Rear Tire thump on rotation

  • July 8, 2010 3:48 PM PDT
    Had local HD shop replace innertube on 06 RoadGlide. Got a "pinch" flat in the tube after 8,000 miles (original tube). Put wheel back on and now I have a strong thump as the tire rotates. Lifting the back of the bike so tire barely spins on floor it appears to be a low spot right at the valve stem. They told me they balanced the tire after replacing the tube. The bounce is bad, even at 10mph. Have only taken the bike a few hundred feet at 10mph so far due to thump. Any ideas or recommendations? Can't ride like this.

    Thanks.

  • July 8, 2010 3:54 PM PDT
    Either the tire is completely out of balance. Very badly so! Or... The wheel is warped! ie: Egg shaped... Tell them you want it rebalanced and verify they do it! They'll bitch and gripe but.... It's your life!
  • July 8, 2010 4:02 PM PDT
    bikersarge1 wrote...
    Either the tire is completely out of balance. Very badly so! Or... The wheel is warped! ie: Egg shaped... Tell them you want it rebalanced and verify they do it! They'll bitch and gripe but.... It's your life!

    you are the customer, demand satisfaction! if the dink in service don't listen, get his boss, keep going till they make it right, sarge is right, it is your life!
    • 352 posts
    July 8, 2010 4:05 PM PDT
    sounds like it maybe a bad belt in the tire. may have happened from the extended time/heat from fold in the tube - if that is the case, it's time for a new tire.
    • Moderator
    • 19007 posts
    July 9, 2010 12:29 AM PDT
    Yeah, what they all said before me....
    • 5419 posts
    July 9, 2010 2:47 AM PDT
    Sounds like a tire to me too. I would go get it looked at right away. Last thing you want is to be in a hard corner and have the tire hop off the ground, even for a split second.
  • July 9, 2010 3:04 AM PDT
     What Bulldog said could also be the case...  Fold in the innertube could've ruined the tire! Whichever is the case, if it ain't right, don't let them push you into risking your life. You're the final say....  Not them!!!! Look at it this way, who does the bike belong to? Who's riding the bike? Who's gonna get hurt or killed if something goes wrong?  Do NOT let someone else dictate your happiness and safety.
    • 352 posts
    July 9, 2010 3:12 AM PDT
    when in doubt - change it....about a 100 bucks or so for new rubber, keeping your ass on the bike and the wheels on the ground...priceless.
    • 0 posts
    July 9, 2010 4:15 AM PDT
    Could be they did not get the bead seated correctly. If the problem was not there before, it is not likely a bad tire. and rolling slowly is a tire o/round condition, not balance. Balance does not get felt until 25mph and up.
    If you can get the tire off the ground, let all the air out and check the bead and reinflate. If the thump goes away, then take it back to get rebalanced, as the balance would not be correct if the tire was not on right.
  • twb
    July 9, 2010 4:25 AM PDT
    have them verify that the tube is not twisted this will cause the problem you describe very easily
    • 0 posts
    July 9, 2010 4:41 AM PDT
    twb wrote...
    have them verify that the tube is not twisted this will cause the problem you describe very easily


    Good thought TWB. Most people when they install a tube, air it up, then let the air all the way out, then inflate again, just to get rid of such a problem. Maybe they did not do that.

    • 1066 posts
    July 9, 2010 8:35 AM PDT
    Roadglider, take it back, have them take it apart to check it while you watch. Watch as they put it back together too. Some shops have people other than the Techs doing tire changes. It could have been a rookie doing the work on yours, even though they probably won't admit it. Like the others have said, IT'S YOUR LIFE, and your money. Make them do it right, at their expense this time. Just my opinion brother.
  • July 11, 2010 8:42 AM PDT
    This may sound strange but is the tire on the right way? Yer you might laugh at that but if it was right to start with,stranger things have happened.
    I had a rear tire replace and had a bump and shimmy with it from new.Went back and they remove it and reinstalled it and it was the same. Changed the front and no more trouble.
  • July 11, 2010 1:20 PM PDT
    FINAL UPDATE: Took bike back to local Harley shop on Saturday. They took a look and said the wheel is out of true. How? Well they said they tightened some spokes when they replaced the tube. They want $170 to true the tire and they can't get to it for a few days. The bike is now home on a trailer and hopefully I will get it to another shop on Monday to figure out the problem. My trust has evaporated at a certain shop near by.

    7/14/2010 - Went back to local HD Shop and spoke to the service manager (was actually sent there to buy one part by the other tire guy). Anyway, we chatted, he acknowledged his crew made a few mistakes. He discovered that the bad tube installation was done by one of their guys so he gave me a new tire, installed it, balanced it and trued the spokes for free. The problem was exactly as BullDog said, one of the belts in the tire was crushed when the innertube blew. You couldn't see or feel it on the outside, but if you ran your hand around the inside of the tire there was a very noticeable bulge. I'm on the road again and am much more pleased with the way the local HD shop took responsibility for something that was clearly their fault. The service manager gave me some faith in HD again.
  • July 28, 2010 12:37 PM PDT
    I use to work in a tire shop and what you are describing sounds like a tire separation ...where the inner layer detaches from the tire and the air pressure bubbles out the tire ether on the sidewall or the tred. doesnt take much of a separation to cause this problem and its hard to detect till your riding it. sound like the shop you took it to is trying to milk you. try a used or new tire if handy to test for this problem. good luck