Using spoked wheels with tubeless tires...

Swagger

Swagger

Putting boot to ass since 1967!
My winter project is finally underway and I just scored a pair of 18" aluminum hoops for it. I read on one site about a BMW cafe/race buildup where the kat used silicone to seal up the spoke nipples inside the rim, thusly allowing him to run modern tubeless tires. I can see it working ok like that but have been wondering if anyone else has done it?

For general information purposes:
>Based on a 1900 mile 76CB500T.....might as well be new except for a dented tank and some surface corrosion from sitting.
>Oversized pistons, megacycle cams, ported head, 34mm Mikunis, thus far unmuffled TT pipes and a dyna ignition
>CB1000f rear shocks (14" baby!!), progressive fork springs, one-off fork brace and shraeders
>eBay 'glass seat, XS 750 tank, lowered headlight, tach only (hidden bike speedo)
>Tommaselli adjustable clip-ons and one off rear sets (I own a machine shop so building bits is relatively easy)

Thus far is a bike and a decent sized pile-o-parts but by spring it'll be well on it's way. Anyway.....anyone with info on running spokes and tubeless would be most appreciated!
 
I dont know about that man... I wouldnt do it...

The spoked rims are designed to use tubes. Sure Silicone MIGHT block a potential leakage but I sure wouldnt want to find out for sure while riding at 120Kms/hr on the highway!!... ;D
 
This might be helpful.

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/print/print_loopframe_tires_tires_-_tubeless_conversion.htm
 
silicone what about jb weld? or nu doh? personally I would spend some time and figure out a better more secure and reliable way to do this!
 
Most modern tubeless tires are 17" anyway so that rules out putting a pair of Michelin Pilots on your 18" wheels. 18" tires are usually made for spoked wheels since that was the common size back in the 70s. That silicone idea sounds silly. Besides, you can probably use an inner tube for any tire, it may just not take full advantage of the performance since you're adding a bit of rotating weight. But then again, does your BMW really need Z-rated tires?
 
The silicone idea works, I know of a few guys that run that setup on their choppers but I've never seen it done on a racer. I was toying around with the idea of using either the BMW or Moto-Guzzi tubeless spoked wheels on my project.
2005-MotoGuzzi-CaliforniaEVb.jpg



After talking with the local Guzzi dealer I gave up on the idea. (1500€ for with steel rims/2500€ with aluminum) :o
 
locO leoN said:
I dont know about that man... I wouldnt do it...

The spoked rims are designed to use tubes. Sure Silicone MIGHT block a potential leakage but I sure wouldnt want to find out for sure while riding at 120Kms/hr on the highway!!... ;D
Click to expand...

I know all too well how this feels at 100km. Lost pressure quite rapidly in the front wheel when the tube split on one of the seams. If you get any kind of hole it doesn't take long, and it's NOT fun.

Honestly, how hard is it to run a rim strip ($5) and a tube ($12)? Can't you still run tubes in tubeless tires? I can't see why you wouldn't be able to.
 
I was thinking about heat and the extra rotating mass.....I know it doesn't weigh much but spin in around at a few thousand rpms....

More than anything, this is me doing some mental gymnastics while I finish planning things out.
 
Yes you can do it (http://www.teamincomplete.com/Boxer/theboxer-page15.html)

I think you guys are thinking about this backwards, all modern bikes have tubeless tires because as Rudy stated, tubed tires are unsafe, when they loose pressure they tend to do it catastrophically. Whereas tubeless tires will most often deflate slowly if punctured. I was under the impression that most vintage racers ran tubeless tires, I think the tire design benefits to tubeless tires are pretty obvious compared to designing a tire that just sits on top of an inner tube. It's true that rims built back in the day are spun without a retaining lip for tubeless tires, so it would be advisable to buy a new rim designed for tubed tires (they aren't hard to find) the excel rim on the back of my bike is universal and will work with either.

I say do it, it's a safety thing as much as a performance thing.
 
I think pretty much all modern tires are designed to be used as tubeless. Even the 'vintage' looking Avon Roadranger is designated as a tubeless tire, although just about everyone would run them with tubes.

With a puncture, it would seem to me my tubes would loose pressure slowly. They're not going to burst like a balloon inside my tire (at least I can't imagine them doing so).
 
Tim, when I got the tube out of my front wheel (after I cleaned my pants out) I had to inflate the tube to find the hole. It was a split about 1/4" long. That went from normal riding to HOLY SHIT!! in about 3 seconds. You'd be surprised how little time it takes for 30 pounds to go to 2 pounds. It's really not that much volume to go through that little hole.
 
Dieing = bad

I hadn't even considered the safety issues, I've not had a tubed tire on the road in 20 years so had forgotten that little bit of trivia..
 
oldog said:
JB weld ??.....how would you re-tune your spokes??
Click to expand...

you wouldnt. I just mentioned jb cause the whole silicone idea didnt seem reliable. I wouldnt trust it in the first place.
 
Being a VRRA member and racer,,don't waste your time with the idea of going tubeless on a spoked rim(except bmw) I think I hold the record for the most flats(3) two of them were at speed(front and a rear),,,,,,,,pucker time!!! the other was at pre grid,and a race delay.Two of us ripped out the old tube and had it back and ready 20 mins later,,,this is when you really sweat in your leathers! SPEND the $25.00-35.00 for a good bridgestone tube etc,,cheap taiwan tubes have caused me way to much grief!!...........you decide!!!!!!
 
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