May be detrimantal to ongoing political discussions ...
Today , since it's raining it's ass off and I can't work on the house construction , I think I'll build a wheel balancing shaft and cones for the motorcycles . I have a nice straight piece of half inch SS round stock and a pair of ball bearings , both bought for this purpose some time ago . The plan is to machine a pair of conical aluminum pieces that are a tight slip fit on the rod , with set screws to retain them in tight contact with the wheel bearings . Cones will be machined round behind the taper so they'll slip into the seals , which will also help keep the wheel from rotating on the rod . For support stands , I will be using a pair of jack stands set up on a level surface . A lot of people see no need to balance motorcycle wheels , but I have found that my bike just seems to ride smoother if I do . Last tire change I tried using the balance beads , and they seem to work , but are difficult to "install" and costly . While I'm not sure they're to blame , I got less than
3500 miles on that rear tire . Tire is a Conti Milestone , touted as a "high mileage tire for heavy touring motorcycles" . I have contacted Continental tire and they want to see the tire ... new rubber is a Dunlop Elite III , which I've had good mileage from in the past .