Valve stem longevity

[Dave in Doodah]

Sorry if this has been addressed previously. I have been riding bias ply tires for the last 20 years and always have run tubes. Change a tire - change the tube.

 

Now I will be replacing radial tires. What are your feelings on how often to replace the valve stems? I can't imagine they need to be replaced at each tire change...?

 

Thanks much in advance.

[Boffin]

Sorry if this has been addressed previously. I have been riding bias ply tires for the last 20 years and always have run tubes. Change a tire - change the tube.

 

Now I will be replacing radial tires. What are your feelings on how often to replace the valve stems? I can't imagine they need to be replaced at each tire change...?

 

Thanks much in advance.

 

I change mine every tyre change - I bought a bag of 100 from an online tyre fitting supply co for a couple of pounds - works out at pennies each.

 

In the UK all commercial tyre fitting outfits replace the stem every time - probably for liability reasons.

 

From the Conti website:

The most important safety rules for motorcycle tyres

Observe specified minimum air pressure. (See motorcycle owner´s manual)

Check inflation pressure, and adjust if necessary, on every refuelling stop

Do not exceed maximum load capacity. (See motorcycle registration papers)

Avoid impact strain (E.g. curbstones)

Check tyres regularly for signs of damage

Never ride on tyres with less than 2mm tread depth (More is better)

Only buy specified tyres. Handling characteristics can only be optimized through proper tyre fitment

Use the right inner-tubes to match the tyres (if necessary). New tubes for new tyres

Make sure valve caps are fitted. New valve for new tubeless tyre

Only use specified rims in perfect condition. Specialty rims require special approval

Only have tyres fitted by a skilled tyre fitter

 

 

From the Dunlop website:

TUBELESS VALVES

When fitting new tubeless tyres, a new valve should also be fitted.

In service, the centrifugal forces that act upon a valve may cause the spring to become damaged and the valve stem may bend, leading to weakness.

 

Then again, its your decision if you want to risk that stem failing...

 

 

Andy

[Redbrick]

Sorry if this has been addressed previously. I have been riding bias ply tires for the last 20 years and always have run tubes. Change a tire - change the tube.

 

Now I will be replacing radial tires. What are your feelings on how often to replace the valve stems? I can't imagine they need to be replaced at each tire change...?

 

Thanks much in advance.

 

Probably don't, but I change them every time a new tire is mounted; new stems....Except 12RT front where it's part of the wheel and metal.....A few bucks is all they cost even at BMW dealers....Coincidently, I'm changing both tires on my bike right now...Just took a little break...

[Matts_12GS]

I'd recommend it, especially if you're going to do a lot of highway or loaded travel this summer.

 

The stem that debonded on me in AZ could have done a lot more than damage my 50cc completion.

[smiller]

Install a good-quality metal stem and only have to do it once.

[Ken H.]

Install a good-quality metal stem and only have to do it once.

Yup! BTDT.

[Justin_B]

Will a "normal" automotive metal valve stem work in these rims?

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Install a good-quality metal stem and only have to do it once.

 

Can you recommend a source? My new R12RT has an old-style rubber stem on the rear wheel; I wouldn't mind replacing with metal.

 

Thanks...

[smiller]

I have used both the straight and 45-degree products from Patchboy on the 1100 3-spoke wheels, can't verify for certain that they are compatible with the hexhead models but perhaps someone else can.

[E30TECH]

Solid Billet valve stems

 

Mine needed to be modified to fit the contour of the rim. I took pics and sent them to the owner of the site. He put 3 pics of the modified valve stem on his site under "exceptions"

 

[tomk99r11]

At risk of going against the grain on this, what ever goes wrong with a valve stem? If the one on the rim worked before you changed the tires, what happens to the stem after to make it dangerous to use? All you do is pull the core to seat the bead and then air it up. If it holds air, it holds air. So, OK, fire away.

[smiller]

what ever goes wrong with a valve stem?

Rubber stems degrade with age and can separate, causing sudden loss of tire pressure. Not a common occurrence but not uncommon either.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Install a good-quality metal stem and only have to do it once.

