Worn out on Asphalt - Dirt Rider Magazine

I ride on the street a lot (KTM 450 EXC-R). At speed, I have noticed that there seems to be a heavier spot that makes the front tire bob up and down. I assumed it was the rim lock and asked the dealer to balance my wheel. They said it couldn't be done? The wear on my tire is weird and I'm wondering if they are related and what can be done to correct this?**Ryan Fernhout

Brooklyn, NY**

_The dealer is right and it looks time to get a new tire, my friend. It takes too much weight to offset the weight of the rim lock. One thing that can help is to offset that weight is putting the valve stem 180 degrees away from the rim lock on the wheel. But with the changing wear on the tire and having a wheel that is disproportionately weighted on two sides, there will always be some shaking. And the construction of even the best tires is not so perfect in a weight sense. This goes for both front and rear wheels.__If it is really a concern, maybe a second set of "street only" wheels would be a good investment where you don't run a rim lock and maybe a more round tire as the knobbies stretching, flexing and bouncing are part of the problem too. I have also had luck with putting a lot of Slime (a tire puncture sealant) into the tube as it will puddle after a few minutes and smooth out the ride, but those first few street miles will be worse. -**Jimmy Lewis**_