rear tire rub...normal?

Hi,

I just got the bike about a week ago, its a 1983 750 maxim.

I checked the tires for air and noticed that the rear was only at 20 pounds, so I put it up to 28 and it rubs the shaft tube on the left side but the right side has lots of room. Rear tire is a Challenger by Kenda 130/90 - 16 it measures 5 1/2" at the widest part of the tread.

Is this normal? did someone forget a spacer or something? is there any way to space it over?

any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Charles


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it's not normal but it happens
first check a parts drawing of the back wheel to see if all the parts are there in the right order
i've got a 72 with a kenda cruiser tire, same size and have maybe 1/16 clearance after filing 1/32 off the weld that runs on the inside of the swingarm
i run 32psi in the back, might make a difference

 

28psi might be low also, check the sidewall of the tire to see what the tire manufacturer says. I run 40psi in mine, the max psi indicated on my tire is 50psi. I am also a little heavy at 270 lbs.
Check the rear wheel bearings, they can cause tire clearance problems if they are bad.

 

Thanks for the input.

I put the tire up to 40lbs and it was even worse so back down to 28.
Any other ideas???
I guess I will have to take it apart to see parts etc....


Charles

 

I'd love to hear the answer to this one...I have the same problem. Everything looks right on mine, but it rubs. I'm wondering if the swingarm could've gotten bent????

Dean

 

If the Swing was bent ... you'd know it. The Bike's handling would alert you to something being out of line.

If you have an over-sized tire on the back; the rubbing would be caused by the wrong tire being fitted into the confined space.

If you have the correct tire recommended for that Bike ... you might have a Bent Wheel Rim.
You'll have to check the Run-Out for being TRUE by using a Dial Gauge.

I wouldn't be too happy with a Rear Wheel letting the Tire rub against the Frame or Swing-arm.

 

Well that is the recommended size of rear tire..........but maybe the widest part may vary from brand to brand?? It is 130/90 - 16 it measures 5 1/2" at the widest part of the tread(where it rubs)
The rim doesn't seem to be out of whack, but maybe I'll see if there is a dial indicator I can borrow from work.


Thanks some more

 

you'd know if about the run out only part of the tire would be rubbed is it all the way around or just a portion of it? I too when I had the swing arm off for painting ground the weld down a touch where it was rubbing and haven't noticed any more rub since.

 

Just to add to the mix....

Mine has a light rub. I checked the gap to the shaft with a light and it does not rub when not under load. I don't have a dial so I have not checked the wheel but it appears true.

I don't get any abnormal heating. I have put 2000 miles on the bike and the PO put several thousand on it (tire about ready for replacement).

I'm not happy that it rubs but so far I have not had any issues with it either.

 

what kinds of tires of tires are we talking about here
my kenda cruiser used to rub, it measures 5.6 inches
i'd hate to buy a new tire that rubs

 

Bridgestone Battlax BT45 130/90x16
At the widest part of the tread from sidewall to sidewall it measures 13,46 cm and 5.3 inches if I convert the cm to inches on the webpage manuelsweb

 

I've been researching tires and found that the actual dimensions of a given tire size (ie: 110/90-18) VARY quite a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer. I noticed this originally because one of my bikes has a Dunlop D404 on the rear and the other an (about to be gone) Cheng Shi* both SUPPOSEDLY the same size, and the Cheng Shi* is measurably wider and larger in diameter. The I found this link: http://totalmotorcycle.com/TotalMotorcy ... eGuide.htm where you can compare the actual dimensions of tires, by manufacturer. VERY INTERESTING READING and may provide you with an answer.

 

checked that tire site.....great link, tire sizes do vary quite a bit.
I'm thinking I will take it apart in the near future to see if it is all there and right, not to mention the condition of bearings, if all looks good I think I will go with a slightly narrower tire to solve the problem.

Thanks again for all your input, sure glad I found this site!!!!!!

Charles

 

Yes, the actual dimensions of the tire vary quite a bit--I've had a couple different ones on my '85 xj700. Also, 40lbs is probably quite a bit higher than the manual recommends (although I am not familiar with the manual for that particular bike). Most motorcycles seem to like about 28 lbs, and the reason for not going higher is that the tire will have its maximum grip at that pressure.

I've had this problem before, too, and it's NOT a good idea to let it continue. Can you imagine the heat buildup this creates? It's not a condition the tire is designed to handle, so I'm definitely with Rick on this one. I doubt your wheel or rim is bent. I think it's more likely that you don't have the proper torque on the rear axle or on the clamp that holds the rear axle. I'd loosen everything up and then tighten everything down to spec in the proper order. Worked for me.

 

I had a similar problem when I put a tire and rim on my bike from a Virago. I thought it might be because the Virago ran a fatter tire, but it ended up being the axle bolt being positioned incorrectly. Unfortunately, I can't recall what it was I did to fix it. I seem to remember loosening the axle pinch bolt and tapping the axle with a hammer.

 

I am running a kenda on my 650 with no rub issues. My friend put a tire on his Goldwing and had the same problem. I think he loosened the pinch bolt and I think he banged on the arm it self pushing it more toward the tire on the axle bolt. it was just enough to get rid of the rubbing.

Ciro

 

I had the same issue. I don't know if I fixed it the right way but it works. The axle/shaft that that the rear tire is on is adjustable. It looks like in the pic in the first post, that on the right side of the tire and on the right side of the swing arm clamp there is only a quarter inch sticking out, I think this is too little. Loosen or take off the castle nut on the left and the clamp on the right side. Take a piece of wood and a hammer or a rubber mallet and move the shaft so you have about an inch(you can play around with this length) on the outside. Tighten the clamp down and tighten up the castle nut. It pulls the tire away from the swing arm. I had a tough time backing my bike up and after I did this it was like an enlightenment. Like it should have been this easy the hold time.

 

why does the page cut off your post like that????

 

I can see the post ok. Dont know why it would cut it off. That probably wasn't much help. Ill check again later and see if it changes here.

 

Hey guys, new to the site, but I hope this will help some people out.

I was having the same problem with my xj 750. What I found is that inside the final drive between the final drive and the wheel itself there is about a 3 inch long bushing. This bushing but up to another bushing (i guess its a bushing) that is seated in the final drive housing, where the axle slides through. If at any point the castle nut on the axle has been over torqued it will push this bushing in the final drive housing toward the final drive causing the tire to rub on the drive shaft. I turned the castle nut around so the castle part was against the bushing and hit it with a hammer a few times and presto! problem solved. Hope this helps you guys out.