 

Can you recommend a source? My new R12RT has an old-style rubber stem on the rear wheel; I wouldn't mind replacing with metal.

 

Thanks...

 

Triumph, Ducati or Aprilla dealers should all carry 90 degree metal valve stems. I guess you didn't notice but they came stock on my Sprint. Might have to spot face the inside of the wheel to get them to fit properly but basically, small potatoes.

[E30TECH]

Hopefully these have all been taken out of service...doubtful though...

 

Defective valve stems

[Dave in Doodah]

Thanks all. This is about what I expected, but I just figured - I am changing my tires at least once a year, but auto tires stay put for several years with no issues...

 

I guess, you are already in there - do the whole deal at the same time. Cheap insurance, but I would bet it's not necessary. If I ran a tire store, of course I would always change them. But when we do our own work I just thought maybe there was a different philosophy.

 

Thanks again.

[Matts_12GS]

There was an interesting article that I believe Coarsegold Kid posted during my 50CC thread.. He got it from Metzler I believe and it discussed the amount of flex and deflection a valve stem can take. It was a snippet, but pretty interesting. PM Joe and see if he still has it around, I bet he does.

[DavidEBSmith]

Install a good-quality metal stem and only have to do it once.

 

Well - the metal stem still has a rubber gasket which can deteriorate and fail. And if, say, the gasket hardened and cracked and a piece fell out, compromising the seal, that would be bad. So if you kept your bike for, say 12 years with the same metal valve stems, you might want to take a look at them.

[Deadboy]

I have done mine once in 4 years/50K....but I will probably start doing them more often as it is pretty easy/cheap.

[Boffin]

I have done mine once in 4 years/50K....but I will probably start doing them more often as it is pretty easy/cheap.

 

Yup, Patchboy $13-50 for 50 TR412 valve stems. Seems cheap insurance to me.

 

That said, I paid about £11 for 100 in the UK.

 

Andy

[mikeR1100R]

+1 on the metal stems. I feel much more secure knowing that they will most likely never fail.

[KDeline]

FWIW I have over 700,000 cycle miles, with 4 bikes well into the 100,000's. I have never changed out a stem and never had a failure.

[Dave in Doodah]

I was expecting more of this type of answer. Lots of conservative, safety conscious folks here....

[KDeline]

Lots of conservative, safety conscious folks here....

 

Yea. That's what I call it...............

[Boffin]

I was expecting more of this type of answer. Lots of conservative, safety conscious folks here....

 

ANAL.

 

I pay less than 20cents each for valves. Not anal, it just makes no sense to take a risk on failure to save 20 cents.

YMMV.

 

Andy

[Lawman]

I was expecting more of this type of answer. Lots of conservative, safety conscious folks here....

 

ANAL.

 

I pay less than 20cents each for valves. Not anal, it just makes no sense to take a risk on failure to save 20 cents.

YMMV.

 

Andy

 

It's not the twenty cents that bothers me..What I'm afraid of doing is replacing a perfectly functioning valve stem with one that may be defective or damaged or not properly installed..The more times you replace one the greater chance of that happening..

[ltljohn]

I was expecting more of this type of answer. Lots of conservative, safety conscious folks here....

 

ANAL.

 

I pay less than 20cents each for valves. Not anal, it just makes no sense to take a risk on failure to save 20 cents.

YMMV.

 

Andy

 

It's not the twenty cents that bothers me..What I'm afraid of doing is replacing a perfectly functioning valve stem with one that may be defective or damaged or not properly installed..The more times you replace one the greater chance of that happening..

 

By the same logic the more times you don't change one the more likely it is you will end up in Gila Bend AZ. at 22:00 with a leaking valve stem.

[smiller]

It's not the twenty cents that bothers me..What I'm afraid of doing is replacing a perfectly functioning valve stem with one that may be defective or damaged or not properly installed..The more times you replace one the greater chance of that happening..

