I just installed Continental Conti Go tires on my R75/5 maybe 200 miles ago and they seem excellent. Good grip, not noisy, stable - so = so far so good. It had Metzeler's Lasertec's on it when I bought it which had 500 miles on them - looked brand new but were hard as rocks as they were 9 years old = bye-bye.

I went through several sets of Bridgestone S11 Spitfires, and upped that the last time to Bridgestone Battlax (the next better tire in their lineup). Not your usual BMW tire, I know, but they've been excellent.

On another note, I finally figured out I was loosing tire mileage due to low air pressure. Now I'm up to running 35F and 33R.

Speaking of air pressure what do you think normal loss is? My rear seems to lose approx. 2lbs a week. My front loses that in a month? Slow leak?

Sounds "iffy". Are you sure you're not loosing that when you go to measure ? If so, I'd replace the tube. I could believe 3-4 psi per month.

I know that stop leak crap is a no-no for tubeless rims = makes a mess - but if I have a pin hole leak in the tube is it okay to try or waste of time/money?

Since the leak is very likely to be at the valve stem, either because of a poor core or ripped stem, and because the "stop leak" doesn't reach there... then No.

Look at the position of the stem relative to the rim. Is the stem standing up straight pointed at the axle, or is it off at an angle ? If the stem is off at an angle that could indicate the stem is being ripped from the tube due to heavy braking on an under-inflated tire.

How long has the tube been in use, anyway ??? Are there any patches on it ? Long age and patches immediately disqualify the tube from use.

I would not use any stop leak inside a tire , period. It makes a mess. I have tried it. It is a mistake. Try to get to the bottom of the real, true cause of the issue as Wobbly suggests.

The tube & tires are 6 months old - I'll take it back to the tire joint and have them fix it - it's just a hassle. I'll see if they're even open with all this virus stuff going on? You know I have a nice cheap Aston Martin DB9 and all they give you is a can of that stop leak and a small compressor = no spare tire.

Look at the position of the stem relative to the rim. Is the stem standing up straight pointed at the axle, or is it off at an angle ?

• Still waiting to hear about the angle.

• Dab some spittle or dish detergent onto the valve stem until the hole for the valve core is covered. If you start to see a bubble after awhile, then the core isn't tightened or the core is bad. That's easy to fix with a new valve core.

I just checked valve with dish soap no leak - I have metal caps on stems so wouldn't that stop that problem? I did discover the nut on the stem was less than hand tight when I tighten it did straighten out the stem a bit so it's near perfect now. I just inflated to exactly 35lbs - so we can see if I'm hallucinating or not. You mention that maybe I'm losing air when measuring them -- I think this is true to certain extent - because if I don't get gauge on and off cleaning can easily cost a couple lbs's. I don't have this prob with front - so we'll see. Thanks again. Greg

I just checked valve with dish soap no leak - I have metal caps on stems so wouldn't that stop that problem?

That's what they are supposed to do.

I did discover the nut on the stem was less than hand tight when I tighten it did straighten out the stem a bit so it's near perfect now.

Since tire-to-rim slippage will pull the stem completely out of the tube, I've always left the outer nut completely off so that a slight angle on the stem indicates that the tire has started to creep. At that point I can break the tire down, rotate the tire back to its "home" position and preclude any type of valve stem mishap. There are as many theories and ways to do this as there are days in a year. Everyone uses a plan that meets what they see happening on their own personal bike, but in my book that nut stays loose or off. You might give a friendly call to your local tire guy and ask his theory and process on valve stem nuts. Do it when you're not in a hurry, because an OK tire guy will be able to talk about 45 minutes just on valve stems. A really good tire guy will have a complete, college level, PowerPoint presentation prepared. 😛

I just inflated to exactly 35lbs - so we can see if I'm hallucinating or not. You mention that maybe I'm losing air when measuring them -- I think this is true to certain extent - because if I don't get gauge on and off cleanly, it can easily cost a couple lbs's. I don't have this prob with front - so we'll see.

The front, being smaller volume and higher pressure, should be the wheel exhibiting.... if all you have is a simple bleed-down issue. I'll bet you have a tube issue. Maybe a small thorn in that tire, or a piece of grit that has started to lacerate the tube as the tube squirms around inside the tire. I don't think you need to do anything right now other than keep it topped up with air. But I would start keeping notes of how often the pressure drops. And if that rate ever increases, then I'd take the tire off and investigate.

Hope this helps.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled thread on what tires to buy.....

I bet they left the nut kind of loose on purpose then. These guys know what they're doing https://www.mctireworks.com/ I'll go back it out to hand tight - thanks. Another unrelated question: my bike seems to suck the fuel down rather rapidly - had to go on reserve yesterday after 15 miles and I thought I had half a tank when I left. Seems like I'm maybe getting 25/30 mpg? I'm riding on hilly up & down roads - this is not freeway miles and I'm on & off the throttle much of the time?

With apologies to Mr Bent... This thread is being locked because it has wandered too far off subject.