Experience with flat tire in no signal zone.

Checkswrecks

Ungenear to broked stuff
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patrickg450 said:
Man, if I had to buy a new tires after every hole I put in it I'd never get more than a few thousand miles out of one..............and I'd be poor.
You're already poor - I know who you work for.
LOL
::003::

Seriously, my experience with plugs and sticky string is about like Erik's. I park in the city with my back tire to the curb and get flats at least once or twice a year. My biggest problem is with the little tube of rubber cement. Even protected in a container in my top box, the little tubes get damaged and the glue dries out.
 

EricV

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Checkswrecks said:
My biggest problem is with the little tube of rubber cement. Even protected in a container in my top box, the little tubes get damaged and the glue dries out.
And it's difficult to find those little tubes for sale! I don't want a big tube, so end up buying the $1.99 patch kit just to get a fresh tube of rubber cement sometimes. If I don't use them, they last about a year. Once opened, it's pretty much a certain loss by the time I need it again, so I replace it.
 

arjayes

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Checkswrecks said:
You're already poor - I know who you work for.
LOL
::003::

Seriously, my experience with plugs and sticky string is about like Erik's. I park in the city with my back tire to the curb and get flats at least once or twice a year. My biggest problem is with the little tube of rubber cement. Even protected in a container in my top box, the little tubes get damaged and the glue dries out.
I'm sure you're aware of these guys:

http://www.tirerepairkit.com/

No glue - big advantage. I have their kit but have never had to use it, so can't vouch. But all I've read has been good.
 

EricV

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arjayes said:
I'm sure you're aware of these guys:

http://www.tirerepairkit.com/

No glue - big advantage. I have their kit but have never had to use it, so can't vouch. But all I've read has been good.
That is just a quality sticky string repair kit. The rubber cement "glue" we speak of is not a requirement with sticky strings, but it acts as a lubricant to aid insertion of the strint/tool into the hole and helps seal imperfections if the hole is not perfectly clean/round, sometimes. ;) I have done many sticky string repairs w/o glue on 'clean' holes.

Next time you are ready for a tire change, break out your kit, make a puncture in your tire, (just drill a hole), and repair it with the kit, then re-inflate to see how you did. It's a lot better to become familiar with the process in your garage, rather than beside a busy highway, at night, in the rain, with an angled screw hole that requires additional reaming to clean.
 

patrickg450

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I bought the dyno kit, not happy with it. I could never get it to work, too small no leverage, hole was too big..............everything sucked about it to me. Well except for the size, it was small but even the plugs welded together and were not usable.

I ended up with a cheap bulky plug kit you can buy at ANY hardware or auto parts store. Takes up more room but works..........as for the glue/cement I have the same problem.
 

Velvet

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EricV said:
Next time you are ready for a tire change, break out your kit, make a puncture in your tire, (just drill a hole), and repair it with the kit, then re-inflate to see how you did. It's a lot better to become familiar with the process in your garage, rather than beside a busy highway, at night, in the rain, with an angled screw hole that requires additional reaming to clean.
After my day trip into Arizona tomorrow my KTM SMT will definitely need a rear tire and it will be a catalyst for experimentation as you described above. I'll have to buy one of those kits now. ::008::
 

arjayes

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EricV said:
Next time you are ready for a tire change, break out your kit, make a puncture in your tire, (just drill a hole), and repair it with the kit, then re-inflate to see how you did. It's a lot better to become familiar with the process in your garage, rather than beside a busy highway, at night, in the rain, with an angled screw hole that requires additional reaming to clean.
Good advice, Eric. I definitely plan to do that. Still have a few thousand miles left on the current rubber, with a set of Mitas E-07 Dakars ready in the garage. ::008::
 

deftoner

On a bad day just remember: 1st Down,all rest Up.
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Velvet said:
This may be a better and safer way though a bit slower. I carry one of these when I am out and about on a tubeless tire bike. A can of ether is cheaper though.

https://youtu.be/5JPwpC4_7uY
23 mins video lol. Seems to be slower. I will see the video. Thanks for the comment

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limey

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caillou said:
And if you are stuck in the middle of no-where with a flat that can't be repaired with a patch or a string, you can put a tube in your tire and go back home. I'm sure many will say that it is not recommended, or did not even think it was possible but many adventure bikes have flat fixed with a trip because that is the only way to finish the... well, the trip. BTDT.

Last year the wife and i got stranded up in Radisson Quebec for 6 days. It's about 1600 km north of Toronto and the only road to James Bay. On our way home I blew the side wall on a K60 200km from town with no cell service. The wife had to ride to the nearest Emergency phone and called CAA and we waited 3 hrs for the truck. No tire in town, I even road to the dump on the wife's bike to look for something used with no luck.so I ended up ordering from the nearest bike shop that was over 1000km away. This was a long weekend so the shop was closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Didn't get the tire till Thursday noon.


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deftoner

On a bad day just remember: 1st Down,all rest Up.
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lol, one with the size of all the tire. hahaha
 

bnschroder

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Last year the wife and i got stranded up in Radisson Quebec for 6 days. It's about 1600 km north of Toronto and the only road to James Bay. On our way home I blew the side wall on a K60 200km from town with no cell service. The wife had to ride to the nearest Emergency phone and called CAA and we waited 3 hrs for the truck. No tire in town, I even road to the dump on the wife's bike to look for something used with no luck.so I ended up ordering from the nearest bike shop that was over 1000km away. This was a long weekend so the shop was closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Didn't get the tire till Thursday noon.


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I have seen a video of someone repairing something like that with a needle and thread and a tube underneath. Certainly not permanent but got them out of a pickle.

About those easy-to-use mushroom plugs. I recall reading they can be permanent for Bias Ply, but Radials will basically sheer them apart. Anybody here who can support that theory because they used the stop'n'go long term on a bias style tire?
 

Tenman

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I had a skinny rusty nail in my rear k60. It was in at a slight angle dead center of my tire. Stop n go plug didn't work for me. So much for that. My autozone plug has been it for a year and notta drop of air has leaked out
 

tntmo

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Flat tire on the Dempster Highway (my buddy's bike, the Africa Twin).
No signal? Check!
Closest town? 60 miles back to Eagle Plains (very small town), 150 miles to Dawson City (just a small town).....no motorcycle shop in either town.
Extra tube? Nope! My buddy forgot to bring them!! I had a 19" tube in my stuff, never tried to stretch a smaller tube over a larger rim before but it worked.
How long did he ride it like that? 1000 miles!! The closest motorcycle shop was closed for two days, so he kept going until we got to one that was open.
Remember the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. If I didn't have that tube, it would have been a long ride out of there for me to try to find a tube while he would probably just set up a tent, relax and wait.

Having a tube along with me even though I had tubeless wheels was something that I learned a long time ago.

 

tntmo

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I just ordered some tubes and shorter tire irions (packable). Zip ties are next.
Carrying two tubes is fine but you really only need one. The 19" front tube can be stuffed into the rear tire if needed, on dirt bikes we only carry a front (21") tube that fits fine in the 18" rear tires. I guess I also learned that the smaller tube can be stretched out over a larger rim!

I've never had to use a tube on the Tenere, but you'll also need some way to remove the valve stem if you're in that situation. Sharp knife, side cutters? I didn't really think about it, but I guess it could be another issue if you have to use a tube.
 

deftoner

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I do all the service on my S10 with the tools that are in my bike. obviously when I need one tool I bought it exclusively to put in the bike. Since this happen to me, I carry this straps too:


I modified them so they have one strap only. I use them to secur bugs over the side cases too.

I always try to keep it at minimum but I same time I pack like I'm going to cross the desert :D
 
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