FJRiders.com

wheatonFJR wrote: ↑Fri Jul 04, 2025 10:46 am

gixxerjasen wrote: ↑Fri Jul 04, 2025 8:10 am Wait, we have a language censor on THIS board? Since when!?!?!?

You don't swear very much, do you.

I do, but not on forums. Some are very picky about it that I'm on. So I'm very specific and use it in a meaningful way only when necessary. Scooter keeps posting pics like that, he makes it necessary.

Rode it in the French Alps!

Went to ride it yesterday morning before it got too hot. Unusually hard to back out, back tire is flat. Crap. This is the replacement tire for the rear I just replaced with 750 miles on it. This PR 4 GT tire has about 250 miles on it. I aired it up, looked all over for a nail and couldn't find anything. Then sprayed soapy water all around the new 90 degree stem, and then around both beads. No bubbles. I sprayed the heck out of that 90 degree stem. From all angles. Sprayed the obviously slow leaking air chock connection on my air compressor to check my soapy water is mixed correctly....bubbles. So I'm stumped. It wasn't down. It was completely flat. I'll back it out tonight and spray the tire in it's entirety.

Skooter,
Those are some effen amazing photos! How'd you keep yer eyes on the road!

Now, if you could just Photoshop yer self out of the photos it would be perfect. Jk man, dude you are killing it!

D-Eagle wrote: ↑Mon Jul 07, 2025 8:46 am Went to ride it yesterday morning before it got too hot. Unusually hard to back out, back tire is flat. Crap. This is the replacement tire for the rear I just replaced with 750 miles on it. This PR 4 GT tire has about 250 miles on it. I aired it up, looked all over for a nail and couldn't find anything. Then sprayed soapy water all around the new 90 degree stem, and then around both beads. No bubbles. I sprayed the heck out of that 90 degree stem. From all angles. Sprayed the obviously slow leaking air chock connection on my air compressor to check my soapy water is mixed correctly....bubbles. So I'm stumped. It wasn't down. It was completely flat. I'll back it out tonight and spray the tire in it's entirety.

Once had a tire with similar experience. Sprayed a bottle full of soapy water all over and couldn't find a leak.
Finally removed the wheel and submerged the tire in a tub of water (wheel barrow) and found a pinhole leak in the sidewall.
Invisible to the naked eye and too small to produce bubbles on the scooter.
It was a 5 year old brand new tire I took from my stockpile, but still under warranty.
Manufacturer replaced it when I returned it to the selling vendor, factory defect.

dan

Check for leaky valve core..........

Weather crap today, so I loaded a route in the GPS for.... tomorrow. The idea is ambitious, but ... we'll see.....

Some things are never easy. Last week I set out documenting my old and new ignition key, figuring out the wafers needed for the new key to work in the old locks and ordered up a Yamaha Key kit for the factor top box which comes with bags of wafers. Today I got one of the bags all keyed to work with the new key and got it all back on the bike. Then the second box, the first screw came out and the second one stripped. I cussed for a bit and went inside. I'll look at it some more tomorrow.

Took FJR out in sunlight, sprayed entire tire with soapy water. Sprayed stem, all along the rim bead, and the entire sidewall and tread. No bubbles. It was at 40 psi when I started. I had set it to 42 psi the day before but I also always lose a bit of air when I test air pressure. So evidently a very slow leak. Looks like this just became my day ride bike if I can't trust it over several days unless I get to the point where my 250 mile leaking tire becomes my burnout bike. I'll keep watching. Anybody recommend a tire gauge that locks on without losing air first?

D-Eagle wrote: ↑Tue Jul 08, 2025 8:51 am Took FJR out in sunlight, sprayed entire tire with soapy water. Sprayed stem, all along the rim bead, and the entire sidewall and tread. No bubbles. It was at 40 psi when I started. I had set it to 42 psi the day before but I also always lose a bit of air when I test air pressure. So evidently a very slow leak. Looks like this just became my day ride bike if I can't trust it over several days unless I get to the point where my 250 mile leaking tire becomes my burnout bike. I'll keep watching. Anybody recommend a tire gauge that locks on without losing air first?

I just use one like this. I lose very little air as long as I get it straight on when applying to the Schrader valve. I have angled valve stems but this will work OK with regular (short) FJR stems.
It was cheap, but I find it is accurate and reproducible compared to known high quality gauges. There are a million of them out there and not all may be as good. I got mine a half dozen years ago so the exact same one isn't available.

A few years ago during a long distance rally I had the rear tire lose air rapidly on the highway while loaded down 2-up. Got off at the nearest exit and reinflated the tire and began trying to find the leak. No bueno, no bubbles anywhere that we could find. Overinflated the tire and headed to a hotel for our rest bonus figuring I'd mess with it in the morning. Slept a few hours and got up early to find the rear tire flat again. Using my small compressor I reinflated it to 45 psi and had the front desk staff give me a spray bottle full of water with dish soap added. Sprayed the entire tire, bead area, and valve stem and once again it would not bubble. This early in the morning there was little to no traffic so getting my ear as close to the tire as possible I could hear it hissing. Narrowed it down to about a 6" long area and sprayed it again with soapy water. No bubbles.

