loss of air in tires

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zorkler

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i have been haveing this problem of loss of air in the tires every 4 to 6 days 4 to 6 lb in the front and 3 to 5 in the rear . Its be going on now for 1/2 year and now it just too much of a pain in the ass .Call the local dealer who put them on and says come on over , he removes the front and does the water test in a cut in half 55gallon drum no leaks ,rear tire same thing he says gold wings have the same problem. end of story .

 
Your dealer is no good. He did not put them on properly and now probably charged you for checking it as well. If there is no leak then it was not sealed properly when it was put back on.

 
I agree w/ cougar. If the dealer that did the mounting didn't wipe the rim (where it contacts the tire) & tire bead (where it contacts the rim) b4 mounting the tire, there could very well be a small amount of grit, etc keeping the rubber from making a tight seal against the rim.

I watched Jeff Ashe mount a front tire on my bike last year. He cleaned both b4 applying tire snot to slip that new rubber shoe onto the rim.

I never lose much air in that tire.

 
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Thats rediculous! You have a leak, either they screwed up or you ran somthing over with both tires. Have you tried some soapy water in your valve stems, maybe they damaged those some how. Just roll the bike till the stem is on the bottom and remove the cap and pour in a little soapy water. Its worth a shot. That is deff not normal to loose taht much air. <_<

 
I was bending over with the 2 guys as they tested the tires. zero bubbles

 
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If you filled them up with nitrogen there won't be any bubbles as nitrogen permeates water on a molecular level. Also, aluminum has a tendency to soak up nitrogen and oxygen into it's alum matrix.

 
I just closing up shop and heading home. :yahoo:

I got a wierd feeling there's more to this 2 guys and bending thing than meets the eye.

I'm thinking losing a few pounds of air is the least of the problem.

 
Most shops don't take the time to clean the bead seat on the rim. Then when there is temperature fluctuation air will escape. The older the rim, the more crude will build up and actually etch the seat. You have to keep after it.

 
A slow leak like that is going to make very, very small, fine bubbles, making it difficult to find in the water. Make sure the tire is fully inflated. I need really good light, preferably sunlight, when looking for a tiny leak. You will swear it isn't showing, but it is. I have been through this before. My 2 cents

 
I was bending over with the 2 guys as they tested the tires. zero bubbles
One has to be very patient with this type of leak. It took me quite a while to finally find some pin size holes in both tires a long time ago.

The leaks were very minute and almost undetectable.

 
Some ties lose air quicker than others, but they all lose air. My Avon's (all of them) needed airing every week up to 5 lbs. My Michelin's only needed a pound or so every month or two.

 
My Michelin PR's only take 1-2PSI of refill about every 2months, if that. Even if I go to 7500ft altitude then down to sea level, no apparent change in PSI. I figured that it was because the rim was cleaned and the tire mounted during a warm temp day. Also, the tire has not ever been patched or repaired.

 
My '07's front tire does the same thing. I took it to dealer who demounted and cleaned wheel and tire beads while I watched. They aired tire to 65 pounds and checked with 1/2 drum of water set out on out on parking lot in sun with no visible bubbles. A month later, tire was 10 pounds low again. Took it back and they replaced valve stem and core and checked for leaks with soap solution. Once agin, no bubbles. Tire still loses about 10 ponds a month. Next time I'm in, they said they would put on a new tire if necessary as bike has very few miles on it.

Just thought I'd pass on another negative tire story.

 
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