My Review of DynaBeads

[Cruiseman]

For those of you who are interested, I have posted by review of DynaBeads: http://www.theglforum.com/articles/2...nabeads-review

[MMR]

I don't need to read your review.....just want to know what you are doing up at 5:00 am, testing DynaBeads at this hour ?????

It has got to be O-dark thirty where you are, because we are in the same time zone, so why not wait until noon or later to do this DynaBead testing ?

Okay, I am going back to sleep, because my jokes are boring...even me.

But wait, there's more..........

Okay, in all fairness I did in fact go and rear your review of the DynaBeads, out of interest....because I really like the information that you provide all the riders on products and maintenance issues...and also because I do use DynaBeads myself.

Let me start by commenting that I really like DynaBeads. In the past, I have always used the old-fashioned wheels weights. Even on my previous Powder-Coated wheels on previous Wings. And on one 5000 mile trip I did try the Centramatic Balancers....did not like them, but that is another story.
I use the DynaBeads now, primarily because of the newly powder-coated wheels on my newer F6B, so why add the external wheel weights onto nicely powder-coated wheels ? Eh ?

Thus far DynaBeads....at 14,000 miles on this set of tires...with a BridgestoneMT on the front, and a Michelin PA3 run-flat CT on the rear, I am very happy with my tires balance...at any speed.

Now, back to the posted review by Cruiseman. Excellent review/article/writing. I don't think any of us can criticize the work and effort that Cruiseman puts in to help all us riders. So, I thank you.

Having said that, I have "always" been a strong advocate for the reasoning behind the "dreaded wobble". I have "never" believed...not for a single second....that the "dreaded wobble" was ever caused by steering head bearings, torque of said bearings, a faulty triple tree, or weak front end suspension parts. To "me"....those things are all BS, and a waste of the owners money to have replaced any or all of those things. In reality the owners "may" indeed have ended up with a bike that did have slightly better handling, but until real world testing can be done in a double-blind study to compare OEM bikes to major altered bikes, with equivalent riders, then we can only guess, and allow those that have spent thousands of dollars on these changes...to assume they have improved their bikes.

On that specific note....I have over 350,000 miles on my previous 3 GL-1800 bikes, ridden a LOT of places in North America, and have never once felt the need or desire to EVER replace steering head bearings, a triple tree, or front end suspension parts. Truth be told, and some know this, I am a very serious hard-core long distance/endurance rider, and I do not hesitate to ride my bike places that others only "think" of going, or at a pace that others would not dare. I have been doing this for 44 years, and almost 2 million miles, and...those that truly know me, know I can seriously ride. The POINT being....I do not doddle down the road in light parades and toy runs, and think that my OEM Honda is the greatest bike in the world. I know better...than that....and I know that a lot of bike owners simply have the need to make changes to their bikes...to make themselves "feel" better...that they accomplished something...and that the money they spent resulted in a better bike.

In my "opinion"...the dreaded wobble is caused by ONE thing only...and that is adverse front tire wear. PERIOD !

"IF" all Honda GL-1800s coming off the line are "most likely" produced to the same mechanical standards, then the only variable that is a consistant variable over the next 5K to 10K to 20K miles on each bike, is the wearing of the tires. Yes...you technical geeks out there......there are other very minute changes that do in fact occur over mileage ridden, but the ONE variable that is consistant with EVERY bike out there is...the tires are going to become worn...and the differences in the degree of wear are attributable to factors that are controlled by the individual rider...i.e., tire pressure...speeds ridden...roads ridden on...load on the bike...braking dynamics...etc. It is all those variables that contribute to how the tires on the bike are worn, and....with a front tire that is adversely worn....you end up with the "dreaded wobble".

I can tell you that if a rider installs a brand new set of tires on their bike....the wobble is gone....for that immediate time period. Give that same rider 5K miles...and with "bad" tire pressure...they "may" start to develope the dreaded wobble. Give that same rider a total of 10K miles, and they will have the dreaded wobble. And it is "most likely" caused by using the wrong psi in the tires...most specifically their front tire.

