Have you had a flat tire?

Anyone out there ever get a flat tire?

What happens when you get one while riding? I'm guessing it could be dangerous, especially a front flat.

Does anyone carry a can of "fix a flat"? Is this a good idea? Is there something specific for the smaller tires on a SW? What do you carry to deal with a flat?

I probably just jinxed myself by opening up a topic with this subject, but I want to be prepared.

Happy to say that so far I've never had one. But I bet it can be a pretty
hairy ride.

I ran over a sharp chunk of wood from a logging truck and got a split tire that leaked slowly allowing me to pull over after noticing the engine was lugging. I got no swerving until the last few seconds when I was off the road. I was only traveling about 35. Tire couldn't be fixed with a friend's fix-a-flat. Son's truck hauled me to the dealer for a new tire.
My reflex ran over a roofing nail that I noticed when in the driveway. I used a rubber plug and lots of the glue, let it dry for several hours, pumped it up and it has lasted more than a year. A friend did the same thing for his Harley. His lasted 2 years.
I am getting new tires for both scoots this spring. Plugs seem to work if the hole is small but should be considered temporary, I believe.

An additional comment:

It took me a while to learn this but have found that learning to maneuver the bike so when you miss some road debris with the front wheel you also avoid it with the rear wheel. It takes some practice but can be done in most cases- and must be done. Most flats I've seen have been on the rear wheel. I missed that wood chunk with the front wheel but hit it with the rear. Never saw the roofing nail.

Gene,

I have never had a flat tire before so I wouldn't know what to tell you. I know that if I was going on a longer trip from home I carry a can of tire fix-a-flat but have not have to use it. (knock on wood). I would like to get a plug kit soon since many of your group rides can get up to 200 miles from my house.

I have had the misfortune of a rear flat on my S'wing....this was about four months after getting it, and pre mods aprt form the lamina lip and ears. I had negotiated with my Mrs a short 24 hour break away so I could do a bit of touring in Wales, just me and my steed.... Anyway I'd just done some slow speed scenic touring over some high up ground, single track lanes with loads of gravel, potholes, muddy bits, and steep slopes.... But fantastic views. So I was in a slow laid back cruising type mood. I had slowed down on the main road to turn right onto a little minor road leading to some village, and as I made the turn the scoot suddenly lurched big time and the back end went all squirmy. I couldn't have been doing more than 20mph but even so thankfully the road was clear so I had lots of room to play with.... I kept off the brakes and concentrated on staying upright, and came to a wibbly wobbly stop in the middle of the road... (engine braking only) Just aswell I was going slow and fairly upright through the turn! I climbed off, and the back tyre was pancake flat, and the right side of the tyre had actually come off the rim

As luck would have it, there was a petrol station just a few hundred yards away.... But pushing the S'wing on a flat tyre was hard work. It felt worse than pushing a fully loaded touring BMW, plus it was impossible to get the S'wing onto the centre stand... I needed someone to help me.... It was still spring so not especially warm, and I had a heavy armoured biking jacket on... I was well and truely sweating after pushing the bike around...! As luck would have it, a passing bike mechanic actually stopped and helped. He found a small bit of hard debris in the tyre. He told me to leave it in so it plugged the hole. I then pumped up the tyre with a high pressure air hose at the garage which surprisingly took a while before the tyre jumped back on the rim... I was starting to panic a bit... But then it did eventually jumped back on. I pumped it up to about 65 PSI so the beading was solid, with the tyre well and truly back on the rim, then deflated the tyre, and bought a can of holts tyre weld.... That was good stuff, a high expansion foam that pumped the tyre up so hard that it felt like solid rubber.... I rode home 150 miles later that day... The tyre stayed hard for several days and was still fine up until I took it in to get it replaced....

Anyway when I had fixed the puncture at the roadside, I noticed it had worn about 2,000 miles in the space of 50! I think I must of had a slow puncture, and not realised whilst riding over the poor roads... That said, I did feel a little embarassed that I hadn't realised the tyre was slowly going flat..... Previously on motorbikes I have always felt it and known when the tyre pressure was very low, but not the scoot it seems... Perhaps it is the combination of the small well made tyre, (bridgestone hoop) the long wheel base and the more rear set seating position that makes it difficult to tell at slow speeds.

I now ride with a can of the holts tyre weld wrapped up in a few rags stored in the free space behind one of the side panels. (under the seat, the little plastic doors either side of the luggage space that allow access to the indicator lights). To date, that was porbably the most scary experience that I have had on the S'wing.

