I have not seen this issue specifically addressed. What is the best way to repair a flat tire on the roadside so that you can drive the bike home. I am talking about a tire that is too flat to drive on and you are too far from home to push it or have a friend come pick it up for you. (keeping in mind that the tire is in repairable condition.)
Also, what are some effective methods for reinflating the tire after the repair is made.
Thanks.
Bob
I ran across two guys on a trail whose ATV had a flat - they were packing it with dirt and sewing it with zipties. 8) I don't recommend that!
Well, if you're SERIOUS about it:
Tire Repair and Inflation Kit Deluxe (http://www.chaparral-racing.com/Chaparral/productr.asp?pf%5Fid=307%2D0617&gift=False&HSLB=False&mscssid=268F7067590F41DA88525FA95350949B)[/list:u]There are LOTS of other options, both more and less expensive.
I guess I oughta think about gearing up in this area.... :roll:
I carry a tire-plugger kit, along with a C02 inflator.
I don't carry anything if I'm close to home. If I carry my rain gear it's in a bag with a bottle of "Ride-On" and I have a tiny Bell air compressor. I got the compressor at Walmart for about $15. It's really small.
The Ride-On stuff works great. I picked up a screw in the rear tire at about 3,500 miles and ran it till it wore out which I think was over 8,000 miles.
I recently added "road side assistance" which includes up to a 15 mile tow for $8 a year additional. I'm with Progressive.
Now if I only had a cell phone.....
i've never carried a patch kit, but i usually have a small bicycle pump on me (i'm too cheap to pay $.25 to pump up my tires by 2 psi when needed.
in a pinch, the bicycle pump will work on a car tire. takes a long time, but since bicycle tires generally take more pressure than cars, it will work.
what's funny is one time i was sitting in a tier place getting a tire fixed and some girl was saying that she thought she could pump up her tire with a bicycle pump and the guy behind the counter was saying, "nope, that won't work."
it's not every day you find out you've been doing the impossible on a semi-regular basis.
cheers,
will
I've been carrying a car tire repair/inflator kit with the hose and enough pressure to semi-inflate the tire(the kind which costs 7 0r 8 bucks) and assumed it would get me to a repair place. P'raps not ?
tire plugs are handy and will work most the time on tubeless tires. CO2 is handy, cheap and works well in pinch. there is also an adapter that screws into the sparkplug hole of the cyl and you can use the engine as a compressor. like this one
http://www.parkeryamaha.com/browseproducts/Tire-Repair-Kit-Plug-Pump-Tubeless.html
Quote from: indestructiblemani've never carried a patch kit, but i usually have a small bicycle pump on me (i'm too cheap to pay $.25 to pump up my tires by 2 psi when needed.
How long does it take to add 2psi to a motorcycle tire? I know that with mountain bike tires, it can take quite a while to get a tire up to 50psi.
Quotesome girl was saying that she thought she could pump up her tire with a bicycle pump and the guy behind the counter was saying, "nope, that won't work."
He probably meant that it wouldn't work, in the same way that washing your windshield with a toothbrush wouldn't work: it would probably take so long that you'd give-up. I have to admit that I'd never considered inflating anything larger than a bicycle tire without at-least a foot-operated pump.
Quote from: Blueknyttire plugs are handy and will work most the time on tubeless tires. CO2 is handy, cheap and works well in pinch. there is also an adapter that screws into the sparkplug hole of the cyl and you can use the engine as a compressor. like this one
http://www.parkeryamaha.com/browseproducts/Tire-Repair-Kit-Plug-Pump-Tubeless.html
Sweet! Now I can fill my tires up with gas and air at the same time!! That is kinda cool though. Our motors will run on one cylinder.
Quote from: Rema1000
How long does it take to add 2psi to a motorcycle tire? I know that with mountain bike tires, it can take quite a while to get a tire up to 50psi.
about 15 strokes per psi i would guess. that's with a small hand pump. the whole thing's 9" long.
topping off my tires before a trip is a negligible amount of labor.
Quote from: Rema1000
He probably meant that it wouldn't work, in the same way that washing your windshield with a toothbrush wouldn't work: it would probably take so long that you'd give-up. I have to admit that I'd never considered inflating anything larger than a bicycle tire without at-least a foot-operated pump.
well, it'll take awhile, but i've done it. i used to have a slow leak on one of the tires of my vw. once or twice i let it go too far to drive on. for whatever reason, i decided that i'd rather take the time to pump it up by hand (i pumped it from 5 psi to about 20 psi, enough to get me a couple of blocks to the gas station) than change the wheel.
gets a bit tiring, but it works.
cheers,
will
Hey Kerry is that repair kit easy to use..??? I've been riding for a week with a nail in my tire (more like a phillips head wood screw) but no loss in pressure. I was gonna take it to a shop to plug it next saturday but am afraid of the expense...would rather do it myself ya know....ps how much have you guys paid to have a tire plugged..?? or does anyone pay..??
:dunno:
Quote from: juggernaughtHey Kerry is that repair kit easy to use..???
Sorry, I have no experience with fixing MC tire flats (or
having them fixed, either). I guess I've just been lucky?
That's why I said that I should be "gearing up in this area" - it'll probably be
my turn soon....
Let us know your results, whichever way you go.
you want to take that to a shop where they'll patch it from the inside. from what i've read, a plug is really a temporary measure.
cheers,
will
Napa has this stuff that is a can of compressed Co2 and thick goop that can hold most holes for about a hundred miles. When you spray it in their you must roll for a good 1000 feet at around 5 miles per hour, but it works well.
That and the can is the size of your average spray paint can.
Well, I thank all of you for your comments. I will try to figure out which product/products to use and come up with a kit.
Every time I ride out into the country I worry about the flat tire thing. Even though I have been driving automobiles for 30 years without a disabilitating flat, I can't shake the fear of a flat possibly occuring while on the motorcycle. Maybe because we don't normally carry a spare.
Thanks again.
Bob
I have never had tyre/tire trouble but if I normally carry one of those aerosol repair and inflate at-the-same-time gismos they are four or five pounds here, my insurance broker provides "free" roadside assistance/recovery including punctures etc, and the most useful tool I carry is a cellphone.
I was in one of the local dealerships recently, Dave Hammond Racing, and on the shelf was a U.S. made product, think it was called "Slime" or something charming, that you put in the tire from day one, and it seals any puncture from inside. I have seen some posts about it on this site. I was thinking of using it and would welcome any experiences.