Tubeless vs Tube Type.

[SinisterMatti]

I'm looking for some scrambler tires. The local yamaha shop told me that because I have a spoked wheel and no wheel locks I need tubeless tires or they will rotate on the rim and shred my inner tubes. Is that accurate? I noticed all the recommended tires here are tube type on this thread. http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?p=433175#post433175

 

[grizld1]

Wow, the things ya learn from the new breed of "motorsports technicians." I guess that's why we kept landing on our heads so much back in '60's and '70's--shredded tubes from all those rims without locks, and not a tubeless motorcycle tire to be had!

Matti, rim locks are typically dirt bike items, and the idea isn't to keep rims from shredding, it's to keep tire and tube from rotating and pulling the valve stem loose. Locks weren't street bike items. BTW, most tires available for your bike are rated for tubeless use on tubeless-rated cast wheels but can be used with tubes without a problem. Your spoked wheels require tubes.

 

[fredintoon]

I'm looking for some scrambler tires. The local yamaha shop told me that because I have a spoked wheel and no wheel locks I need tubeless tires or they will rotate on the rim and shred my inner tubes. Is that accurate?

Hi Matti,
accurate? No.
It's a nubbin of truth in a sea of misinformation.
If you run a tire without wheel locks at the low pressure (say 5psi or less) that some dirt bike riders use, yes, the wheel can turn inside the tire.
And if that tire has a tube in it the tube's inflation valve will turn with the wheel as the tube itself turns with the tire and yeah! That'll tear the valve out of the tube so "shredding" may indeed be a fair description of what will happen.
That's the nubbin of truth.
The rest, as solo sez, is bullshit.
You got wire wheels.
Wire wheels gotta have tubed tires on them because if you mount tubeless tires the air will leak out past the rim and through the spoke nipple holes.
The only way to run tubeless on wire wheels is to use your XS650 as a down payment on a BMW that has those candy-ass wire wheels that run the spoke nipples outboard of the tire's sealing bead.