Thoroughbred Stallion front wheel valve stem leaking air.

[shanekcrisp]

My front valve stem started leaking due to rubber dry rot on the outside gasket. I removed the wheel, which is not easy and dragged it around to four different custom bike shops. None of the bike shops have ever heard of a Stallion and refused to help. I finally found a dealership that said they could use the tire machine they use for the Can-am Spyder to remove the tire.

They didn't have any new valve stems that would fit the smaller rim hole, so the tech tightened the valve stem and said it should be fine for a while. I looked at the dry rotted rubber gasket on the outside of the valve stem to see that it was now squished like a pancake. They still made me pay $88 for the service, but did tell me that if I found the correct valve stem, they would install it for free.

I sent an email to Motor Trike Tech Support and found out that they had three in stock and I could order through a dealer near me. The first Motor Trike dealer I spoke with had never heard of the Stallion, but the second one I called placed the order for me. Kudos to Freedom Cycles in Lincoln, CA for placing the order.

I notice the brake pad slides are dry, should I lubricate the slides with caliper grease when I re-install the wheel?

Shane

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard Shane. It would not hurt to put some lube on them. I had a regular garage change the front tire on our Stallion rim. I took it off the trike. They had no issue at all. Yes that rubber seal does dry rot. You could also had the rim drilled out to a normal valve stem size. Some have done that. The other choice is to get one through TBMS. Even though the MotorTrike dealer did not know anything about the Stallion they should have been able to call MotorTrike and order the part. MotorTrike and TBMS are the same ownership and share the same building in Troope Tx.

[rhino 2]

Welcome to Trike-Talk, Shane......Glad you found us, And as you can see when ever you need help it's just a Post away.....Again,,,Welcome..

[trikervet]

I ran into that problem a few years ago. I did not remove the wheel. By using two large wood clamps, I was able to break the bead. Then I gained access to the valve stem with the tire squeezed to one side. I used a faucet washer which lasted until I changed the tire. Glad you got it going.

[rocket1lf]

I had mine drilled out and installed a standard size 90 deg valve stem. Been working great and easy to fill tire. Rick

[tomg]

The best way to go would have been to have the rim drilled and install the 90 degree valve stem . The next would have been to just replace the "o" rings on the old valve stem. Sorry to hear about not many shops willing to help as I've had my front tire changed at a m/c shop as many others have. Before you beat yourself trying to find a way to fix/repair something in the future, you might want to search this site as many of us have posted helpful ways to do some of your own repairs. Or post a request here for others to possibly steer you in the right direction.

Tomg

[gunny2426]

Had the same thing happen to me earlier this year.

My front valve stem started leaking due to rubber dry rot on the outside gasket. I removed the wheel, which is not easy and dragged it around to four different custom bike shops. None of the bike shops have ever heard of a Stallion and refused to help. I finally found a dealership that said they could use the tire machine they use for the Can-am Spyder to remove the tire.

They didn't have any new valve stems that would fit the smaller rim hole, so the tech tightened the valve stem and said it should be fine for a while. I looked at the dry rotted rubber gasket on the outside of the valve stem to see that it was now squished like a pancake. They still made me pay $88 for the service, but did tell me that if I found the correct valve stem, they would install it for free.

I sent an email to Motor Trike Tech Support and found out that they had three in stock and I could order through a dealer near me. The first Motor Trike dealer I spoke with had never heard of the Stallion, but the second one I called placed the order for me. Kudos to Freedom Cycles in Lincoln, CA for placing the order.

I notice the brake pad slides are dry, should I lubricate the slides with caliper grease when I re-install the wheel?

Shane