[54937]

I find I don't get flats if I repeat the following chant to the Pneumatic gods:



"Oh Pneumatica protect me in my trails and travails! May you find this sacrifice worthy!"



Then I plunge a knife blade into the tires of my neighbor.



Seriously, thanks for the (well written) information on a job I have botched several times.

 

[sarnali2]

Ugh, I've had my share of those, what a pain in the butt. That was why I filled my Bonneville's tires with Slime, the stuffs supposed to work well, besides I put so much in there I doubt if there's any room for air in the first place.



On tubeless tires I have found that BMW's emergency plug kit works well, it comes with a T handle tool with a raspy side and a hook for reaming the hole..(ahem..) and inserting the plug slathered in glue. It also has little CO2 cartridges that I've never used but are supposed to be enough to inflate a tire.



I have personnaly worn out half a dozen plugged tires with no problem, if done right they work. Even if they fail it'll be a slow leak that's managable. Your tire/motorcycle/all-living-reletives are not going to spontaneousley combust, explode, fall off the face of the Earth or drown because you plugged or patched a tire.



If you don't believe me, buy another tire or tube and be certain, it's your money.

 

[KLRer]

Good article and scary subject I hadnt thought much about but should have. What the h do you do in case of a tire blowout (not just a gradual flat) at freeway speeds? They didn't cover that in my MSF course. Maybe you're just dead in that scenario so its best not to burden your mind with it?

 

[schizuki]

Will this method work in Florida?

 

[sarnali2]

Been there done that....in my experiance what you do is wobble and weave your way across all four lanes of the freeway heading for the shoulder as the bike rapidly slows down while you hang on for dear life, feet flailing off the pegs and cars locking them up and swerving trying to avoid you. Once (if) you hit make it to the shoulder, you'll probably fall down and lay there shaking like a leaf trying to get your petrified limbs to respond so you can crawl out from under the 700 lbs of motorcycle that's burning a hole in your leg and pouring gas on the ground. It helps to smoke a ciggerette while you're picking gravel and glass shards out of your arms from the side of the road....



Then you just hitchhike home, get your truck and come back for the bike.

 

[georgios1]

i've had good results from hot patch kits.

hard to find them now but the patch really sticks well if prepped like MOFO did.

 

[Buzglyd]

Will someone please take that nail he pulled out of the tire and drive it in Kook's head?

 

[DonM]

Carry a spare tube

A spare tube takes up less space and is more likely to be 'fresh' when you need it. Just powder it up well before storing on the bike.

Did the author mention rimlocks? Many tube failures are caused by the tire spinning on the rim and ripping out the valve.

 

[56599]

LOL

 

[Neal]

Best laugh Ive had all day......my blowout experience was much less dramatic,but your story brought it all back. Thanks.

 

[56599]

Yes it must be frustrating to be as wrong as you guys are. Here you have a guy, kpaul, with only 5 years riding experience who predicts things better than all of you and is a better rider...

For example kpaul said Triumph was doing a better job attracting younger riders than Buell and he was scoffed at. Then seruzawa said Buell sold more motorcycles than Triumph.. He was wrong again... I feel your pain Buz... See below..

Click on English.. I can read French so ...

"Together with Triumph’s focus on distinctive stylish design, it has attracted a significant number of younger customers. Triumph’s global customer research shows that over the last few years the proportion of customers aged under 35 years, buying a new Triumph, has more than doubled. This customer segment now represents almost a quarter of all Triumph’s customers."

Prehaps I have better search engines, alerts etc than you read more here

 

[sarnali2]

A 16p nail at 70 on I-5 through downtown Seattle will put the fear of god in you, trust me.

 

[pdad13]

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa-Whoa-Whoa...

And here I got all excited because I thought this might be a New Kids on the Block feature.

 

[wavyd]

Do the same for tubless?

Great article for patching tube tires. There are multiple choices for plugging tubless tires. Could we have a comparision of all the different types of plugs and the best techniques for roadside repair?

 

[21379]

Nice article. Reminded me of when I was racing bicycles. Prolly went through a couple hundred patches in those days, except......



Didn't have a 400 lb. motorcycle to get off the weight of the tire, especially seeing I have a side stand.



Didn't have to use a 18" breaker bar in order to remove the rear wheel.



Didn't have 14" tire irons so I could break the bead, and etc. etc. etc.



IOW, all the article did was show me how to repair a flat. What good does that do me when I got a flat on the freeway?

 

[The_AirHawk]

Re: Do the same for tubless?

AAA?

 

[Buzglyd]

Re: Do the same for tubless?

That's my technique!

 

[JBK1200LT]

WHAT !! Is this advice from a guy who could not fix his own flat ?

 

[56599]

So much for tubless tire blowouts being mellow.. i.e. that's what my MSF instructor said.. He said tube tires were worse.. I didn't quite believe him given my experience with shytty tubless tires on my RX-7 I had during college. Course the fact I was doing 100 on the Denver Boulder turnpike (US 36) had nothing to do with it..

 

[obandoj]

Very good advice Bob, that is the way to fix a flat! Of course having a spare tube would be the best way to deal with that kind of a problem, short of that, a puncture prevention system is the best insurance, I used to use Slime, but it is H2O based which means that eventually it will promote corrosion on all metal parts, and could ruin your rims. There is however another product that is an excellent puncture control system, it's name is P.C.C. (puncture control compound) It is a polyalcohol resin that is specially formulated for off-road vehicles and will not rust your rims, it also works on automotive and road going tires and bicycles. It will not brake down or deteriorate over time. Anyway, to find out who sells it around you, contact, www.hollanderproducts.com