As an added precaution, I now also have "ride on" a tyre sealant already in the tyres.... It is a gunky stuff that as the wheel turns gets thrown onto the inside surface of the tyre, and helps balance the wheel / tyre. If you get a small puncture, it is instantly sealed by the centrifugal force.(or centripetal as they now say). The sealant is a yellow brown colour, so if you check your tyres frequently (as good bikers I'm sure you all do) you should see where it has sealed the hole as some of it leaks out in order to seal it. Apparently it will even work well with a small tear in the tyre.... Also, on a final note, recently when I had my wheels powder coated, and the tyres put back, the front although balanced and solid at high speed ( I can take my hands of the bars at 80mph plus and no wobble) did have a slight wobble at 25-40mph that you noticed if you have only one hand on the handlebars. The "Ride On" stuff has all but eliminated it.

So all is well that ends well..... But yes a puncture is scary and it is a good idea to have at least a tyre fixing kit of some sort, or better still, sealant already in the tyres. The sealant apparently gives the tyres a slightly longer life as it helps dissipate the heat build up better.

Happy Riding


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I carry the Stop-N-Go tire plugs, which I tested on a tire before removing to check the results of my technique.

I had a flat on the rear darkside tire.
Something in the road gashed the tire about 1.5-2 inches and cut the radial cord so it could be repaired roadside .... so I had a nightmare towing service. So now I carry 5 tie-down straps in my left glove box, which will allow easier and correct towing next time.

Just remember there is a service life on the cans of instant fix. A friend of mine carried one around for some time. I had a flat and he offered it to me, but nothing, zilch came out.
I just threw a can away that I had been keeping in the shed as when I tested it, it also was non operative. The compressed gas seems to evaporate over time.

KurtPerthWA wrote:

Just remember there is a service life on the cans of instant fix. A friend of mine carried one around for some time. I had a flat and he offered it to me, but nothing, zilch came out.
I just threw a can away that I had been keeping in the shed as when I tested it, it also was non operative. The compressed gas seems to evaporate over time.

Good point I'll have a check on the can and see if there is a service life printed on it..... To that end maybe one of those kits with seperate little cannisters and plugs for the tyre, would be better?

If anyone is interested.... here's what goes on inside your tire when it is getting plugged.






Heres a link to the whole write up I did on another board. It includes pictures and how to's for using the "Stop and Go" tire plugger.

http://www.maxi-scoots.com/postnuke/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=3661

It's a good thing to know, if you ever need it.

Have a great day
bob

No flat tires yet, but I suspected this would happen.

Some time ago I posted a little tale of woe regarding our rear tires: http://silverwing600.forumotion.com/safety-section-f11/dunlop-scootline-sx01-tires-t48.htm

Still had the Dunlops on the front. I must reiterate Dunlop has been a stand-up company and I suspect that this could have happened to any tire manfacturer.

The front tire on my SilverWing is now fully delaminated. This happened while we were on a 250 mile ride through the countryside. No fix-a-flat or tire plug would have resolved this issue.

I've yet to contact Dunlop, not certain there is a need. I haven't tallied up all of the details yet on the incident so no fact filled write up and fortunately no flat tire.

This will not cause me to start carrying any tools - stuff happens. This will not cause me to bad mouth Dunlop - stuff happens. Remember accidents? Fortunately I didn't have one. I'll post a detailed report with pictures in the next week or so in the safety section.

Had a flat in the rear tire. I was surprised at how it affected the bike, not like previous flats on rear tires of motorcycles that I have owned. On the motorcycles it was very obvious, with the rear of the bike suddenly squirming around. On the SW I felt an instability in the front end, and stopped thinking something had affected the steering. I checked the front tire and it looked fine and at first I was puzzled but then noticed the rear tire completely flat. I now carry an Aerostich tire kit, with plugs, glue and compressed gas, but I have never used such a kit and have no idea how effective it would be. I know it is hard enough to check the tire pressure in the rear so my guess is that when flat it would next to impossible to work on the tire without removing it from the bike, something I would not attempt. I have AAA+ coverage so I would rely on having it towed to the nearest Honda dealer.

vito wrote:

Had a flat in the rear tire. I was surprised at how it affected the bike, not like previous flats on rear tires of motorcycles that I have owned. On the motorcycles it was very obvious, with the rear of the bike suddenly squirming around. On the SW I felt an instability in the front end, and stopped thinking something had affected the steering. I checked the front tire and it looked fine and at first I was puzzled but then noticed the rear tire completely flat. I now carry an Aerostich tire kit, with plugs, glue and compressed gas, but I have never used such a kit and have no idea how effective it would be. I know it is hard enough to check the tire pressure in the rear so my guess is that when flat it would next to impossible to work on the tire without removing it from the bike, something I would not attempt. I have AAA+ coverage so I would rely on having it towed to the nearest Honda dealer.

