SIP Aluminum Tubeless rims

Len · Post by **Len** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 5:58 pm

Has anyone used the SIP Aluminum tubeless rims on their Stella?
If so how are they?
They sure look cool !!!

link:

http://www.sip-scootershop.com/EN/Produ ... 5+250.aspx

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 6:46 pm

I have 3 at home that I will be using for the CBR. They also sell them with high speed rated tires mounted. They look uber cool but I haven't ridden them yet!

I'll give a report!

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Tue May 29, 2012 3:05 am

BuddyRaton wrote:I have 3 at home that I will be using for the CBR. They also sell them with high speed rated tires mounted. They look uber cool but I haven't ridden them yet!

I'll give a report!

Hey BuddyRaton. How did they work out?

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Wed May 30, 2012 6:40 am

They freaking rocked!

When I stared out on day 1 they were fresh so I needed to get them scrubbed in quick. I'm was a little worried about getting pulled over for the hard weaving I was doing for the first 100 miles!

On day 2 they proved they were worth every cent I paid for them. After riding hard all day (50 -65 mph) got to the motel. In the evening I ran over to the gas station to fuel up for the next morning. Riding back into the parking lot someone pointed out that my rear tire looked low. I had checked that morning and had 30 psi...when I checked that evening I was down to 15 psi.

We got out the milk crate, turned the tire and I finally found a chunk of metal right in the center of the tread. If I had been running tubed it would have blown out on me. I have no idea where I picked the junk up so it would have been a blow out at anywhere between 25 mph (small towns) and 65 mph.
OK...so I had to unexpectadly drop the exhaust and do a tire swap...no big deal compared to blowing out at high speed!

On day 8 I really got to put them through teir paces in Joshua Tree NP. I was dive bombing the curves and the tires were great. I got a bit squirly in one...but that was me...the tires helped greatly with recovery.

Keep in mind that these were the SIP high speed rated tires and I am running a highly modified suspension.

My over all impression...THEY FREAKING ROCKED! (yeah....I like them better than the Heidenaus...which I consider a superior tire)

deathbytray · Post by **deathbytray** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 6:36 pm

BuddyRaton wrote:They freaking rocked!

Can I ask you why you chose the SIP rims instead of ScootRS rims? I understand the SIP rims are just slightly wider, and offsets your tire by a few millimeters from the center line... have you found this to be a problem?

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 4:55 am

deathbytray wrote:
BuddyRaton wrote:They freaking rocked!
Can I ask you why you chose the SIP rims instead of ScootRS rims? I understand the SIP rims are just slightly wider, and offsets your tire by a few millimeters from the center line... have you found this to be a problem?

There were some reports of the ScootRS rims causing valve stems to fail.

Scalpel · Post by **Scalpel** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:36 am

Just ordered a set of the SIP rims today, along with some decent tires from Motorcycle Superstore and a packet of Dyna Beads. I'll report back once all that stuff comes in and gets installed.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:58 am

deathbytray wrote:
BuddyRaton wrote:They freaking rocked!
Can I ask you why you chose the SIP rims instead of ScootRS rims? I understand the SIP rims are just slightly wider, and offsets your tire by a few millimeters from the center line... have you found this to be a problem?

Basically I have no confidence in SRUs quality and honestly I just don't like Randall.

Everything I have ever ordered from SIP has been top notch. Yeah you pay for it...but quality costs!

I didn't notice any offset and with my suspension set up the handling was exceptional!

deathbytray · Post by **deathbytray** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:58 am

BuddyRaton wrote:
deathbytray wrote:
BuddyRaton wrote:They freaking rocked!
Can I ask you why you chose the SIP rims instead of ScootRS rims? I understand the SIP rims are just slightly wider, and offsets your tire by a few millimeters from the center line... have you found this to be a problem?
Basically I have no confidence in SRUs quality and honestly I just don't like Randall.

Everything I have ever ordered from SIP has been top notch. Yeah you pay for it...but quality costs!

I didn't notice any offset and with my suspension set up the handling was exceptional!

Thanks, man... I'm very interested... probably going to definitely invested the SIP rims at some point.

Did you have your spare also mounted on a SIP tubeless rim? Did it fit underneath the cowling without a problem?

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:38 pm

I bought the tires and rims pre-mounted from SIP so the spare was premounted. I didn't want to go through busting beads and mounting during the CBR.