I have been telling riders for the past 10+ years what the correct tire pressure should be in their tires...most specifically their front tire. Those that have listened to me, have found remarkable improvements to their tire life, their riding satisfaction, and in how the bike handles. Those that have not been willing to accept that my knowledge on these tires is bred out of experience....that a major tire manufacturer paid me to ride over 100K miles in one year back in '03, and test 10 sets of tires for them, which resulted in the knowledge of what tire pressure is best to run in these bikes, then I suppose they will never believe me, and will continue to spend the money they do.

I have yet to ever hear from a bike owner/rider that will make the statement...I have 10K miles on my current tires.....had the dreaded front end wobble...and after spending a couple thousand dollars in mechanical changes to my bike...i.e., the Traxxion suspension, the change of the triple tree, the replacement of the steering head bearings......I can now say that the dreaded wobble is gone....(but I am still using those 10K mile old tires).

No one with common sense and logic can make that claim, because part and parcel of doing all those changes to their bikes...they also replace the 10K mile old tires. "Gee...it is not the tires...but...duh...I will replace them anyway as part of all the work I am doing at the same time."

Well, folks, it was the tires. And the reason the tires were causing the dreaded wobble...is because you were running the wrong air pressure in your tires, which caused the tires to wear adversely (sp).

I have seen this on thousands of Wings...millions of motorcycles...and it will continue. Riders/Owners that "assume" that Mother Honda, or any of the OEM manufacturers are 100% correct in everything they print in the bike' owners manual...are living in a dream world. There are many of us...you...myself, and especially Cruiseman...that find improvements that need to be made to our bikes, share this information with the masses, and do so in the hopes that we are contributing to a better riding experience for others.

It is a fact...Honda is absolutely wrong on the tire pressures thay have printed in their owners manuals. Period.

I will close this long dissertation with these words.....

If you own a Honda GL-1800 bikes......run 40 psi in the front tire...of a motorcycle tire....and you will not have the dreaded wobble on an OEM bike.
Start with 40 psi in the front tire...with new tires. If you already have 5K to 10K miles on a set of tires you have been running underinflated....then you need to replace the tires. Running 40 psi NOW...is not going to correct the damage you have done to your tires. Start with new tires, always run 40 psi in the front tire....(MT)....and the world will be a happier place.

Oh, go read Cruiseman's review of the DynaBeads...it is a good article.

[Yellowbird]

Great review Cruiseman i have been using beads to counter my wobble and they have help me almost eliminate it. Just maintaining my air pressures along with the right type of tire and the wobble will disappear. For me there is a certain brand of tire that just will not work well with my ride, even with beads.

[JeffP]

Great video Cruiseman. Knock on wood but my F6B has not developed any wooble yet. Only 6000 kms on the Stones and as MMR says 40 psi on the front.

[MMR]

Great video Cruiseman. Knock on wood but my F6B has not developed any wooble yet. Only 6000 kms on the Stones and as MMR says 40 psi on the front.

Jeff, if you need someone to ride your F6B during your winters up there, just let me know. I will keep it warm for you

[Papa smurf2]

Great review, and, I have used DynaBeads for over 10 yrs and find they work GREAT

[srt8-in-largo]

Great writeup. Will such things work with in-tire TPMS sensors?

[Jack]

I have to agree that the dreaded wobble in most cases is caused by an issue with the tires. I experienced low speed deceleration wobble a few thousand miles after I bought my used 06 Wing. It had Dunlop E3 tires on it. The wobble disappeared after I replaced the front tire with another Dunlop E3. Other Goldwing riders cautioned me that the wobble would return when I got some miles on it. Well, they were wrong. The wobble never did return. That is now two front tires ago. I also run OEM recommended air pressures in my tires. My theory is all it takes is one good pothole or curb stone to break radial belts inside the tire. The break will gradually cause the bike to wobble. This also helps to explain why new tires will temporarily "cure" the wobble and why some bikes never experience it.

Yes, Dynabeads will work with in tire TPMS.

[Cruiseman]

Great writeup. Will such things work with in-tire TPMS sensors?

Absolutely.

[BamaDirtPilot]

Very Cool Video - thanks for posting.

I did wonder how these beads worked and still kinda wonder how such a small amount of these beads can correct balance when it sometimes takes a lot of wheel weights to achieve the same results.

