Side leak

out of nowhere. no damage or anything. just start slowly leaking few days ago



what should i do?

Thank you!

I have had this happen to me previously. There is probably a small imperfection or flap of rubber on the bead of the tyre in this location. The solution is to shift the bead off the rim, remove the imperfection and remount the tyre. That will most likely get rid of it.

just remount your tyre with :

tyre paste | eBay

I never have more problem even with old rims

Actually you could just deflate the tire while the bike is on it stand, bounce a rubber mallet off the tire in the general area of the leak, re-inflate it and see if that does the trick. Sometime its just a bad set on the bead. Particularly if the weathers been cold.

VE258 said:

out of nowhere. no damage or anything. just start slowly leaking few days ago

what should i do?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

Remove the wheel, deflated the tire, break the bead (separate the tire bead from the rim) in the area of the leak. Clean the rim, inspect the tire bead and remove imperfection, apply a little tire mounting lube, then re-inflate the tire and see if she holds. A bead breaker from Harbor Freight works well, other wise you can search the Web for other methods.

I had this exact thing happen earlier in the year, and I think others here have also. Mine was the result of rim corrosion. Since it was still under warranty, I took it to the dealer and they fixed it for free. I have noticed a very slow pressure drop again, so I think it might be returning. As I am now out of warranty, I will have to unseat the tire and fix the problem myself.

My original rims are OK but the spare set of rims leaked. Broke the bead and hit the worse areas with 320 grit sand paper. That slowed the leaking down. When I changed the rear tire I was able to get at it easier and smoothed it all out and now the rear holds firmly. Seems that the coating (paint ?) is dripping or something and making for a rough surface around the bead.

My stock tires held pressure to a t.the pr4s I put in air once or twice a month.probably a bad seal.I keep a check on it before each ride.

I had the rim corrosion problem also on the rear. Since my tire was already off when I found it, I fixed it my self with some sand paper. No problems since then, and the front wheel is fine.

All these responses raise the issue of Why the large numbers of rim corrosion problems?. Any chance of a fault in the wheel paint/primer?

Same as mine..............

Pressure washer may cause corrosion problems... on cars too.

/T

tapsak4 said:

Pressure washer may cause corrosion problems... on cars too.

/T

Click to expand...

Yup, pressure washing is a bad idea on almost anything mechanical.

That evil rim corrosion. My bike gets washed when I ride in the rain.

For what it's worth, I had the previously noted corrosion, and I've never used a pressure washer, or even soap and water, to wash my bike. I only use spray detailer and terrycloth rags to clean, and reapply wax every once in a while.

Lou Wambsganss said:

For what it's worth, I had the previously noted corrosion, and I've never used a pressure washer, or even soap and water, to wash my bike. I only use spray detailer and terrycloth rags to clean, and reapply wax every once in a while.

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Maybe something in the chemical make up of the tire or living in a high humidity area?

bamamate said:

My original rims are OK but the spare set of rims leaked. Broke the bead and hit the worse areas with 320 grit sand paper. That slowed the leaking down. When I changed the rear tire I was able to get at it easier and smoothed it all out and now the rear holds firmly. Seems that the coating (paint ?) is dripping or something and making for a rough surface around the bead.

Click to expand...

I've been watching for some and have sen some reasonably priced ($250 each) on Ebay but didn't have the funds! Good idea! Trail worthy tires on one set, street on the other!

Thank you all for respond! i released the air from the tire while bike is on center stand, then using a big flat screwdriver as a pry bar cleaned the rim and tire with some sort of synthetic rag. looks like there is no more leak.

VE258 said:

out of nowhere. no damage or anything. just start slowly leaking few days ago

what should i do?
Thank you!

Click to expand...

This problem appeared several months ago and was explained in this Forum. When you remove the tire from the rim you'll find some brownish/red gritty clay or casting sand clinging to the alloy wheel (where the tire bead seats) that was not removed prior to mounting the tire. Using a wet terry cloth and rubbing the area will dislodge the foreign material and allow the tire to fully seat to the rim. Remount the tire, fill with air and the problem is solved.
A slow leak is the first sign of trouble.
(I believe there are photos posted of the offending foreign material clinging to the wheel bead seating area?)

Lou Wambsganss said:

I had this exact thing happen earlier in the year, and I think others here have also. Mine was the result of rim corrosion. Since it was still under warranty, I took it to the dealer and they fixed it for free. I have noticed a very slow pressure drop again, so I think it might be returning. As I am now out of warranty, I will have to unseat the tire and fix the problem myself.

View attachment 21490

Click to expand...

You sure have a nice clean chain. What lube are you using that leaves a blue residue?