As far as getting it under the cowling...not a chance! But then again I was riding a 67 GT (same as a Sprint but never imported to US) so the left cowl is storage. Since there isn't a glove box there are holes to mount a spare tire carrier. I put the carrier on...but...well it was the CBR...I used it to hold a rechargeable 12v battery to power my Garmin Zumo and didn't want the extra weight of of a tireand rim.

The GT is missing other things that Stellas and other "modern" classics enjoy...like a front brake that is useful, battery, turn signals...etc.

I don't think there would be a problem fitting one under the cowl on a Stella but maybe someone else has tried!

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 3:53 pm

BuddyRaton wrote:I bought the tires and rims pre-mounted from SIP so the spare was premounted. I didn't want to go through busting beads and mounting during the CBR.

As far as getting it under the cowling...not a chance! But then again I was riding a 67 GT (same as a Sprint but never imported to US) so the left cowl is storage. Since there isn't a glove box there are holes to mount a spare tire carrier. I put the carrier on...but...well it was the CBR...I used it to hold a rechargeable 12v battery to power my Garmin Zumo and didn't want the extra weight of of a tireand rim.

The GT is missing other things that Stellas and other "modern" classics enjoy...like a front brake that is useful, battery, turn signals...etc.

I don't think there would be a problem fitting one under the cowl on a Stella but maybe someone else has tried!

I ordered 2 SIP rims and some Heidenau K61 tires to mount on them. Assuming I can get the tires mounted I will try one under the cowl before I put it on the scoot and report back.

Silver Streak · Post by **Silver Streak** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:33 pm

Maximus53 wrote:
BuddyRaton wrote:I bought the tires and rims pre-mounted from SIP so the spare was premounted. I didn't want to go through busting beads and mounting during the CBR.

As far as getting it under the cowling...not a chance! But then again I was riding a 67 GT (same as a Sprint but never imported to US) so the left cowl is storage. Since there isn't a glove box there are holes to mount a spare tire carrier. I put the carrier on...but...well it was the CBR...I used it to hold a rechargeable 12v battery to power my Garmin Zumo and didn't want the extra weight of of a tireand rim.

The GT is missing other things that Stellas and other "modern" classics enjoy...like a front brake that is useful, battery, turn signals...etc.

I don't think there would be a problem fitting one under the cowl on a Stella but maybe someone else has tried!
I ordered 2 SIP rims and some Heidenau K61 tires to mount on them. Assuming I can get the tires mounted I will try one under the cowl before I put it on the scoot and report back.

I'll be interested to hear how this works out. I'd be a little worried about the offset on a 4T, which -- as I understand -- has less clearance for the rear wheel than a 2T.

Post by **ericalm** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 7:46 pm

Silver Streak wrote:
Maximus53 wrote:
BuddyRaton wrote:I bought the tires and rims pre-mounted from SIP so the spare was premounted. I didn't want to go through busting beads and mounting during the CBR.

As far as getting it under the cowling...not a chance! But then again I was riding a 67 GT (same as a Sprint but never imported to US) so the left cowl is storage. Since there isn't a glove box there are holes to mount a spare tire carrier. I put the carrier on...but...well it was the CBR...I used it to hold a rechargeable 12v battery to power my Garmin Zumo and didn't want the extra weight of of a tireand rim.

The GT is missing other things that Stellas and other "modern" classics enjoy...like a front brake that is useful, battery, turn signals...etc.

I don't think there would be a problem fitting one under the cowl on a Stella but maybe someone else has tried!
I ordered 2 SIP rims and some Heidenau K61 tires to mount on them. Assuming I can get the tires mounted I will try one under the cowl before I put it on the scoot and report back.
I'll be interested to hear how this works out. I'd be a little worried about the offset on a 4T, which -- as I understand -- has less clearance for the rear wheel than a 2T.

Yes it does. Mounting has to be precise and some tires that fit the 2T won't foot the 4T due to the rear shock.

Scalpel · Post by **Scalpel** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:36 pm

ericalm wrote:Yes it does. Mounting has to be precise and some tires that fit the 2T won't foot the 4T due to the rear shock.

