2talltim Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 ok i ordered a new rear for my wifes shadow(i havent gotten it yet)...my first question is i ordered a 15"x 5" rim strip(it was the only 15" one they had) but once i unmounted the tire i noticed the rim strip is only 1 3/4" wide is this something i can just trim down? all it does is protect the tube from the spokes......second question, the tire size on the bike is 170/80-15 and i ordered a tire and tube to match this, but when i took the old tube off the bike the sizes listed on it (the tube)are 140/90-19, 150/80-15, and 150/90-15..WTF? is this normal or did some one make a booboo when they mounted the old tire? If so im wondering if this is what made the tire wear in the middle so badand question 3 is i am suspecting the old tire might be the orginal 1993 tire, the bike has 22k miles and the old tire is very flat spoted in the middle and has lots dry rot cracks and is a model number that is listed in the owners man., no big deal just makes me curious it there a number on the tire that might be some kind of date code? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 ok i figured out the answer to the date code after searching the net i figured out the tire was made in 4/1998 so its not the orginal but still a 13yr old tire...so now im wondering why some bike shop put the wrong size tube in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) One size tube will work for several size tires, but I've never seen one marked both 19 and 15. I'm going to guess that the 140/90-19 marking is or was supposed to be 140/90-15. the nominal size of the tube was the size in the middle, the 150/80-15. Stuff made in countries that don't speak English can have all sorts of crazy typos.edit: The 5 inch wide rim strip was probably for an ATV rim or something (or car rim?). Not that I've ever seen spokes on an ATV rim. You can cut it back to the 1 3/4 if you want to. It only has to cover the area of the spokes, usually the flat part of the rim. I've seen some I thought were too narrow, and I was happier with a wider one. They do try to move around (when mounting up), and a spoke poking at a tube won't last long. I always liked a thicker rim strip, rather than a thin one. They tend to break where the hole for the tube nozzle is located.edit again: check the rim strip to see if it's going to be too tight or too loose on the motorcycle rim. The profile of any wide 15" rim would dish down deep, and the rim strip would be a quite different diameter. It might not fit at all.moar edit: a couple of sizes larger tire is ok. But a tube that is too big for a smaller tire, runs the risk of folding or creasing, which would cause a problem on the exterior of the tire. As long as the tube expands equally and evenly on the interior of the tire, it's ok. No abnormal wear should occur. This doesn't mean a motorcycle tube would work on a car rim, but a little larger tire is ok. And no, I never liked that, I always tried to find a tube that does match the tire. Edited August 28, 2011 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Mounting tube tires. If you haven't done a bunch of them before, you'll have to watch the area where the tube nozzle is located on the tube. It is thicker there, and has a habit of getting in between the tire and the metal rim. That pushes the tire away from the rim (inward), and will cause a lumpy bump when riding. It will also eventually go flat, since it is pinching the tube. Put the nut on the nozzle, and push the nozzle in as far as it will go when mounting the tire. So that the thick part of the tube goes inside the tire, not in between. Works best if there is a little air in the tube when working with it, so that it holds it's shape (keeps the tools from pinching the tube when prying). When all done, eyeball the line on the tire near the rim. Turn the tire and see if that line is consistently the same distance from the rim on both sides. If not, the tube is probably pinched between tire and rim, or the tire isn't fully seated for some other reason. Edited August 28, 2011 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Thanks for the tips..the 19" was a typo on my part, all three sizes listed were 15" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2talltim Posted September 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Got the stuff today...the rim strip actually said trim to fit right on the package it worked out great...im going to have a guy at this bike shop mount it for me because I found a couple loose spokes and he's going to look at them for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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