Additionally, as a Dual Sport off road rider, we always use very heavy thick Monster Tubes in DR650's and KLR650. As a result, a lot of wheel weights are need to balance them. However, we discovered that instead of trying to balance with weights, we instead just balanced the rims with weights and then put a full 8 ounces of Green Tire Slime in each tube and we achieved the same balancing results with the added benefit of making the tire seal itself should it pick up a nail, screw, or puncture from a sharp rock or gravel.

So the question I still ponder is this ....

Why do the DynaBeads or in our Dual Sport cxase of using Slime make the tire more in balanced by slinging the slime or beads to the heavy side of the tire. Seems if anything is moving around inside the tire and ends up on the heavy side, it would make the tire more out of balance by adding weight to that heavy side?

I dunno... but I know it does work that way

[bozodriver]

I tried the beads, then tried Centramatics, they both do their job very well.
I prefer the Centramatics because of the ride feeling. About the only way I can think of describing it is .. it's like the tire is stuck on the road surface, glued (as I've heard it described before) to the road. I like the feel better. My front end has more of a gyroscopic effect. I now run Centramatics and love the ride. And ohhh .. no wobble either.

[bozodriver]

Very Cool Video - thanks for posting.

So the question I still ponder is this ....

Why do the DynaBeads or in our Dual Sport cxase of using Slime make the tire more in balanced by slinging the slime or beads to the heavy side of the tire. Seems if anything is moving around inside the tire and ends up on the heavy side, it would make the tire more out of balance by adding weight to that heavy side?

I dunno... but I know it does work that way

I'd suggest that to answer your own question .. go to the Centramatic site and watch their video .. they work the same way and it's very descriptive.

If you decide to buy the Centramatics .. go to the Shinhopples web site (he's a sponser of this board .. a great guy, whose wife Meesh makes really good chocolate chip cookies !).

[JGDJR]

I put them in my 2013 with no problems at all...bike rides as smooth as glass...They are like American Express...
Don't leave home without them...

John

[JeffP]

Jeff, if you need someone to ride your F6B during your winters up there, just let me know. I will keep it warm for you

I would but I would have nothing to stare at in my garage for the long winter.

[TravelinLite]

I'd suggest that to answer your own question .. go to the Centramatic site and watch their video .. they work the same way and it's very descriptive.

If you decide to buy the Centramatics .. go to the Shinhopples web site (he's a sponser of this board .. a great guy, whose wife Meesh makes really good chocolate chip cookies !).

Meesh and Luther are in fact good people but they are sponsors of gl1800riders. I have not seen them listed as a sponsor of this message board.

[bozodriver]

Meesh and Luther are in fact good people but they are sponsors of gl1800riders. I have not seen them listed as a sponsor of this message board.

Well slap me silly ... that could be my bad ..

go get them Centramatics there anyway ..

[Cruiseman]

Shinhopples is not a sponsor here (yet). Hopefully someday. Good folks and good service.

[ChrisE]

I

In my "opinion"...the dreaded wobble is caused by ONE thing only...and that is adverse front tire wear. PERIOD !

"IF" all Honda GL-1800s coming off the line are "most likely" produced to the same mechanical standards, then the only variable that is a consistant variable over the next 5K to 10K to 20K miles on each bike, is the wearing of the tires.

I use Dynabeads in my tires and I know they work, but the biggest variable on a Goldwing is the rider. We are all different shapes, sizes and weights and all don't sit in the exact same position on the bike.

I believe the wobble starts at the rear and as the pivot point of the motorcycle is the steering stem, the front wheel tries to correct and causes the front wheel to start to shimmy like a shopping cart castor.

Better steering stems bearings may help, balancing wheels, I believe, does not have any effect on the wobble.

I've not experienced the wobble on my Wing, but have in a couple of situations on my Bimota Db2, which has a very short wheelbase. The bike was rock solid through all speeds, but should I wear a backpack, the wobble would happen between 60-75mph.

[recon]

OK I am convinced, Do I need to remove my lead wheel weights after I install the Dyna beads? Please advise!

[Cruiseman]

OK I am convinced, Do I need to remove my lead wheel weights after I install the Dyna beads? Please advise!

I removed all of my lead weights. But, I know some people leave the weights on. Not sure why.