I think that's a perfectly reasonable concern, and in fact there are numerous studies indicating that excessive preventative maintenance tends to lower reliability rather than raise it. To me the best answer is a metal valve stem, no regular replacements thus no concern over this factor.

[tomk99r11]

I am very safety concious, so any inference to the contrary is misdiercted. My plant was recoginzed by OSHA as a Star facility, no small accomplishment and not done without full attention to all aspects of safety. And, what the hell is 20 cents to any of us. Change 'em every tire change if you feel better about it, I see no enhancement to safe riding by doing so.

[Matts_12GS]

FWIW I have over 700,000 cycle miles, with 4 bikes well into the 100,000's. I have never changed out a stem and never had a failure.

 

I felt the same way till that one failed. Now, I figure that while I'm there I might as well.

 

[g_frey]

Well every three years I bend the valve stem over and if there are any cracks showing at all I replace it. Many valve stems have lasted for over 100,000 miles with no cracks visible? No trouble so far. Everyone should do what they want of course. I have far more trouble from the valve core loosening up, getting dirt in it, or being not installed correctly than from the valve going bad. My favorite tire dealer here in town use to routinely leave my car with over 40 psi (once 53 psi) in every new tire and sometimes one valve core insufficiently tightened. He had very good prices and I did not want to hurt the old farts feelings so I just went around the corner and fixed the problems. Ah small town Montana! I got tires from him until he "retired"?

[KDeline]

I was expecting more of this type of answer. Lots of conservative, safety conscious folks here....

 

ANAL.

 

I pay less than 20cents each for valves. Not anal, it just makes no sense to take a risk on failure to save 20 cents.

YMMV.

 

Andy

 

 

 

Ha! you got that before I edited it, I thought I was being a bit harsh.

[KDeline]

 

It's not the twenty cents that bothers me..What I'm afraid of doing is replacing a perfectly functioning valve stem with one that may be defective or damaged or not properly installed..The more times you replace one the greater chance of that happening..

 

 

That's my thinking, but I am cheap to!

[tomk99r11]

KDeline, that would be my concern with replacing an otherwise apparently servicable valve stem. I look them over for cracks or cuts, see that the core has been seated correctly, check psi periodically, and ride the bike. Holding on to a 20 cent valve stem would exceed cheap, going beyond super cheap squared. Think I will keep holding to my so far successful practice as described. I still fail to see the need, X any obvious defieciencies as above, to replace them each tire change. If they go bad that often, why not change them every 3-4000 miles just to be safe. Makes no sense to me. But hey, that's me.

[TonyS]

Doug (fellow rider) had his valve stem fail when the rubber separated from the core, 11,000 miles on his four year old GS, always garaged. The stem looked perfect on the outside. We were on a weekend camping ride to Big Sur. Bummer. I now change the valve stems every other tire change.

[KDeline]

Doug (fellow rider) had his valve stem fail when the rubber separated from the core, 11,000 miles on his four year old GS, always garaged. The stem looked perfect on the outside. We were on a weekend camping ride to Big Sur. Bummer. I now change the valve stems every other tire change.

 

 

Like anything else, how many times has this happened, to how many people?

[Redbrick]

Doug (fellow rider) had his valve stem fail when the rubber separated from the core, 11,000 miles on his four year old GS, always garaged. The stem looked perfect on the outside. We were on a weekend camping ride to Big Sur. Bummer. I now change the valve stems every other tire change.

 

 

Like anything else, how many times has this happened, to how many people?

 

As the doctor said, "The odds of this happening are only about 5% but it's 100% if it happens to you" .......

[SAAB93driver]

I had to replace one on the road when the valve stem started to swell up on one side. It wasn't losing air yet but beginning to devulcanize.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Doug (fellow rider) had his valve stem fail when the rubber separated from the core, 11,000 miles on his four year old GS, always garaged. The stem looked perfect on the outside. We were on a weekend camping ride to Big Sur. Bummer. I now change the valve stems every other tire change.

 

 

Like anything else, how many times has this happened, to how many people?

 

Rare, but a real bummer out on the road, and the preventive maintenance is fairly easy.