Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125883
FLAT OUT! _ A flat tire ca n happ en anyw he re . on a high sp eed run to EI Area in Ba ja , co mi ng off the big jum p on the MX co urse or d uring an observed sectio n in the ISOT. Most of the ti me, tire lock s wil l hol d until you can pa tch the tube. Tha t's m ost of th e time . .. Then you have to loosen th e locks. pop the bead , pu ll th e tube. pat ch it. put it back on the rim . pump it back up , tighten th e tire lock and repl ace th e wheel. And hope th at everything ho lds . So me of the rea lly experienced ri d ers and me cha nics started to look for bett er .ways to keep a tir e from slipping without using tire locks. A spo t weld every 8 to 10 inches inside th e bead of the rim worked. And it' s easy to do if you 're a certified welder and have acc ess to a MI G wel der and ar gon gas. (Remem ber. the rim s are allo y!) A co up le of ri ders have sto len a tr ic k from the dra g racer s and have tr ied sheet me tal screws through the rim into the tire bead , but the stress caused cracking. The manufacturing processes used to make rims are such that it' s im p ossi ble to bu ild in " poi nts or grips " on the inner edge of the rim . But . it is possible to drill shallow ho les tha t will accept carbon steel drive pins that. in turn . will ho ld the tire in place without using tire locks. Now . before you sta rt to take the '/.' d rill to your rims. co nsid er tha t the depth of the ho le is measured in tho usandths of an inch and too much muscle will give you a ventilated rim ! There is a ri m o n the market now th at has th e drive pin holes pr e-drilled to exacting specifications . It's chea pe r than a course in we ld ing or a bunch of rims with hol es through the bead ! SUD o THIS RI Ava ilable fo r: Husqvarn a Penton CZ Maico Kaw asak i Suzuk i Bultac o Hon da Yam ah a 21" & 18" 36/ 40 Hol e .. I I 'T LEAVE YOU FLAT Torsten Hallman Racing , Inc. , and Sun Metal Products-have combined forces to produce and market the ultimate in competition motorcyc le rims. Made in the USA, th is rim has been tested by top MX riders and ISDT go ld meda l winners on the toughest courses in th e co untry. It's super- light and super-strong and it features car bon steel drive pins to hol d the ti re in pos it ion wi thout t ire locks. Ti re changes are qu ick and easy. Tak ing the sho ulderless rim co ncept one step furt her, these rims are made w ithout the spoke dimp les to elim i'nate even the sma llest bu ild-up of mud and goo. Loo k for th e red, whit e and b lac k Torsten Hallman /Sun box at your dealer. Distrib uted by : West: 1490 Fayette Stree t. EI Cajon, Ca lifo rn ia 92020 7 14/449-6712 East: 730 Birg inal Drive, Be nso nville, Illi noi s 60 126 312/766-9232 Iron Horse 69 15 Alder Street Ho uston, Texas 77036 (713) 665-4321 .I 1Nebco Bo x 429 Malo-cross Engineers 48 PO Box 86 1 Wilbraham . Mass. 01095 (413) 596-6211 Ven ice , Californ ia 90291 (213) 399-7724