Good thing I ordered the 2.1 rims rather than the bigger 2.5! Once they come in I'll report back on whether the 2.1 rims fit the 4T.

deathbytray · Post by **deathbytray** » Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:40 pm

Scalpel wrote:
ericalm wrote:Yes it does. Mounting has to be precise and some tires that fit the 2T won't foot the 4T due to the rear shock.
Good thing I ordered the 2.1 rims rather than the bigger 2.5! Once they come in I'll report back on whether the 2.1 rims fit the 4T.

I remember reading somewhere that 2.1 is a breeze to fit, but 2.5 is a really, really tight fit. I can't remember where I read that, though.

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:15 am

SIP rims and K61 tires came today... So much for mounting myself, I can't even get the first bead over the rim

and that is the easy one.....

Guess I will call some motorcycle shops tomorrow and see what it is going to cost to have someone else do it.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:32 am

Maximus53 wrote:SIP rims and K61 tires came today... So much for mounting myself, I can't even get the first bead over the rim and that is the easy one.....

Guess I will call some motorcycle shops tomorrow and see what it is going to cost to have someone else do it.

Harbor Freight sells a a couple small bead breakers that might help. The smaller, cheaper one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle ... 98875.html

There are also smaller, handheld ones that have bolts to compress the tire.

DIY method:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/bead-bre ... reaker.htm

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:58 am

ericalm wrote: Harbor Freight sells a a couple small bead breakers that might help. The smaller, cheaper one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/motorcycle ... 98875.html

There are also smaller, handheld ones that have bolts to compress the tire.

DIY method:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/bead-bre ... reaker.htm

Eric,
Thanks for the info. The tire is currently off the rim and I cant even get the first lip of the tire over the rim to even start trying to pry on the second lip.

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:02 am

What are you using? Tire levers?

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:14 am

ericalm wrote:What are you using? Tire levers?

yeah

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 4:33 am

Maximus53 wrote:
ericalm wrote:What are you using? Tire levers?
yeah

Problem with that is the possibility of bending the rim. If you look at all the bead breakers, none use the rim itself for leverage.

Might be time to take them to a shop! Most will do it pretty cheap if you just bring the wheels in.

neotrotsky · Post by **neotrotsky** » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:31 pm

Maximus53 wrote:SIP rims and K61 tires came today... So much for mounting myself, I can't even get the first bead over the rim and that is the easy one.....

Guess I will call some motorcycle shops tomorrow and see what it is going to cost to have someone else do it.

*This* is why I feel no need to "upgrade" to tubeless tires. I'll take my chances with "outdated" technology. Haven't had a tire cause catostrophic failure on me yet I couldn't handle. And, I figure that when it does, fate intends to teach me that I need to maintain my bike better and that I should invest in proper gear.

That and the risk of bending the rim just to change a tire as opposed to a few quick wrench turns just doesn't seem worth the headache and cost to me.

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:49 am

Safety and the potential for loss of control with a blow out is the issue. Tubeless is a clear advantage. So I guess the bottom line question is how much do you value your personal safety? I'll gladly pay the $ to have them installed at the shop. Once you've gone down you won't want to do it again if it can be avoided. Just my opinion but 46 years of riding has taught me some lessons the hard way. My Stella is now tubeless.

Silver Streak · Post by **Silver Streak** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 4:21 pm

You all may want to check out this thread over at Modern Vespa:

http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic100253

According to one poster, the rider was using the SIP tubeless rims.

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:01 pm

So I got the tires mounted at the dealer and now I have a new question. What PSI should I fill them to? The tire says 47 psi max, stella manual says 17 psi front 25-35 psi rear....

Thanks!

deathbytray · Post by **deathbytray** » Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:04 pm

Silver Streak wrote:You all may want to check out this thread over at Modern Vespa:

http://modernvespa.com/forum/topic100253

According to one poster, the rider was using the SIP tubeless rims.

If that's how difficult it is to control with tubeless rims, I'd hate to think how difficult it'd be with stock tubes, if you have a blow out at the same speed.

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 12:52 am

Does the SIP tubless rim fit as a spare under the cowl? Sort of...

At least with a Heidenau K61 mounted the rim and tire fit under the cowl, but the upper bolts are not long enough to get the nut back on to secure the rim to the scooter. Once the cowl is on, the rim and tire wont come off, but i was unable to get the nuts back onto the retaining screws.

