Flat Tires

From the minute you woke up this morning all you could think about was, "When am I going to get a break?".  Sitting in your little office with paperwork stacked up to the ceiling, you glance over at the clock - Almost time to go!  Every muscle in your body has been aching. Butterflies are churning in your stomach. Peeking in from your window, has been the most perfect day you have seen since September when the sun went into hiding - Five more minutes!

Pulling into your driveway you see her, waiting for you.  Your heart is racing!  She's all cleaned up and ready, like she knew you were coming home early to take her out for a ride.  You strap on your helmet, put on your gloves and hit the starter.  Your baby comes to life and suddenly all of your stress leaves through your hands as you twist the throttle and kick her into gear.  You cruise down the back streets, past what seems to be the end of civilization. No one is in sight.

Sitting on the side of the road, you suddenly realize maybe all of that paperwork wasn't so bad.  The no one in sight thing was maybe just a little overrated.  The stress that was seizing your stomach is now back in full force.  You have a flat tire.

What now?  Well as the old saying goes, "it happens".  Planning for this kind of event starts way before you get to the "butterfly churning" stage.  This should be something you take care of on the days that are just a little too cold or icy to take your sweetheart out for a trip.

As a rule, when I go out by myself, I always carry a cellular phone.  "What's that?" you say, "I don't have a cellular phone!".  OK, you're right, the phone is only a last resort.  But it's good to have a phone in the event you don't have any way to fix the afflicted tire.  You can have a tow truck or a friend come out to get you.  

Every rider, or at least one rider in your group should ALWAYS carry on his/her bike:  road flares (at least one), a cellular phone (if available), change for a phone (if a cell phone is not available),  and the most important thing - a roadside tire repair kit.  

Unlike a car, as you know, motorcycles do not carry spare tires.  Most motorcycle tires are TUBELESS, which means they are like car tires and do not require an inner tube.  Some motorcycles do require inner tubes, they will be addressed later in the article.

Typical tire repair kits.  Notice the CO2 cartridges.  They will be used to inflate the tire after the repair is done.  The small size permits the kits to be stored in racier bike models.

Starting the repair

The first thing you should do is move your bike to a safe place off of the road and out of any corners that might prove to be hazardous.  You don't want someone coming around a corner blindly to find you bent over fixing your tire.  This would prove very unproductive for you as well as the tire repair.  Secondly, set up any road flares you may have to alert traffic to your presence.

You should then determine what is causing the damage to your tire.  Assuming you have a current inspection on your scooter, your tires should be up to par.  This would leave a foreign object at fault.  Look for nails, glass, or any other sharp object protruding from your tire.  You can do this in a couple of ways: 

1. Roll the bike slowly, inspecting the tire as you go.
2. If this is not possible, place the bike on its side stand, and push the bike so that most of the weight of the bike is on the stand.  You can then roll the affected tire, looking for objects.  Be careful not to push the bike over!

Once you find the offending object, as long as it is not in the side wall of the tire, you should be able to repair the damage.  

NOTE: Sidewall damage is NOT recommended for repair.  Damaged sidewalls can lead to blowouts.

Using a pair of pliers ( you should have one in your bike maintenance kit), pull the object out far enough to make it easily visible.  Do not pull it all the way out, as you may lose the point in which your tire has been damaged. 

Now we get into different methods to repair the tire.  There are several methods available, but I will cover using the plug kit, the quickest way to get you back on the road safely and into a repair shop. The tire can then be replaced or repaired with a more permanent (safer) repair.

The plug kit consists of a reamer, a plunger and some gooey rubber stuff.  The reamer is not pictured, but looks much like the plunger, pictured on the right.  It has a file like texture on the surface.  The reamer is used for roughing up the damaged area so that the gooey repair rubber will stick to the wounded tire. You should also have a CO2 inflation cartridge or two. I recommend a kit with these included, or you can patch tires all day with no way to fill them. 

1. First, locate the foreign object in your tire.  Have all of the repair items available at this time. 
2. Pull the object out of your tire, and at the same time insert the reamer into the hole. 
3. Move the reamer back and forth in the hole, ensuring the hole retains a rough texture.  Do not remove the reamer! 
4. Thread a strip of the gooey rubber into the plunger centering the strip on the plunger.  This will leave an equal piece of gooey rubber on either side of the hole in the plunger. 
5. Pull the reamer out, and at the same time push the plunger into the hole along with the gooey rubber strip.  The plunger is designed to allow the rubber strip to remain inside the hole when it is pulled out. 
6. Push the plunger in until half of the rubber strip is inside the hole. 
7. Pull the plunger out with a swift outward motion. 
8. Repeat this procedure until you have sealed the hole.  The rubber strips are treated with a special adhesive that makes the tire bond to it. 
9. Cut off any remaining rubber flush with the tire. 
10. Fill your tire with one cartridge, and test for leaks. If the tire is still leaking, try pulling on the rubber strips to create a tight seal.
11. Push the bike a few yards, let the weight of the bike close the hole around the rubber. Once you determine the tire is no longer leaking, use the remaining cartridges to fill the tire to the rated pressure.

Note:  This is a temporary fix and MUST be repaired by qualified personnel.

As there are many repair kits available on the market, it is recommended that you carefully follow the directions included with your specific kit. The work you do will ensure a safe ride home!

  Tube Tires: 

Tires with tubes follow the same principle, with one exception: the wheel must be removed to make the repair. 

1. Remove the affected wheel.
2. Remove the tire from the rim to expose the tube. 
3. Repair the tube according to the repair kit.
4. Reassemble the tire in the reverse method that it was disassembled. 

This action should only be accomplished in an extreme emergency and where tools permit.  Removing your tire while roadside is NOT recommended, and should be done by experienced personnel in a motorcycle repair shop.  (Hence, the cell phone you brought.) 

In extreme circumstances, where you MUST repair the damaged tire, plugging the tire only may suffice, but is NOT recommended, and is NOT safe. Once you have repaired and filled the tire, you should be able to ride safely to a shop or back to your house.  Use caution. Remember you are riding on a repaired tire.  Take it easy. Enjoy the scenery, and most of all enjoy life!

Some useful links:    Tire & Tube Repair @ Parker Yamaha

       Stop & Go Kits for all tire repairs.

This article brought to you by D & D Import Cycles.

We are an authorized Triumph® dealer, but also service and sell all makes and models of motorcycles.  We offer online parts and accessory sales, De tuning and do custom paint work.  Stop by and visit our facility, we welcome all makes and models of motorcycles.  Everyone is welcome!

 Visit us at ht.://www.danddimportcycles.com/

READER NOTE: I wanted to include to anybody out there that have tube tires that they should cary spare tubes with them. If you have to tear the tire apart to repair why not put a new tube inside. Last weekend I had a blowout going at 65 in which the tube blew in half. (plus it saves time) All the repair kits in the world would not have helped. Plus a repaired tube may not last as long. Knowing there is a new one in it's place puts me into a comfort zone.

Pete

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