Glad you said that.... I know this doesn't say much for my riding, but when I had my flat I must have been riding on a virtually flat tyre for a while without noticing until one side of the tyre came off the rim... I sure noticed it then!

Oh i did have a flat on the Honda helix
that i use to have. See i had the tire
replaced ast the honda dealer.
A couple of days later i was on hwy 6 and
i felt the bike wobble. So i pulled off
the rd. to see what the problem was.
Backtire was very low on air found out
that the valve stem was NOT positioned
in the right angle. It hit the
muffler and turned on the
angle. So i had to take it easy going
slow to the gas station to get air.
This was in the early afternoon and i
made it to the house and then i went
to the honda dealer. They did the
tire replacement and they did
the repair on the tire asap within
5 minutes of me being there. I told
them IF do not fix the tire and i did
get hurt from that faaulty employee.
They would be sued. So they fixed
it without asking any questions and
No charge either. I also had tires
on,y swing that dry rotted after
4 months on my bke and i had the
dealer put it on. That was 3 years
ago. They did replace that dry
rotted tire under a warranty thing.
So no cost to me.
Ghost Rider Greg
Houston tx. usa

I had a rear tire flat while grocery shopping. Lucky for me the grocery store also had gas pumps and a air hose, rode it home and installed a plug which I rode around town on for a month while I scraped together funds for a new tire. Now I carry the Stop & Go products with the plugs and CO2 cartridges to re inflate the tire. While dragging my trailer with my Wing I have twice as many tires on the ground so want to be prepared.

Happy Trails Everyone

I know all about that nightmare towing service. In Miami when I broke a drive belt I couldn't fix it on the side of the road so I called a tow truck. Actually 3 of them. The first one got lost and I sent the second tow truck driver away. Keep in mind that tow truck drivers in Miami don't speak a word of English.

If your going to ride on a plugged rear tire for over a month be very careful. Passengers are O.K. buty ride only at night and don't exceed 25 mph. After a month of riding on a plugged tire the hole starts getting bigger and you will reach the point where the plugged hole can't be plugged anymore.

A few weeks ago I had a front tire that kept going down almost overnight. I used soap and water to look for leak in tire and all the possible places to leak. I found nothing. I aired it up each morning repeatedly. Finally becoming annoyed enough to get it fixed, I went to 4 near by cycle shops and was told by all four that they would not plug a flat. All offered to replace the tire. I was really surprised and told each one that all I wanted was for them to break down the tire and reset the bead for me. They were all too busy to do that for me, so, I went to the last shop in the area and begged for them to do something for me. After they removed the wheel and we looked at the tire, it was obvious I needed a new tire. I got one and it sure is nice to ride and ride and ride and not worry about tire going down. I was just so surprised that all the shops had the same policy of not plugging tires. I have a plug set and air pump in my trunk. Hope I never need them.

Opalsboy wrote:

A few weeks ago I had a front tire that kept going down almost overnight. I used soap and water to look for leak in tire and all the possible places to leak. I found nothing. I aired it up each morning repeatedly. Finally becoming annoyed enough to get it fixed, I went to 4 near by cycle shops and was told by all four that they would not plug a flat. All offered to replace the tire. I was really surprised and told each one that all I wanted was for them to break down the tire and reset the bead for me. They were all too busy to do that for me, so, I went to the last shop in the area and begged for them to do something for me. After they removed the wheel and we looked at the tire, it was obvious I needed a new tire. I got one and it sure is nice to ride and ride and ride and not worry about tire going down. I was just so surprised that all the shops had the same policy of not plugging tires. I have a plug set and air pump in my trunk. Hope I never need them.

Now that I have my own tire changer ( NoMar CycleHill Tire Change - http://www.cyclehilltirechanger.com ) .... I do not have to worry about what the shops will say.

Hello Bill... if you get this twice, I am sorry. I hit the wrong key earlier and may have sent it to you. Maybe not. Anyway... I am curious to know if you have a repair shop or something. It seems that having a tire changer for personal use is unusual. I have had my scoot for almost a year and had the one tire problem. You must have use for a changer beyond the ordinary. BTW.. if you decide to return to Eureka Springs again, let me know. I may join you.

Gary

Opalsboy wrote:

Anyway... I am curious to know if you have a repair shop or something. It seems that having a tire changer for personal use is unusual. I have had my scoot for almost a year and had the one tire problem. You must have use for a changer beyond the ordinary.

