It had to happen. Just finished repairing my first flat on the 610. Tire off, tube out, patched tube, tire back on, holds air, all great, went to bed. This morning I'm mounting the wheel back on the bike and I run across this washer that I realize sits between the tube and the rim around the valve stem. When the tube is mounted and you tighten the valve stem nut, this washer sandwiches the rim and probably protects the tube from the hole in the rim. Cool. Except I really don't want take the tire off again to put the washer where it ought to be! So those of you with many more years of experience than I have - can I run the tube without this washer, or am I going to get a leak at the base of the stem? Help! Howard Snell
I have run the tube both with and without the nut or washer. I never could see any difference or experienced any problems, myself. Usually I run the internal nut and washer, though. I suppose, that if you had a really sharp edge or burr on the stem hole, it could damage the tube.
Don't worry about it. Just don't tighten the nut on the valve stem down onto the rim so the tube can move without ripping. I used to tighten it up against the bottom of the cap, but now I leave the nut off and use the Honda rubber thingies.
Thanks! I love it when you all tell me what I want to hear. I'm getting better at this tire mounting stuff, but is still isn't as second nature to me as a bicycle tire. Even gluing sewup tubulars to a carbon fiber disc wheel is easier than a motorcycle tire for me - so far Howard
Don't know how much it happens anymore...with good rimlocks and all, .... probably not much, .... but we used to not even run the outside nut down to the rim. Keep it back up the stem near the plastic cap. Any creeping of the tire on the rim will result in strain on the tubes stem as the tube will creep with the tire. We'd even rat-tail file the hole in the rim to allow the stem to cock some if the tube should move some. bad part about tightening the outside nut down snug is if any strain developes on it you'll not know until the stems ripped out of the tube.....too late.... flat tire. Dave
