Bill_Walker Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 The rear tire on my V-Strom seems to have a slow leak, losing about 3/4 psi per day (about 3 times as fast as the front loses air). I can't find any foreign bodies or signs of holes in either the tread of sidewells, nor any bent spots on the rim. My guess was the valve stem, but putting soapy water on it doesn't show any bubbles. But would it show bubbles anyway at that slow rate of leakage? What do you think I should do? Live with it, and just plan on adding air every day if I take it on a tour? Or pull the tire and get the valve stem replaced and see if that fixes it? Link to comment
CoarsegoldKid Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 When take the wheel off and stick it a tub of water. I had a Kawasaki that slowly leaked. It drove me nuts. New valve stem, new tire didn't fix it. I stuck it in a tub of water and watched in amazement as the air seeped out of the aluminum wheel. Kawasaki replaced it well out of warranty. Truly a manufacturing defect. Yours may not be defect but you should see where the air is escaping. Link to comment
dirtrider Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Evening Bill It might be some sort of small hole in the tire, or a valve stem/core leak, or even porosity in the aluminum rim itself. If you can get the rear wheel up off the ground far enough try placing a deep pan or tray under it (deep enough to cover the rim & valve stem) then fill that with water, then add max air pressure to the tire & watch for air bubbles. If you don’t have a deep pan or can’t get one under the tire then open up a plastic garbage bag, then make a dam from bricks or pieces of wood or just hold the bag in place & fill that with water. Or dig a hole in the ground & place the opened plastic bag over that then fill it with water then roll the rear wheel into it. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted September 4, 2011 Author Share Posted September 4, 2011 Thanks guys! Further diagnosis it is. Looks like I'll have to either get a pan or some bricks or boards, having neither. Link to comment
Lmar Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I had a slow leak on my rear tire on my 2000 K1200RS. Took me a long time to find out that the rim was leaking at the welded joint. Took 3 months to get a new one under warranty. Link to comment
bobbybob Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I would be concerned about an early-stage valve stem failure, assuming they have not been replaced recently (or even if they have, maybe!). I.e, where the rubber meets the metal part. If you can't find the leak otherwise, I would pull the wheel and get a new METAL valve stem & new core installed. A catastrophic failure will let the air out in a couple of seconds, too quick to react. Link to comment
eddd Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Just bring it with you when you take a bath. Look for bubbles. Let me clarify... Look for small bubbles coming from the wheel or tire. Link to comment
CoarsegoldKid Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Thanks guys! Further diagnosis it is. Looks like I'll have to either get a pan or some bricks or boards, having neither. Stick it in the horse trough. Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Porous aluminum wheels: Way-way back when mostly Italian aluminum wheels for sport cars were the rage where I was, porous castings were very frequent. Solution was spraying the inside of the rim with clear lacquer. Link to comment
Bernie Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Spray the wheel and tire including the valve stem without the cap installed, a small leak like that will show bubbles or foam. You can use dish washing liquid mixed with water in a pump sprayer. Just work one section at a time. Most likely from the valve core not tight enough or bad. Link to comment
Mark K Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Spray the wheel.........you can use dish washing liquid mixed with water in a pump sprayer. Beat me to it. Link to comment
bobbybob Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Just bring it with you when you take a bath. Look for bubbles. Let me clarify... Look for small bubbles coming from the wheel or tire. Now THAT is funny. But I don't think a leak THAT slow can be detected by bubbles very easily, whether in the bathtub or spraying it with foamy detergent. Theres just too many "non-leak" bubbles to sift thru..... I've seen inner-tubes for my KLR that lose that much air just thru osmosis. Link to comment
Dave39 Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I had a slow leak once on the rear tire of my previous 1100RT. I kept the wheel on bike and rotated it through a kitty litter box filled with water. I found a tiny, slow bubbling leak in center of tire. I skirt in some Slime and the leak stopped (but got a lot of complaints about the mess when I had tire replaced later ). Link to comment
DaveTheAffable Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Thanks guys! Further diagnosis it is. Looks like I'll have to either get a pan or some bricks or boards, having neither. Ok... DAMHIK If you have a center-stand, or can prop the front tire up off the ground an inch or two... - Put a large trash bag into a cardboard box that you've folded the sides down so it's double walled, and about 8-10" tall - Force/fold/wiggle/work the box under the tire from the side, then upright under the tire - Fill with enough water to cover a portion of the tire and rim - When done... punch a hole in the bottom/side of the box-bag and let it drain. Believe it or not, this is quicker and easier than removing the front wheel. Good luck! Link to comment
elkroeger Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 That leak will be easier to find (ie. will exhibit a faster rate of bubbling) if you pump up the pressure. However, I can't (won't) offer any advice on how much higher you can go. You're on your own with that. Link to comment
mxharris Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 great method, thanks. Evening Bill It might be some sort of small hole in the tire, or a valve stem/core leak, or even porosity in the aluminum rim itself. If you can get the rear wheel up off the ground far enough try placing a deep pan or tray under it (deep enough to cover the rim & valve stem) then fill that with water, then add max air pressure to the tire & watch for air bubbles. If you don’t have a deep pan or can’t get one under the tire then open up a plastic garbage bag, then make a dam from bricks or pieces of wood or just hold the bag in place & fill that with water. Or dig a hole in the ground & place the opened plastic bag over that then fill it with water then roll the rear wheel into it. Link to comment
Jerry Johnston Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I had a small leak in one of my car tire and it turned out to be dirt between the sides of the rim and tire. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Porous aluminum wheels: Way-way back when mostly Italian aluminum wheels for sport cars were the rage where I was, porous castings were very frequent. Solution was spraying the inside of the rim with clear lacquer. Would this problem develop over time? I've owned the bike for 9 years and the problem has just started. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 Got a pan, haven't had a chance to use it yet. Dave, I like your suggestion and wish I'd seen it sooner. Looks like I'll have to pull the wheel off to use the pan. Of course, I may have to pull the wheel to fix the problem, anyway. Link to comment
Mark K Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I bet if you removed the tire, cleaned the wheel really well and reset the beads it would go away. Link to comment
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