Reelthing wrote on 03/30/08 at 12:38:18:not done here yet - but sure thinking on it - some of the dirt bike guys are having pretty good luck with a little silcone sealant on each spoke and covering this with a 1 or 2 inch smaller rim size tube valve stem cut off the tube - after all this cures on the tire goes with a tubless valve - dirt is different than road bikes - they get a flat and fall down - we get a flat at speed and may be pushing up daisies
Not knowing anyone who has done it, I had considered the possibility of doing just what you said with the silicone and rim strip. And I have had several street bikes with "mag" wheels, and kind of prefer them for ease of cleaning and being naturally well balanced. (I swear my tank slapper on the Norton at over 100mph was simply due to poorly balanced or trued spoke wheels.) But in a way I'm still not comfortable with tubeless tires on a motorcycle; because it is possible to hit something which pops the bead and lets the air out instantly. Might as well have a blowout.
You can hit an object in the road with a spoke wheel and tube tire hard enough to dent the rim and NOT get a flat or go down (I've done it). But with a "mag" wheel and tubeless tire, either the tire will pop, or the wheel will break. Bad news either way.
Since I no longer have much inclination to "break the ton" I don't feel much need for mags or tubeless tires. However, if I were to ever desire another go-fast street bike, I'd probably prefer to have the mags, even though it means not having a tube... Just like many other things, you pick your poison; then hopefully live with your decision.
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