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Tube or Tubeless? '78 KZ1000 Ltd. mags
- saxjonz
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- KawboyZ
In my 22 years experience of riding I have never run in to a pothole that would threaten breaking the bead. I would say you would have to not really be paying attention to your riding at which point I would question your abilities as a rider.
I know for fact that I have slammed the throttle hard enough to make the tire slip on the rim causing the inner tube stem to rip. This scenario has happened twice to me and as a result have lost all air pressure. With a tubeless setup I doubt that would have even been an issue. I have absolutely no idea how that happened either as my air pressure is never low on my bikes. Could have been happening a little bit at a time and gradually stretched the tube till it ripped from the stem.
I won't disagree with you guys about running tubes on your rims but I also won't agree that it's bad to go tubeless on 79-80 rims. Other than that I have no experience so will leave it at that. It stands to reason that innertubes are a much thinner membrane that the rest of the tire and therefore your safety assuredly is resting on the viability of that tube. If you could go tubeless and it was safe to do so why wouldn't you want to?
79 LTD B3
80 LTD B4 1075 kit JE Pistons .410 cam grind, Bassani, 31 keihin CR Specials...
1980 Z1R, 2002 ZRX1200, 2003 ZRX1200
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- Patton
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Ker-whop! :pinch:
With tube style rims, instant tire deflation is believed less likely with tubes fitted.
Am thinking a tube would offer more disadvantages than advantages if proposed for use on a tubeless style wheel.
Tire slippage on rim presents separate issues, dealing with such matters as pita rim-locks, metal versus rubber valve stems, etc.
Good Fortune!
1973 Z1
KZ900 LTD
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- T_Dub
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1977 KZ650B1
-810cc
-Cavanaugh Racing Head
-Mikuni RS34's
-GPR Muffler
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- saxjonz
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- KawboyZ
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Sometimes a pothole filled with water is invisible on a wet road.
Ker-whop! :pinch:
Ok if you like riding through standing water be my guest. As hydroplaning on two wheels is not a proposition I take lightly I would never ever ride in to a spot covered with water but I get your point. There are people who throw caution to the wind and for them they need the protection an extra rubber gives them. :blink: :blush:
79 LTD B3
80 LTD B4 1075 kit JE Pistons .410 cam grind, Bassani, 31 keihin CR Specials...
1980 Z1R, 2002 ZRX1200, 2003 ZRX1200
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- JMKZHI
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The spoked tube-type wheels typically have rim stoppers or bead protectors to lock the tire onto the rim. My 81 650-CSR has them. The tubeless wheels I've seen - KZ440 & KZ550 - don't have the holes for installing rim stoppers (bead locks)...As it concerns tire slippage on the rim, I'd just like to point out that my old spoked, tubed rims on my 650 had these rubber dealies bolted in to help hold onto the tire. I'd imagine most Kawi spoked rims were similar, as is usually the case.
However, the diagrams at Kawasaki.com show that the 78 650-SR w cast alloy wheels uses tubes but doesn't have bead protectors (bead locks).
The factory manual for the 81-82 KZ650 states: "Never install a tube on the rims on this motorcycle. They are designed for tubeless tires only." (the quote is in reference to the cast alloy wheels).
A tad confusing....
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- timebomb33
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1973 z1 2-1974z1-a,2-1975z1-b dragbikes1015cc+1393cc, 1977kz1000,1978kz1000,1981kz1000j, 1997 zx-11, 2000 z12r,1428turbo nitrous pro-mod and a shit load of parts thats all for now leader sask.,CANADA
I THINK MY POWERBAND BROKE
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- JMKZHI
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Its rim profile looks the same as the 650-CSR.
Or the 78 650-SR?
My understanding is that the bead locks are supposed keep the tire from spinning on the wheel so that the air valve stem doesn't get ripped off the tube. But, if that were so, it seems like the SR would have them, since it has tubes.
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- 79MKII
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Is the tire bead so wide that that inner ridge keeps the bead seated against the sealing surface (outer lip of rim)? It doesn't seem like it would. If it doesn't, how does that inner ridge help to keep the tire on the rim? Or how does it help to prevent the tire from quickly deflating?
The Kaw List:
Current: 79 KZ1000 A3 MKII, 78 KZ1000 A2, 78 KZ1000 Z1-R, 78 KZ650 SR, 80 KE175
Former: 03 KLX400SR, 99 ZRX1000, 82 KZ750 LTD, 80 KZ1000 A4 MKII, 80 KZ1000 LTD, 78 KZ1000 A2, 74 H-2 750 Triple, 78 KL250
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- 79MKII
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Patton wrote:
Sometimes a pothole filled with water is invisible on a wet road.
Ker-whop! :pinch:
Ok if you like riding through standing water be my guest. As hydroplaning on two wheels is not a proposition I take lightly I would never ever ride in to a spot covered with water but I get your point. There are people who throw caution to the wind and for them they need the protection an extra rubber gives them. :blink: :blush:
Sometimes you get stuck riding in the rain and a water-filled pothole can blend right into a wet road, expecially at night.
The Kaw List:
Current: 79 KZ1000 A3 MKII, 78 KZ1000 A2, 78 KZ1000 Z1-R, 78 KZ650 SR, 80 KE175
Former: 03 KLX400SR, 99 ZRX1000, 82 KZ750 LTD, 80 KZ1000 A4 MKII, 80 KZ1000 LTD, 78 KZ1000 A2, 74 H-2 750 Triple, 78 KL250
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- timebomb33
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1973 z1 2-1974z1-a,2-1975z1-b dragbikes1015cc+1393cc, 1977kz1000,1978kz1000,1981kz1000j, 1997 zx-11, 2000 z12r,1428turbo nitrous pro-mod and a shit load of parts thats all for now leader sask.,CANADA
I THINK MY POWERBAND BROKE
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- sabell
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'78 KZ1000A2
'79 650SR
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- JMKZHI
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