First flat tire experience.

[storm 64]

I was very reluctant to even open this thread in fear of the flat tire jinx. A drywall screw found my rear tire earlier this year. The tire only had 1,200 miles on it. Fortunately, I had a plug kit and mini compressor. I was by a convenient store with FREE AIR so that worked better than mini compressor. I plugged the tire and away I went. Now I was pondering, do I ride with the plug in my tire or do I replace the tire? What would you do? I replaced the tire...

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

I do plan on replacing the tire. Will look into it this week. I did take the bike for a short 10 mile round rip to my office and back, pretty much a straight shot. The plug held. Pressure was the same before I left, at work, and when I got home. I’m not going to go very far on it.

 

[Rob S.]

My first few years riding were filled with flats because I rode on shoulders so frequently. There's nothing so relaxing as using a set of tire irons.

 

[Steve]

I do plan on replacing the tire.

With the location of the damage, that is a good choice. The tire does not appear to be very new, either, making the choice a bit easier.

If the puncture were a bit farther from the edge, I would not hesitate to run it. I have done that on larger, heavier bikes with no problems. When I sold my ZN1300 Voyager back in 2006, I did let the buyer know that there was a plug in the front tire and TWO plugs in the rear.

.

 

[Grimly]

The tyre-sellers will doubtless inform you that to run with a plug in will result in your demise in a fireball.
They'd say that, of course.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

With the location of the damage, that is a good choice. The tire does not appear to be very new, either, making the choice a bit easier.....If the puncture were a bit farther from the edge,......

The hole isn't near the edge, it's closer to he middle. The tire was put on 8/28/19. date on the tire is 2419, which I believe is 24th week of 2019. Please correct me if I'm wrong. So the tire is just over a year old and on the bike for less than a year and about 1500 miles. But I don't understand why they're so cracked between the knobs, even in the first pic below which was just after I noticed the flat. I had been riding dirt and gravel roads for quite a while so may not have noticed a slow leak until I pulled out onto paved road and I almost went down.

stone still in the hole

Hole is closer to the middle of the tire but is at the edge of where the knob meets he meat of the tire.

Date stamp. 24th week of 2019???

 

[alke46]

I was very reluctant to even open this thread in fear of the flat tire jinx. A drywall screw found my rear tire earlier this year. The tire only had 1,200 miles on it. Fortunately, I had a plug kit and mini compressor. I was by a convenient store with FREE AIR so that worked better than mini compressor. I plugged the tire and away I went. Now I was pondering, do I ride with the plug in my tire or do I replace the tire? What would you do? I replaced the tire...

Norm, I had a new tire (Avon brand) on my Honda that picked up a roofing nail within the 1st 75 miles of riding. I contacted the place I bought it from which at the time was Competition Accessories and they informed me that Avon tires come with road hazard warranty. So I bought a new tire and installed it while waiting for the replacement from Avon. Took maybe 3-4 weeks to get it but I had a new one waiting for when the one on the bike finally wore out. In the whole process I believe when I sent the damaged tire back, it had about 650 miles on it. Still well within the 1mm of wear required for full replacement.

The hole isn't near the edge, it's closer to he middle. The tire was put on 8/28/19. date on the tire is 2419, which I believe is 24th week of 2019. Please correct me if I'm wrong. So the tire is just over a year old and on the bike for less than a year and about 1500 miles. But I don't understand why they're so cracked between the knobs, even in the first pic below which was just after I noticed the flat. I had been riding dirt and gravel roads for quite a while so may not have noticed a slow leak until I pulled out onto paved road and I almost went down.

stone still in the hole

Hole is closer to the middle of the tire but is at the edge of where the knob meets he meat of the tire.

Date stamp. 24th week of 2019???

Yes, that would be the 24th week of 2019 or around the middle of June.

 

[gbw]

As has been said, BTDT.

I carry the Neely repair kit that Steve mentioned as per bwringer's recommendation. Has worked on my tires and has come in handy helping other people out. I also carry one in each of my 4 wheeled vehicles.

I also carry a Slime pump I bought at an auto-parts store. It's getting very old but still works. I probably need to replace it. When I do, I'll get one of these: MotoPumps kits.

That'll cover your back tire.