BuddyRaton · Post by **BuddyRaton** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:18 am

Maximus53 wrote:So I got the tires mounted at the dealer and now I have a new question. What PSI should I fill them to? The tire says 47 psi max, stella manual says 17 psi front 25-35 psi rear....

Thanks!

Tire pressure is one of those subjects that there can be disagreement on.
Personally I run 30F 30R. Many people like 25 F 30R

Keith · Post by **Keith** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:51 am

If that's how difficult it is to control with tubeless rims, I'd hate to think how difficult it'd be with stock tubes, if you have a blow out at the same speed.

Exactly.

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Fri Jun 15, 2012 5:22 pm

Maximus53 wrote:Does the SIP tubless rim fit as a spare under the cowl? Sort of...

At least with a Heidenau K61 mounted the rim and tire fit under the cowl, but the upper bolts are not long enough to get the nut back on to secure the rim to the scooter. Once the cowl is on, the rim and tire wont come off, but i was unable to get the nuts back onto the retaining screws.

I found this solution while doing some searching:
http://www.sip-scootershop.com/communit ... px#2352745

magnato1 · Post by **magnato1** » Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:14 am

Maximus,

You haven't said how you like the rims though? Notice any difference riding them? How are the Heidenaus?

Maximus53 · Post by **Maximus53** » Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:51 am

magnato1 wrote:Maximus,

You haven't said how you like the rims though? Notice any difference riding them? How are the Heidenaus?

The Heidenaus are a huge improvement over the stock tires and have shown almost no wear after putting 2000 miles on them. The only issue i have is both wheels have a very slow leak at the bead which seems to be an issue with the tires. I rotated the tires on the rims, and the soapy bubbles appeard in the same spot on the tire. All this means for me is i need to stop for air about once a month... no big deal.

The rims look great but if you buy a set make sure you have extra valve stem cores and invest in a valve stem core tool that clicks at the proper torque like a torque wrench. Both of my SIP valve stem cores failed. By failed I mean i checked the air pressure and when i pulled of the gauge, the air kept coming out until the tire was flat! Easy fix as long as you have the spares. BE VERY CAREFUL SCREWING IN A VAVLE STEM CORE

I managed to break a core off inside my valve stem while getting it 'extra tight' since i had just had one fail on me. Thanks to Pete at Piston Ported for selling me a couple SIP valve stems to replace this one and the valve stem a ruined by tightening it too much into the wheel itself

I had to JB Weld a screw into the renance of the valve stem to get the threads out of the wheel.

So long story short, I am very happy with the new tires and I love the look of the black rims with polished edge, but they are a lot more of a hassle then the standard split rims. Once i wear through the Heidenaus I will probably try a different brand of tire and see if I get the same issues of leaking at the bead, but until then the setup is working well.

magnato1 · Post by **magnato1** » Tue Oct 09, 2012 4:34 pm

BuddyRaton wrote:They freaking rocked!

When I stared out on day 1 they were fresh so I needed to get them scrubbed in quick. I'm was a little worried about getting pulled over for the hard weaving I was doing for the first 100 miles!

On day 2 they proved they were worth every cent I paid for them. After riding hard all day (50 -65 mph) got to the motel. In the evening I ran over to the gas station to fuel up for the next morning. Riding back into the parking lot someone pointed out that my rear tire looked low. I had checked that morning and had 30 psi...when I checked that evening I was down to 15 psi.

We got out the milk crate, turned the tire and I finally found a chunk of metal right in the center of the tread. If I had been running tubed it would have blown out on me. I have no idea where I picked the junk up so it would have been a blow out at anywhere between 25 mph (small towns) and 65 mph.
OK...so I had to unexpectadly drop the exhaust and do a tire swap...no big deal compared to blowing out at high speed!

On day 8 I really got to put them through teir paces in Joshua Tree NP. I was dive bombing the curves and the tires were great. I got a bit squirly in one...but that was me...the tires helped greatly with recovery.

Keep in mind that these were the SIP high speed rated tires and I am running a highly modified suspension.

My over all impression...THEY FREAKING ROCKED! (yeah....I like them better than the Heidenaus...which I consider a superior tire)

BuddyRaton,

That GT is awesome looking. Does it sit that low stock or is that the highly modified suspension that you mentioned?

Also, have you had the problems that maximus outlined with the SIP rims as well?