With almost ~30,00 miles ... I have already done four tire changes (1 front and 3 rear with 1 due to road hazard). The repair shop wants to charge me about 1 hour labor to mount (already unmounted) and balance the tire (if you buy the tire from them 50% off)... and the labor rate keeps increasing. So it does not take long to recoup the savings.

I have been running a darkside tire (less tire changes) on my SWing for the last 8,500 miles ... but I do not want any shop dictating to me whether or not they would mount my darkside tire ... I get to decide.

Some repaire shops will no longer patch tires, so I can internally patch my own tire as I see fit. Speaking of my wife wants me to patch my John Deere diesel lawn mower front tire.

Besides I am now going to experiment with the Dynabeads, I have now have them. If I do not like I can dismount and remove.

If I ever find a front darkside tire that I liked, I would be willing to put on and test ... again. Otherwise my next front tire is a Michelin Gold Standard REAR tire :D mounted in the opposite direction.

Eventually I will have a tire balancer and an large air compressor, then I could mount/dismount "friends" tires too.

So it may be unusual to have your own tire changer, but I plan to make the most of it.

Opalsboy wrote:

BTW.. if you decide to
return to Eureka Springs again, let me know. I may join you.

I may not be able to attend either the Renegade Ralley or the Scooting The Ozarks rally this year due to scheduling conflicts. But I sure would like to ride up in Eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

I was wondering how many others would want to get together for something like that

honda_silver wrote:

I have been running a darkside tire (less tire changes) on my SWing for the last 8,500 miles ... but I do not want any shop dictating to me whether or not they would mount my darkside tire ... I get to decide.

What kind of darkside tire fits a Honda Silver Wing on the rear?

Pete H wrote:

What kind of darkside tire fits a Honda Silver Wing on the rear?

Sumitomo 165/70TR13 ( http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Sumitomo&tireModel=HTR+T4&partnum=67TR3HTRT4&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes&place=0 )

http://silverwing.org/cgi-bin/topic_show.pl?pid=17998#pid17998

honda_silver wrote:

With almost ~30,00 miles ... I have already done four tire changes (1 front and 3 rear with 1 due to road hazard). The repair shop wants to charge me about 1 hour labor to mount (already unmounted) and balance the tire (if you buy the tire from them 50% off)... and the labor rate keeps increasing. So it does not take long to recoup the savings.

All Honda dealers in Texas have this gimmick where the tire is half price if you have it mounted there but it costs about $75 if they mount it.

Pete,

Is that a statewide policy? If so it would be an act of collusion and is subject to the consumer protection laws of the state of Texas. You should turn your evidence over to the Attorney General.

Or are you saying... That in the interest of trying to sell tires, some dealerships, that you have frequented, will mount the tire for half price if you buy the tire from them. But, if you bring them a tire that you purchased elsewhere and ask them to mount it - they charge you $75.00 to mount it? So, they charge full price to mount a tire that you did not purchase from them. Sound fair to me, the market will determine the actions of the masses and vice versa.

The two shops I regularly use for tire mounting (dealership & private) both charge one rate to mount a tire whether purchased from them or not. The private shop charges more ($5) to mount a tire than the dealership, but they are a little bit quicker. The dealership matches the non-sale price of any internet tire dealership, the private shop only carries one brand of tires that fit our bikes and I prefer not to use them.

You live in L.A. (Lower Alabama) where dealers are honest and they get to your bike that day!

Pete,

I guess that depends on the definition of "lower". Huntsville is about 20 miles south of the state line with Tennessee, so compared to Hazel Green, AL - I am in lower Alabama. But if you asked the folks in Mobile - I think they'd say we're northerners.

I think the reason our dealership (and independent shop) gets to our bikes quickly and respond respectfully is many fold:
- We call ahead for an appointment.
- We typically don't expect them to get to them right away.
- When we make the appointment we inform them of our need or lack of.
- We ask for an estimate of when the bike will be ready.
- We bring them in the night before if possible.
- They appreciate our business.
- We tell them if they've exceeded our expectations.
- We tell the management about our satisfaction.
- We ask for discounts, and generally get them.
- We routinely patronize their store for accessories and gear.
- If they do not meet our expectations we tell them (not yell at them).
- If they have questions about a task they ask.
- I don't berate them for asking, I'm grateful for the chance to help.
- They are interested in long term happy customers.
- They make mistakes - we make mistakes.
- They get it right - we get it right.

Those last two are just to remind me and others that life isn't always exactly how you expect it, especially if you didn't communicate and express your reasonable expectations.

I recognize this doesn't have much to do with a flat tire and I admit I may have hijacked with this post - My apologies.

May I add, NEVER tell the dealer that you can get such and such for a lot less on the internet, unless from his web site.

Small town dealers are always better.