Punctures and suggestions

[musicswapshoppe]

Got a nail in rear tyre yesterday and luckilly was only about a mile from a bike shop, so no real problem. Still a long walk to station to get home though.
Does anyone carry those plugs that are available. It dawned on me that maybe I should. I was actually near a petrol station so could have plugged it temporarily.
Whats some of things you guys carry in the event of a flat? Anyone rigged up a spare wheel set up lol

 

[hs01jowe]

I don't have anything. But for a longer trip i always bring some kind of temporary fix just in case.. One of my friends did try to mend a flat tyre by melting the hole closed with a lighter.

It was good for several yards before it was flat again!

 

[drlapo]

can't plug a tube
only solution is to carry tire irons and a spare tube, just like we did in the dark ages
sometimes the fix in a can works; i carry one just in case as they are known to ward off puntures and guarantee a puncture as soon as you leave it at home

 

[musicswapshoppe]

Apparently there is this length of plug that comes with a sort of tar. You just remove the nail and stick the plug with the tar in hole. Cut it flush (can even file it when hard). Then blow up tyre and away you go. Gonna check out auto shops today so will know more later.

 

[Iceseven]

Yeah if you get a puncture in the tube just plugging the tire itself won't work, the air will leak out the tube and out of the numerous rim spoke dimples, like Drlapo I carry slime for motorcycle tubes on trips.

 

[Norvel]

If it's Tubeless you can use the Pocket Tire Plugger.
http://www.stopngo.com/motorcycle.asp

I just ordered it the other day.

Check out the You Tube Vid they have about it.

 

[Mahart]

I had a piece of bone puncture my rear tire. Got the tire off and the tube had slashes in it like Wolverine tore it a new asshole. Apparently the valve stem broke loose and the innertube slung around inside the tire slashing itself along the shard of bone. I replaced the tube and newish tire.

Happy motoring mofo's

 

[sweatmachine]

like others have said, plugs don't work with tubes and sliming it is a 50% shot at best.

I sure do like my mag wheels that I can plug quickly!

 

[Bonafide]

I carry slime for motorcycle tubes on trips.

That crap didnt work for me. I ended up slinging that green booger dookie all over the back side of my bike ... and the front side of JCW and GF's bike, visors, leather jackets ... heh ... you get the jist. Best bet is to call a truck if you're not carry some tools, ie: irons and a new tube.

 

[koifarm]

Motow, free with AMA membership.....$39 a year...

 

[Mahart]

green booger dookie

:headbang2: That's as entertaining as stupiddumbshitgoddamnmutherfucker.

 

[PieMan]

If you have the Bonnie or T100 front mudguard, add a mudflap. This will stop 95% of rear punctures. If you have the Thruxton short mudguard you'll have to live with punctures.

 

[Threewheelbonni]

If you have the Bonnie or T100 front mudguard, add a mudflap. This will stop 95% of rear punctures. If you have the Thruxton short mudguard you'll have to live with punctures.

+1 on that.

Slime/gloop is limited to something close to a 5mm diameter hole or the equivalent CSA. I used it in France as a way to avoid carrying the tools on our early two up trips. The nail made a good dozen pin holes which it sealed. So far so good, but the tyre was slowly leaking air and the nail was still in there. The last hole was in the tube seam and made a flap which was too big to seal. The tube was then scrap, the stuff stops patches sticking. The deflation was over about 3 hours while the bike was parked and as it was in the middle of Bayeau (went to see William the ******ds tapestry), we were off and running in just over an hour after a visit to the worlds most Gallic scooter shop (with a Polish mechanic who'd got the whole beret/gittane/shrug thing down to a fine art, but worked like a small hurricane once he'd handed out the most fantastic coffee!).

If you ride in places where help is available but getting home might be better, use the slime. If you ride in places where help isn't on the end your mobile, learn to use those irons. A tube for each wheel and a patch kit make you independent for something like 10 flats, although for hot places off the map the locals use patches as currency and will constantly ask for them. I carry a bicycle repair kit and offer 'em those, something that will no doubt come back and bite me in the bum in the end, but I'm *****d if I'll give away mobility like that.

Foam in a can BTW is utterly useless. They explode in your panniers too if you park in the sun :eeek:

We can now start a thread about putting bathroom sealer on your spokes and ditching the tubes! I'll start. When Michelin sell it to BMW instead of stupidly expensive double rims I'll buy it. Until then I won't be betting my life on bathroom sealant even if certain US wheel shops do claim they've never had a failure (yet, based on no scientific testing) opcorn2:

Andy

 

[Iceseven]

I had a 450 Honda Rebel in 1986 and it had a ridge in the aluminum rim center and the spokes went through the lip thus it used a tubeless tire, great design. Being out west you can be 300 miles (mountains or desert) from any bike shop so I am going to check into the AMA deal.

 

[em_dot]

Currently I have AAA and a cell phone. With AAA you have to upgrade your membership to Premier RV so your motorcycle is covered along with your car (guess how I found that one out...). Anyway, it's not very expensive for a yearly membership.

I've been investigating the Alpina STS system. Spendy to be sure. Kit is about $1,100.00 before labor. Be cheaper if the Dollar would improve on the Euro.

Anyone else have the Alpina STS system? Any reliability issues?

 

[Bonafide]

Anyone else have the Alpina STS system? Any reliability issues?

I looked at it one time, just after my 2nd flat - the price made stop looking. They're used quite a bit in the Ducati world ... but so are switching to mag rims.

 

[DandyDoug]

Hmm, never thought about a mud flap for the front fender. Just how does this help prevent punctures in the rear tire?:eeek::hurt::hurt:

Every time I go anywhere on my Bonneville , especially trips I worry about what to do if I have a flat tire. I carry a cell phone and a road side towing policy, hopefully any competent bike shop should be able to replace a tube. I'm too old to do it by the road side anymore. LOL:hurt:

I often contemplate replacing the wheels with a tubeless type but the cost is not affordable for me.

 

[PieMan]

Hmm, never thought about a mud flap for the front fender. Just how does this help prevent punctures in the rear tire?:eeek::hurt::hurt:

I think it stops objects that cause punctures being flicked up by the front wheel in the path of the rear. I discovered it while despatching in London. Bought a mudflap to stop the engine getting cruddy and from that point on my rear punctures cut down from two a month to maybe one or two a year.

 

[DandyDoug]

Makes sense , I think.