Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Motorcycles: Fundamentals, Service, Repair 346 as soon as possible for safety reasons, and any tire repair should be considered a temporary emergency repair. To repair tubeless ATV or UTV tires with less than 5/8″ (15.88 mm) damage, proceed as follows: 1. Check the tire for the puncturing object. Chalk mark the punctured area and remove the object. 2. Break the tire down from the rim and remove the tire. Inspect and clean the dam- aged area by roughing the area inside the tire with a tire buff er or wire brush. Clean the rubber dust from the buff ed area. 3. Using a suitable plug patch kit, clean the damaged area and ensure a round hole is present for best plug sealing. 4. Apply rubber repair cement, which will be included in the plug patch kit, around the damaged area. 5. Using the proper tool, draw the stem of the plug patch through the hole, pulling it fi rmly in place. Roll the patch in fi rmly. 6. Allow the repair to dry. Drying time will vary with air temperature. Refer to the tire repair kit manufacturer’s recommendations. 7. Reinstall the tire and infl ate it to the specifi ed pressure. Test the seal by spraying water around the plug or submerging the wheel and tire assembly in a tub of water. Escaping air will cause bubbles in the water. If there is leakage, consider replacing the tire. Warning Do not attempt to repair a tire that is leaking through the sidewall. Replace any tire with this type of damage. Balancing the Tire and Wheel Assembly Balance is changed when a tire is moved on the rim or when a new tire is installed. Remove the old wheel weights and mount the wheel and tire assembly on an inspection stand. Spin the wheel, allow it to stop, and mark the lowest (heaviest) part of the wheel with chalk. Do this two or three times to verify the heaviest area. If the wheel is balanced, it will not stop consistently in the same position. To balance the wheel, install wheel weights on the lightest side of the rim, the side opposite the chalk marks. Add just enough weight so the wheel no longer stops in the same position when spun. Another way to balance a wheel is to use a bubble balancer. This device makes static (no spinning motion) balancing a quick job. A bubble balancer suspends the wheel horizon- tally and uses a bubble to indicate the light side of the wheel. Lead weights are added until the bubble is centered, indicating the wheel is balanced. Some shops are now equipped with electronic wheel balancers. These devices allow the technician to perform both static and dynamic wheel balancing. To use an electronic wheel balancer, install the wheel on the balancer, using special adapters as needed. Remove all weights from the wheel before starting the balancer. Turn on the machine and enter the tire rim width, tire size, and offset if required. If the balancer is equipped with a protective hood, close it and start the balancer. The readout will tell you precisely where and how much weight to add to balance the wheel. See Figure 16-45. Some products use fiberglass beads or a similar material to balance a wheel and tire combination. These products use the principle of centrifugal motion. The beads go to the lighter side of the assembly during the rolling action.