For the front, if you're going to stick with tubes, you need to carry a spare tube and tire irons, tools to remove the tire (and whatever has to come off to get the tire off: fender, callipers, etc). That's what I do on my DR350. If you switch the front to tubeless, your Neely kit and pump will be all you need.

I think I read that you're going to replace that rear tire. I certainly would. After riding it while flat it'll be ruined. But, if you'd patched it right when it went flat, you could ride it until you wore it out. I've done that many times.

Good luck!

 

[RichDesmond]

Probably worth mentioning that flats (on street bikes anyway) are far more common on the rear. In fact, I've never seen a front flat, as opposed to a dozen or so rear flats.

 

[bwringer]

Glad you got it sorted. Relying on other people (like AAA) sucks. Best to be self sufficient if possible.

I've got this kit and it works great. Used it just the other day to fix a screw hole through my daily driver car's tire.
https://www.amazon.com/Stop-1000-pa...ld=1&keywords=Stop+&+Go&qid=1597593044&sr=8-5

They also sell a version with CO2 inflators so consider that version instead if you don't carry a pump.

A few words of caution: the "Stop-n-Go" tire plugs (the little rubber mushrooms) should be called "Stop-n-Stay"; they are NOT reliable in motorcycle tires. I proved this over and over before I finally gave up on the stupid things.

Any of the "sticky string" style plugs work great. However, as mentioned above I highly recommend the Nealey Tire Repair Kits. They are a distinct cut above the rest.

I have a "mini" Nealey kit in each vehicle, and carry one in my motorcycle tool kits:
https://www.nealeytirerepairkit.com/repair-kits

The reasons these are better are:

- No glue or lube required. Glue containers NEVER last more than a few months.

- The way the plugs are installed is different. They're a thinner string than the generic kits, but you install them such that you end up with four thicknesses of the string in the puncture instead of two, with a knot inside the tire that ensures the plug can't come out. The four strings are better at filling both round and irregular holes, and the tool and installation methods damage the tire less than other string repairs. If you have a large puncture, you can use multiple strings. The downside is that you have to actually read the instructions...

- They're extremely high quality; I have Nealey kits over five years old that are still as sticky as ever. And they come in that handy tube that does a nice job of protecting the plugs and the tool.


As far as a pump, the "Slime" brand pump is under $20 and available anywhere, light and compact, and works fast enough for motorcycle tires. I test mine several times a year, using it for top-ups, and replace it if it's looking too beat up or if I've used it a lot.

If you're plugging into a battery charger harness, you do need to install a higher-capacity fuse. IIRC, the pump can sometimes blow a 10 amp fuse, so I installed a 20. The fuse is just there to protect against a dead short, so a 20 will pop just as fast as a 10 in that situation.

I've tried CO2 cartridges, and they just aren't viable for motorcycle tires. It takes at least four or more to get a rear anywhere near a rideable pressure, and when you're out, you're out. If you have a slow leak, two punctures, or some other problem, you're SOL.


Like all my tools, my tire repair stuff tends to get used more on other people's bikes, so, for example, I still carry the tubeless kit when I'm riding my KLR650 with tubed tires. I also carry tire irons on every bike, because even with tubeless tires there might be a situation where I need to get something out of a tire or help someone with a tubed tire flat.


Nobody asked, but I'll mention it anyway: on my KLR650, I carry a bag with two spare tubes (there's a silly olde dirtbiker legend that one can stuff a front tube into a rear and get out of the woods, but that only actually works for very short distances on very small dirtbikes; if you can only carry one tube for some odd reason, carry a rear, since that's where 99% of flats happen).


To ensure a deluxe tubed flat tire experience, I also have tucked into my tube bag the following:

- Three tire irons (of course). I really like these "Tusk Ultra Lite" 8" tar arns. Cheap, strong, smooth, and effective: https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/tusk-ultra-lite-tire-iron-p

- A few rounded squares of plastic cut from a water or milk jug to use as rim protectors. Some folks don't care about marking up their rims, but I do, and as mentioned above it's quite possible I'll end up working on someone else's bike anyway.

- A wee valve stem puller tool to make getting the valve stem through the rim about 10,000 times less sweaty blasphemous. This is one example. DON'T get the one from an auto parts store than threads onto the outside of the valve; get the one that threads inside the valve and is meant for tubed tires.
This one works, but I carry a model that just has a loop in the cable and not that bulky handle. Can't seem to find it online: https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/tusk-valve-stem-puller-p


Now, the items that ensure a next level maximally posh repair experience are:

- A teensy weensy container of tire mounting lube. I have a little half ounce container intended for camping, and it's sealed with duct tape to keep it from coming open. Once the repair is done, a little bit of the tire mounting lube can also serve as a decent hand soap if there's a little water nearby.

- A second teensy weensy container with real talc to apply to the new tube and keep it from chafing inside the tire. It's getting a little harder to find real talc, since you're not supposed to put it on babies any more.

- If you don't already have tape in your tool kit, make sure you have enough electrical tape or duct tape on hand that can serve as a rim strip if the old one is damaged.

- A rag, and optionally some wipes and maybe nitrile gloves, if you're the dainty sort.

- Try to arrange to have your flat in a shaded area with maybe a little breeze...

 

[RichDesmond]

...For the front, if you're going to stick with tubes, you need to carry a spare tube and tire irons, tools to remove the tire (and whatever has to come off to get the tire off: fender, callipers, etc)...

And a way to keep the front wheel off the ground.

 

[bwringer]

And a way to keep the front wheel off the ground.

Yup.

I've used piled-up sticks and rocks before for elevating front or rear tires, but that's... not ideal.

This widget is the deeeeeeeeluxe way to deal with this dilemma on bikes without centerstands.
http://www.endurostar.com/

And yes, it works great, and yes, it is extremely strong and safe. There are pics somewhere of me using this with my V-Strom DL1000. I carry one with my Vee and a different brand of stand on my KLR650. You do want to take them apart every year and make sure everything is still there and nothing is corroded.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Ok, rear flat tire replaced with new. Nice Slime plug and patch kit bought and tested on trashed tire. This little compressor I bought on Amazon, seems great. Plugs into my Battery Tender leads which are always connected to the battery. I let all the air out of of the new tire. The new pump had it up to 30 psi in under 4 minutes. I did have the bike running, but no fan blowing on it so I’m glad it didn’t take
longer than that.

I’m going to have to work on the front wheel bead area to see if I can clean it up enough to run the front tubeless. I hope I don’t have to try to fix a flat in a tube on the side of the road till I can get that cleaned up.

 

[gbw]

That's nice with a built in gauge. Will save you some hassle on the side of the road one day.

 

[RichDesmond]

...The new pump had it up to 30 psi in under 4 minutes. I did have the bike running, but no fan blowing on it so I’m glad it didn’t take
longer than that....

??? Don't understand the fan bit.

 

[Baatfam]

??? Don't understand the fan bit.

Box fan in the garage when running the air cooled engine while stationary? I'm athinkin'

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

??? Don't understand the fan bit.

I just didn’t want to run the bike for too long in my garage without a good stream of air blowing on the engine while waiting for the pump to inflate the tire. And I didn’t want to run the battery down by not running the bike while inflating the tire. Just going by what I’ve read, seems a good idea to run a fan on it if your going to be running the engine at a stand still for any length of time. Seems legit. Maybe worried about nothing? My son took the box fan when we moved him back into college Friday.

 

[Baatfam]

I just didn’t want to run the bike for too long in my garage without a good stream of air blowing on the engine while waiting for the pump to inflate the tire. And I didn’t want to run the battery down by not running the bike while inflating the tire. Just going by what I’ve read, seems a good idea to run a fan on it if your going to be running the engine at a stand still for any length of time. Seems legit. Maybe worried about nothing?

Better safe than sorry, right?
I only break out the box fan when it is going to be a while. Like when doing a carb sync.

 

[Rich82GS750TZ]

Better safe than sorry, right?

That’s what I was thinking. I don’t always think when I work on the bike. But I have my moments.

 

[RichDesmond]

I just didn’t want to run the bike for too long in my garage without a good stream of air blowing on the engine while waiting for the pump to inflate the tire. And I didn’t want to run the battery down by not running the bike while inflating the tire. Just going by what I’ve read, seems a good idea to run a fan on it if your going to be running the engine at a stand still for any length of time. Seems legit. Maybe worried about nothing? My son took the box fan when we moved him back into college Friday.

Worried about nothing, unless it's 100?+ and you're going to have it run 30 minutes or more.
One thing I learned from the "S" model, it takes a looooooong time for the bike to get really hot.