TIRES: Going Tubeless

when asking questions try and include the yr and model so folks wont have to give broad answers,that wont be close to the right answer....the yr and model and picture of the rims casting marks in this thread would have given you 100% correct answer

no you cant convert a tubed rim to a tubeless and no your rims are not tubeless...that yucky tube is the only choice

mjg15, that is a tube type wheel that has been mis-marked as tubeless. In addition to the bead area, compare the center channel, tubeless rims have a deeper and usually wider, center channel than tubeless.

Seems to me, that if you did run a tire tubeless on that rim, and the bead did slip causing you to crash, Kawasaki might be facing some liability issues.

mjg15 wrote: Heres the pics of an '81 GPz550 front wheel with no "tubeless" ridges. Maybe the angle of the bead seat area is different than the tube-type rims? I have a tube-type Z1R front wheel somewhere, when I get a chance I'll compare them.

I would definitely be running a tube on that wheel.

Oh My god I'm starting to freak out reading this post. I just recently got my wheels for my 78 kz650 Sr powder coated. When I got the tires removed from the wheels at Dillon brothers motorsports, the guy there said that there were tubes in the rim but they are tubeless and he got rid of them. Then I got them mounted back on by a different bike shop after they were coated, and no words were said that they are tube type wheels and that I need tubes. I have them all mounted on the bike and now I'm reading this and after all the money I've spent OMG this can't be true!!! Please tell me this isn't true. My wheels say nothing on them about being tubeless or tube type but my tires say tubeless. Someone help!

Thanks for the tip. My kz650 is a 1977. and I was confused because I was reading the tires, not the rims, and the rear tire said "tubed type" and the front tire said "tubeless." I didn't know you could run a tube inside a tire that was designed for tubeless rims, and i bet when i go to change both tires I'll find an inner tube inside my front "tubeless" tire. Thanks to everyone for the info.

steell wrote: mjg15, that is a tube type wheel that has been mis-marked as tubeless. In addition to the bead area, compare the center channel, tubeless rims have a deeper and usually wider, center channel than tubeless.

Seems to me, that if you did run a tire tubeless on that rim, and the bead did slip causing you to crash, Kawasaki might be facing some liability issues.

...makes soldered cable ends seem relatively safe....

It definitely surprised me to see that it looked like that when the tire came off. Below is the number that is cast into the wheel, I don't know if is a model number, but I'm going to see if any of the other wheels that I have are the same model.

Omaha rider is your bike a kz650c or a b? Mines a c and has the cast wheels with dual discs and trailing calipers in the front and a single disc in the back. I haven't looked for a stamp on the rims but i will in a few hours when i get home from work.

It is the D1 model, says it in my signiture.

I've been doing some research and as far as i can tell the 650d is very similar to the c except the rear wheel is 16 inches instead of 18. Aside from that I would imagine that they are probably both designed for inner tubes. I'm going to check my rims tonight and see if i can't find a stamp and i suggest you check too because it can be really dangerous to ride with a tire that isn't seated right. If your wheels are supposed to have tubes, don't kick yourself too much over the cost because i believe you can just buy inner tubes and put them in you don't have to get different tires or wheels.

HolyKAW wrote: I've been doing some research and as far as i can tell the 650d is very similar to the c except the rear wheel is 16 inches instead of 18. Aside from that I would imagine that they are probably both designed for inner tubes. I'm going to check my rims tonight and see if i can't find a stamp and i suggest you check too because it can be really dangerous to ride with a tire that isn't seated right. If your wheels are supposed to have tubes, don't kick yourself too much over the cost because i believe you can just buy inner tubes and put them in you don't have to get different tires or wheels.

How could two motorcycle shops look over this and not say anything about these needing tubes? I just find it hard to believe I got this far with no one saying anything about it. It was expensive getting the tires removed and re-installed/balanced.

Omaha Rider wrote: Oh My god I'm starting to freak out reading this post. I just recently got my wheels for my 78 kz650 Sr powder coated. When I got the tires removed from the wheels at Dillon brothers motorsports, the guy there said that there were tubes in the rim but they are tubeless and he got rid of them. Then I got them mounted back on by a different bike shop after they were coated, and no words were said that they are tube type wheels and that I need tubes. I have them all mounted on the bike and now I'm reading this and after all the money I've spent OMG this can't be true!!! Please tell me this isn't true. My wheels say nothing on them about being tubeless or tube type but my tires say tubeless. Someone help!

Don't freak out man. Just go and get yourself the right sized tube. Then let the air out of that tire. If the rim is designed to run a tube, then you should be able to push the bead inward fairly easily. You don't have to get the tire off the rim to install a tube. You can just get the bead pushed in and you should be able to sneak the tube in there between the bead of the tire and the drop center section of the rim. Try coating your tube with baby powder, it helps the tube to slide into place without getting pinched.

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