Nail/Tack-rear

Mon as I do after a full day of riding on Sun----checked my bike including tires by rotating them 360 degrees and using light. All ok

Note on new Givi Shield----cleans easier than other shield with Laminar Lip. Lemon Pledge for me....but the cheaper WalMart house brand has worked better for me in past.

Rode about a mile to gas station----with bike on centerstand, found nail/tack in rear tire. This after checking a few mins before. Decided not to try repair on spot.

Got to my garage----decided not to use lift----first got out my "on the road" repair stuff. Then made sure compressor was working(the home one) Took the can of sealant I carry and the three others I found in garage...in case!

Then found out the little hand pump I carry won't exactly make the connection on the 90 degree GoldWing type valve stem. (so look to new pump today---WalMart has nice one...foot for under $10 with most important flex hose to make connection.

So....then made up a decent value core removal deal----8mm bolt stuffed in valve cap as the brake disk gets in way of really getting good grip with just cap. Deflated tire, first checking around nail to see if air leak there (none). Inflated tire with air can of sealant I carry----tire up---quick disconnect of air bottle, get valve core in with out much air loss and gloop loss. Just like you would have to do on road. Then aired up to 36 psi with compressor. Rotated still warm from riding tire to let the gloop move around.

Finally remove nail----which turned out to me some sort of tack, 1/2 inch long with very sharp point---pin size. Not in deep. Couple bubbles of gloop came out and tire appeared to be sealed. Rotate some more, then rode 3 or 4 miles. Final check.....with soap to check for leakage. None.

This was fresh IRC tire, around 1000 miles on it or maybe a little more. Because of the pin size hole, I felt no carcass damage done and will live with it. I have another tire in garage and was prepared to throw new tire away or have profession repair(from inside), remount,rebalance---depending on carcass damage.

What learned:

#1 make sure the stuff you carry with for emergencies...actually works on the bike you are riding that day. I had to make up tool for valve core---was lucky that the can of gloop I had had flex hose and could get at valve.
#2 check tires often.
#3 cannot fix self=screwed....there is not even Cell service on some of the roads I have been riding......the new type of trailer bikers are not going to stop to help you.


Could I have gotten by on "field repair" ? probably but on TN road with no shoulder...little scary.

And to think many scooters used to carry spare----and easy rear wheel removal. Modern designers are not moving forward in my opinion.

John Grinsel

I'm about to check my tires in anticipation of a little weekend overnight camping trip coming up this weekend. Hopefully there won't be any problems. I've now got about 10K miles on the front oem bridgestone (got 12K on the last one), and not too concerned about the rear darkside tire, with only about 9K on it, and hopefully many many more trouble free miles to go.

I carry a tire repair kit containing worm plugs and application tools, and CO2 cartridges along with the filler tool. I've also got RideOn in both front and rear tires. So far, so good. That reminds me.......I need to buy some more RideOn for the new Diablo front tire I have waiting in the wings.

Hi Mattew, Could you please tell me where I can find Nelson Rigg Cl-900 saddlebags also Givi flow top case. Thanks...Robert in Az.

Always but always have tyres with UltraSeal or similar tyre sealant installed prior to taking bike on road.

Will not guarantee against traumatic deflation but will save from nails and the like. Worth it's weight in gold.

PunctureSafe in my tyres.

MikeO wrote:

PunctureSafe in my tyres.

I find out today that UltraSeal and PunctureSafe are one in the same product. I had to order some as I had a nail in my rear tyre so took the precaution of ordering a new tyre and the mandatory Ultra~seal/PunctureSafe!!!

I think there was some piracy going on so Ultraseal became Puncturesafe; what's now called Ultraseal isn't original Ultraseal!

Puncturesafe, formerly Ultraseal, is no longer pink but blue.