my first flat

[My2K]

So there I was on my way to the bike shop to get a much needed carb cleaning and to have it re-jetted. I'm getting onto the freeway and I get a big blast of crosswind and I can feel my rear end slide. I keep going and compensate for the crosswinds. Every time there's wind, my rear end slides some more. The weather started getting rough, the tiny bike was tossed. Well, not really. I decided to pull off to the side of the road for a couple of minutes and wait for the wind to die down or traffic to thin out. I take off and I hear bumpity bump bump. Look back and I see my rear tire has gone flat. Brand new Pirelli Diablo Strada. I called the shop and they sent a truck out to pick up. I was only stranded for no more than 20 minutes. It's a good thing I pulled over because this was my first flat and I had no idea what one felt like and I couldn't hear anything while I was riding. It could've been real bad if I would've lost it in heavy traffic. So, in addition to the work I having done, I'm getting a new tire.

[katana bob]

the thought of a flat at speed scares the shiate out of me. glad you got off the freeway before it went totally flat.

[professorman]

yea. that's very scary. Good thing you were pulled over. I wonder whats the best technique to use when you get a flat at speeds?

[jlmilloway]

Glad you are ok. A friend of the family recently had a flat on the back of his cruiser and ended up high siding at hwy speed...head injuries (yes he was wearing a helmet) and several broken bones. I've gotta get some kind of sealant when i get the Kat back on the road. I can't imagine what would have happened if it were the front tire....at speed...that's some scary stuff right there.

[The CyberPoet]

A friend of the family recently had a flat on the back of his cruiser and ended up high siding at hwy speed...

I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that he had a bias tire on the bike, which often does result in a high-side when they go out (for those interested in more info on this subject, see my tire lectures on not running bias tires on Kats).

I can tell when the rear end starts to lose pressure because of the wobbly feel of the back of the bike -- a small shake of the hips and the rear end will totally different than normal because the rubber will roll a little side-to-side. Not a good feeling, but good to know that with radial tires you're usually not in any immediate danger of high-siding (this doesn't mean don't come to a stop -- just avoid using the brakes for that wheel and roll to a stop easily).

I carry a tire plug kit for these kind of situations -- never know where it might happen or how far from civilization I'll be when it occurs -- so a $8 kit from the auto parts store travels with me. I replace the tire as soon as feasible after that (I won't run on plugged tires unless I have to -- the last one had to take 1500 miles before the replacement arrived).

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

mine went on me about 10 days..maybe 2 weeks ago. well...might even have been a week...not sure but I posted about it recently. I was doing about 75mph when it happen, and had to accelerate up to about 85-90 on the flat in order to get by the semi on my right and off onto the emergency lane. not a fun feeling at all.

I plugged mine, and have been checking the pressure religiously ever since. I haven't lost even 1lb of air. The tire was brand new....so I'll be damned if I scrap it. I will do as much of the season as I can with it plugged. It wouldn't be the first time.
Honestly, this is probably my 10th flat or more through the 25 or so years I have been riding....so I am kinda getting used to them.

[md86]

Funny story ....
I was on my way to work one night , and the bike was steering kinda slow . Felt heavy . Every time I'd take a turn , it kinda squirmed , so I took it easy . It was about 20 miles to work via interstae , so "taking it easy" was going just a little above the speed limit . When I checked my tire at work , there was NO air in it . "So THAT'S what a flat on a bike feels like : ..." I got a portable compressor from the maintenance guys at work , and it was fine for a long time after tha . But every now and then , the front tire seems to randomly go flat (for the last couple years , several different tires ) , so I check my pressure RELIGIOUSLY .

[The CyberPoet]

But every now and then , the front tire seems to randomly go flat (for the last couple years , several different tires ) , so I check my pressure RELIGIOUSLY .

You sure that who-ever is changing the tires is changing the valve stems -- and that you have the valve stems capped? Cheap valves (low quality/low strength valve springs) can get enough centrifugal action to actual open the valve at highway speeds sometimes -- caps help keep the pressure from escaping. Just a thought...

I've been trying to get my hand on some specialty steel 85-degree stems (stem is steel, rises about 1/4" past the hole then bends over at 85 degrees; there's a nut on the front side to make sure the stem stays seated no matter what). They're popular in Europe, but I have yet to see them in the USA.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

I watched the shop change my tire last time . New valve stem . And I got caps , too . I think it's gremlins .

[ronin]

eeeek! flat tire.... glad to hear you're OK. getting a blow out at high speeds is one of my greatest concerns.

will an aerosol tire sealant do the trick in a pinch?

[macgyver]

MD next time you have the tires changed you may want to tell them to scrub the crap on the inside of the rim because dirt any debries can get in and stick to the inside of the rim where the tire seals. if the rim is not fully scrubbed down it may over time develope a small leak.

[jlmilloway]

I have a kit i got from auto zone ( I think ) that has a few small plugs, a handle to insert the plug and a long clear plastic hose that you can use to hook up to the valve on the non flat tire and the flat, so that if you have a leak or a flat you can plug the hole...hook up each end of the tube to one of the tires...and it will (presumably) take some of the air out of the full tire and equalize the air pressure with the plugged tire. Not really dying to try it out, but it might come in handy and it takes up very little room. I could put the whole thing in my back pocket. Any of you guy's used one of these things?

[ronin]

sounds like an ingenius gadget, gonna get one on pay day!

[Enforcer]

I'm glad you are ok. That has got to be the worst feeling in the world.

[The CyberPoet]

Any of you guy's used one of these things?

I have probably the same basic plug kit. I don't carry the transfer hose, but instead have a combo CO2- and micro hand-pump (works in either capacity) that I am planning on strapping to the outside of the rear frame under the fairings if I have the room after installing the chain oiler (the remote for the Ohlins rear shock also sits against the outside of the rear frame under the fairings on my bike). Up til now, I've always either had the full-sized foot pump with me in my saddlebags (long trips, Givi bags), or had too many damages to plug the tire anyway.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet