Tire Balance

Just had a set of Michelin PR3s put on my 2011 RT. They needed 75 grams of weight on the rear, and 65 grams on the front to balance. Seems like a lot. I don't see any yellow dots on the PR3 to show the light/heavy spot, but the weights are straight across from the valve stem (with TPMS).

How do I know if the tire is mounted in the right position, or doesn't it matter?
Is the valve stem/TPMS the cause?

FWIW, the original Bridgestone B021s needed a lot of weight, too, but I don't remember where on the rim.

pete

The TPMS adds considerable mass that must be compensated. When we mount tires that don't have the "dots" we use the embedded barcode sticker in the bead area in place of the dots. It comes out pretty close.

So is that a guess on the barcode stickers location or do you have info that says they "place" it there on purpose? When I worked in a tire factory the builders number sticker (prior to barcoding) was stuck inside randomly. Only the wax color dot was strategically placed.
I'm asking because I've bought tires that the color dot was apparently worn off.

"Michelin motorcycle tires are not marked for mounting. They can be mounted in any position provided the direction of rotation is correct.

We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing Michelin"


Above is a quote from the email I got from Michelin concerning their tires

manicmechanic said:

The TPMS adds considerable mass that must be compensated.

Click to expand...

I've noticed this when balancing tires on rims with TPMS too. I think if I had them I would balance the wheel by itself and just leave the required weights on it permanently, they will likely be right across from the stem. Then balance as normal after mounting tires. I find Michelin tires don't require much weight at all.