November 11th, 2010, 10:55 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: devmasa
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha R6, 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: 104
|
Rear tire losing air....any suggestions?
The rear tire on my 07 ninja is losing pressure.I filled it up to ~30 psi a week ago and today it was soft enough that I could press the tire in with my hands.
I inspected the tire but did not find any nails etc.I did however find a small cut in the rubber but it didn't seem to go deep enough to cause a puncture. Any suggestions to find/fix the leak? or am I better off buying a new rear tire for a little more? Edit:..I should also mention that I was riding the motorcycle for the whole week (~50 miles each day) Last futzed with by devmasa; November 13th, 2010 at 01:18 PM. |
|
November 11th, 2010, 11:37 PM | #2 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Domagoj
Location: Rijeka, Croatia
Join Date: Aug 2010 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250r 2009 Posts: 396
|
Quote:
How about taking the wheel (or the bike) to the shop and letting them check/fix it? It takes so very little time to do so and costs almost nothing (compared to new tire). And when you know whats happening, and depending on the overall state of the tire (how spent, how old) decide if you want to patch it or change it. |
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 12:14 AM | #3 |
ninjette.org member
Name: devmasa
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha R6, 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: 104
|
The tire is pretty much new with only 1200 miles on it.No wear on the tire at all.
I suspect it might be a leaky valve stem. |
|
November 12th, 2010, 12:17 AM | #4 |
Evil Mad Scientist
Name: Al
Location: San Jose, CA
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2006 EX250F6FL, 1986 ZX600A2, 1975 Honda CB550 Posts: 39
|
Soapy water...
Test the suspected leak site with soapy water. If you see bubble formation, you've found the leak.
__________________________________________________
Need your Ninja 250R worked on? PM me... | Spartan Riders on Ning Avatar created by J.J. McCullough and taken from Wikipedia's Mad Scientist entry. |
|
November 12th, 2010, 12:46 AM | #5 |
ninjette.org member
Name: devmasa
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha R6, 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: 104
|
Just tested the valve stem area with soap water...no new air bubbles.
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 01:04 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
|
then spray down the tire, a section at a time, and look for the leak.
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 01:06 AM | #7 |
ninjette.org member
Name: devmasa
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha R6, 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: 104
|
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 02:20 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.
|
I would fill the tire with air to about 30 psi, put the bike on the center stand and spray portions with the soapy solution. if you don't find the leak in one section, rotate the wheel a bit and spray the next section and continue until you find bubbles.
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 07:25 AM | #9 |
Long Time Rider
Name: Blue
Location: Charlotte, NC
Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.
|
Also keep in mind that tire pressure can drop with temp changes. It is not uncommon for tire pressure to be higher when it is warm outside and low when it is cooler. The rule of thumb is for every 10° Fahrenheit change in air temperature, your tire's inflation pressure will change by about 1 psi. The difference between cold nighttime temperatures and hot daytime temperatures in most parts of the country is about 20° Fahrenheit. So depending on when you check your tire pressure and the temp, it could be between 2 and 5 psi low the following morning.
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 07:31 AM | #10 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Frugal
Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.
|
Ditto on soapy water. Why waste time trying to think where the leak is when you can just spray it and see?
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 08:53 AM | #11 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Matthew
Location: Toronto
Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2015 V-Star 950 Tourer (Deep Blue) Posts: 570
|
Heh, I had 3? nails/screws in my rear tire and it held pressure (I was stupid riding around in a relatively new neighborhood that my buddy moved into. good luck finding that leak!
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 10:28 AM | #12 |
ninjette.org member
Name: devmasa
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha R6, 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: 104
|
I will spray the sections of the tire as kkim suggested ...but still the leak is going to be pretty hard to detect since the tire is losing air very slowly.
I had filled the tire back to ~30-32 psi yesterday and this morning,it still isl pretty firm. The tire will lose all pressure around 4-5 days from now. Do you still think that the soap water test can detect such a tiny leak ? |
|
November 12th, 2010, 10:35 AM | #13 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE, '15 CRF110F, '13 TT-R50E Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
|
If it's losing > 10 psi over 3 or 4 days, you can definitely find the leak with soapy water. What it comes down to is you don't have much of a choice, you gotta find it or you gotta replace the tire. Pick 1.
__________________________________________________
Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered) |
|
November 12th, 2010, 10:39 AM | #14 |
ninjette.org member
Name: devmasa
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Oct 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2006 Yamaha R6, 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: 104
|
|
|
November 12th, 2010, 10:43 AM | #15 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE, '15 CRF110F, '13 TT-R50E Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
|
Depends on what you find. If it turns out to be a small nail or screw in an area that can be plugged safely, perhaps that's the right way to go. If it is the valve, replace that. If it's a small crack in the tire that is leaking for an unknown reason and can't be plugged/patched easily, it's unfortunately time for a new tire.
__________________________________________________
Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered) |
|
November 12th, 2010, 03:28 PM | #16 |
Long Time Rider
Name: Blue
Location: Charlotte, NC
Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.
|
Most tire manufacturers recommend only permanent repairs to be performed from the inside of the tire, using a combination patch/plug method. Repairs from the outside are considered temporary and should be repaired from the inside as soon as possible. The Tech Uni-Seal® Repair Kit has also been marketed by Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha with their own part numbers.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/attac...0&d=1288098690 |
|
November 13th, 2010, 04:28 AM | #17 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Scott
Location: MI
Join Date: Sep 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 300 SE ABS Posts: 47
|
The problem can be the rim itself if you can't find any defects with the tire. The slightest crack or bend in the rim can cause air to leak. Check the rim especially where the tire meets the rim. Use soapy water if you must.
|
|
November 13th, 2010, 05:24 PM | #18 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Calvin
Location: Quesnel, B.C
Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 250R (sold), 2013 300SE Posts: 276
|
When you checked the valve core, did you check the valve core? Comon source for slow leeks.
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Tire Suggestions | Grasshoppah | 2008 - 2012 Ninja 250R Tech Talk | 17 | April 26th, 2014 06:42 AM |
'87 - Need a new front tire (affordable) SUGGESTIONS? please | Greatjobdani | 1986 - 2007 Ninja 250R Tech Talk | 15 | April 15th, 2012 08:35 PM |
Mysterious Flat Tire....Suggestions Please | GetBusyLiving | General Motorcycling Discussion | 9 | July 9th, 2011 11:08 PM |
[roadracingworld.com] - More From Sport Tire Services On Losing The Western U.S. Dunl | Ninjette Newsbot | Motorcycling News | 0 | January 12th, 2011 05:00 PM |
[roadracingworld.com] - More From Sport Tire Services On Losing Its Dunlop Race Tire | Ninjette Newsbot | Motorcycling News | 0 | January 12th, 2011 04:20 PM |
Thread Tools | |
|
|