I have a 03 Sportsman 600 that I bought used with 50 miles on it. One of the rear tires has had a slow bead leak since I bought it 2 months ago. I've taken the tire to a local tire shop, as well as the dealer to have it fixed. They've replaced the valve stem and applied bead sealer both times, but it still goes flat after about a week. The tires are in good shape and the other 3 haven't had any problems. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar problems or has any suggestions. Is using a tube a good idea?

Thanks in advance.

 

I would not use a tube. Get some tire slime and put it in the tire.

 

Put some slime in it and it will no longer leak. The Rawhides are excellent tires with a little slime. CHeap fix.

 

I thought about the slime idea, but I thought I'd read somewhere that it makes an awful mess if/when you want to put a new tire on. Is this true?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Yes, it is messy. However, it will more than likely fix you current problem.

 

It isnt as bad as fix-a-flat is. I have Slime in my tires right now, but, when I get new rims soon, I will NOT be putting Slime back in. While it does do a good job at plugging any leaks, it causes a BAD vibration at higher speeds. I think it works well for the slower moving machines, but for the faster ones it throws the balance of the tires WAY off and that is really noticeable at high speeds

 

Just out of curiousity, why are tubes a bad idea?

 

maybe try some soapy water solution and see if makes a bubble or put in water and look for air bubbles

 

I had the same problem with my old big bear. I used a tube, and had no problems.

 

Did you put the slime in, and then drive IMMEDIATELY to spread it out throughout the tire? I put it in mine, and don't have the vibration.

Larry