_source=feed&utm_medium=merchantfeed&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=COytreuF_LoCFQqCQgodnzcAvw

Click to expand...

I did look at the Tubliss kit and saw somewhere that they are actually in the process of making a DOT approved version for use on the street.

I am more interested in a DIY option though as everything I do is on the cheap.

Also I am curious as well about using the stock wheel since it doesn't have a bead groove. I would really rather not buy a new wheel if I don't have to.

AlfaDog;
That vacuum rig is extrememly clever, congratulations on an excellent, low buck, high creativity, solution to a problem.

hey alphadog i do like your method what sealer are you using, sikaflex ?

Thanks, Rundown.

XB, yeah, I used Sikaflex.

I tried just doing one rim strap with the edges sealed, but it didn't hold air.

I have the tubliss setup on my yz. It's bad ass. The problem is you have to refill the tubeless tube with very high psi. Then you have to check up on all the time to make sure its holding a bead. But the less rotational mass was noticeable and it would be another reason to go tubeless verses tube.

The Italians make tubeless wheels. Get the check book out though.

So I am revisiting this because I have been thinking about a DIY solution that I have access to.

So I work for a plant that makes rubber. I was considering blasting the wheel ring. Putting the primer we use on it and then laying 1/8" rubber on. We do this all the time on all sorts of stuff for the mining industry and once its vulcanized the rubber is solid and will not come off.

I figure I won't cut out the spoke holes until after I run it through the vulcanizer then I can cut the holes just a little smaller than the spoke nipples and then it will create the seal around them.

Hope that makes sense. If anyone has any thoughts on this I would appreciate it. I would hate to mess up a good wheel if its not going to work.

PS: our vulcanizers run at about 40 psi and 275-300 degrees and its steam. Would that possibly warp the wheel ring?

you are thinking of using rubber between the nipples and rim ? if so that won't work
besides the nipple threads will leek still
the heat won't hurt the rim

alphadog's lashup/system/design is extremely well thought out and it works perfect according to him
that is the way I would do it

Tubes can chafe inside the tire causing heat build up and pressure change. They add weight to the total assembly. 2 negatives about running tube. I have powder coated a number of spoked and 3 pc. car wheels that are sealed from the manufacturer. The manufacturers told me to just use standard Black RTV sealant to reseal them.