Unable to figure it out our only option was to take it to a shop. Reinflated the tire, slightly over once more, and backtracked to Barnes Brothers Yamaha in Canonsburg, FJRPittsburgh's family shop. Got there as soon as they opened and explained the situation. they pulled the rear tire and put it in a tank of water and again no bubbles. Tech finally unmounted the tire and upon super close examination found what looked like a small pimple on the inside of the tire and removed a single strand of steel belt we must have run over on the highway. It had entered the tire at an angle at the very end of a sipe in the rear tire and it never bubbled even with soapy water. Because dealerships in PA will not plug a bike tire or install one that is plugged I ended up having to buy a new tire. I did have my tire shipped home where I later plug patched it from the inside. The tech actually had to circle the area for me with a paint marker as you would never have seen it from the outside of the tire.

D-Eagle wrote: ↑Tue Jul 08, 2025 8:51 am Took FJR out in sunlight, sprayed entire tire with soapy water. Sprayed stem, all along the rim bead, and the entire sidewall and tread. No bubbles. It was at 40 psi when I started. I had set it to 42 psi the day before but I also always lose a bit of air when I test air pressure. So evidently a very slow leak. Looks like this just became my day ride bike if I can't trust it over several days unless I get to the point where my 250 mile leaking tire becomes my burnout bike. I'll keep watching. Anybody recommend a tire gauge that locks on without losing air first?

Setting a pressure the day before.... note ambient temperature, if it is different in the morning (tire cooled off) you might lose a couple PSI... also air directly out of a compressor is hot..... To confirm what you really have.... park the bike inside and inflate or overinflate a bit the night before. In the morning, check the pressure (using good technique of course). This is now your known base pressure. Then leave it another 24 hours and check again... how much difference, if any? Without going anywhere, check again 72 hours later..... any difference?

And this is why TPMS systems were invented....

I use one of these portable inflator. It screws on the valve stem. Always carry it, along with a plug kit.

FJRoss wrote: ↑Fri Jul 04, 2025 12:03 pm ... turns brittle and cracks over time ...

Sooo .... kinda like Wheatey is what you're saying?

Lol

It's amazing how bad the bubble test can be. I had an air mattress that me and my wife went over and over with soapy water, plunging sections of it under water in the bathtub, never could find the leak despite me having spent 6 or 7 times reinflating it overnight trying to get some sleep.

D-Eagle wrote: ↑Tue Jul 08, 2025 8:51 am Took FJR out in sunlight, sprayed entire tire with soapy water. Sprayed stem, all along the rim bead, and the entire sidewall and tread. No bubbles. It was at 40 psi when I started. I had set it to 42 psi the day before but I also always lose a bit of air when I test air pressure. So evidently a very slow leak. Looks like this just became my day ride bike if I can't trust it over several days unless I get to the point where my 250 mile leaking tire becomes my burnout bike. I'll keep watching. Anybody recommend a tire gauge that locks on without losing air first?

This situation begs for TPMS. Some screw on TPMS caps lose quite a bit going on/off. The long discontinued Garmin, not so much. I also have an inexpensive tire pressure gauge, which I can't give you a reliable source, that doesn't leak much when applied to the valve stem.

You need a TPMS to let you know when riding that a problem is brewing.

Without TMPS I'd consider Slime for the slow leak. Consider hundreds of dollars for a new tire, or a possible mess taking this one off when it wears out?

500 KM yesterday in southern Quebec. I vsited a national park and ran all around a major river watershed, with ripping waterfalls from recent rains. The weather was perfect: 55 when I left the house, 75 in the afternoon, sunshine. I got a chance to see the land in Quebec - my heart is fuller.

AFAICT - the tires held air, a good thing indeed. Ride report coming in my summer adventure thread.

Stay thirsty, my friends....

Toter wrote: ↑Tue Jul 08, 2025 10:12 am I use one of these portable inflator. It screws on the valve stem. Always carry it, along with a plug kit.

This is cheaper than buying (another) rear tire. I just replaced the one at 750 miles because of a nail, but that was found when it was off the bike already. This tire only has 250 miles on it. I hate changing tires. I'll monitor the slow leak until it becomes a problem, then replace it then....or maybe find the leak if it worsens. Truth be told the Wing has been going on the longer overnight trips. I WAS planning on bringing the FJR to EOM and Andy's Tech Day. At least at Andy's Tech Day we would have all kinds of geniuses to examine my issue. Problem is by the time I get to Andy's the typical genius IQ has been decreased from red solo cup action.

D-Eagle wrote: ↑Wed Jul 09, 2025 8:58 am At least at Andy's Tech Day we would have all kinds of geniuses to examine my issue. Problem is by the time I get to Andy's the typical genius IQ has been decreased from red solo cup action.

I still remember poor Poolboy's trailer being molested by a bunch of our so-called inebriated geniuses I think trying unsuccessfully to troubleshoot the trailer lights.