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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Rear Tire Flat
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Message started by northshore_paul on 05/19/08 at 12:19:50

Title: Rear Tire Flat
Post by northshore_paul on 05/19/08 at 12:19:50

Well about 5:30 PM yesterday at the end of a beautiful day I thought to myself it was too nice not to go for a ride. As I was making my last turn to head back in the direction of the homestead I felt the bike swaying in the rear. I promptly moved to the side of the road, the side of the roadway because there was no shoulder, and looking to the rear wheel it was flat as a pancake with a large two headed nail protruding from the center of the tire.
This was the first time I have been disabled on the side of the road in over 20 years. All the other bikes I have had during that time have had cast wheels, they would lose air with a nail but never go completely flat. I have had this bike only about 6 weeks and this happens! Well after couple of hours, several phone calls and the help of a resident about a mile up the road, I finally made it home.
Now what do I do to prevent this in the future?? Everytime I now go out on this bike I will have this nagging fear of having another flat at an inopportune time, inappropriate location or worse yet while driving 70mph. Are cast wheels available for this bike?? I was planning a long trip to Florida and now I am having second thoughts. I know you can get roadside assistance that will take you to a dealer but if it is late Saturday afternoon you might be stuck until Tuesday morning. Other than carrying an extra tube, tools, and portable air compressor what other choice do we have if you want to tour?? A tubeless cast wheel would be the answer but is it available? Has anyone heard of anyone going tubeless on our thumpers? Thanks for reading all this!!! :(

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by YonuhAdisi on 05/19/08 at 12:23:11

I do believe there is someone here that is in the process of doing that very thing. Putting tubeless wheels on his Savage. I just can't remember who it is that is doing it.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by verslagen1 on 05/19/08 at 13:29:37

Tubeless? did I hear someone say tubeless?

I'm working on changing over to mags... search for 'whale' for the other that did that. Got the front done. Working on rear. Not in hurry for it though, just put on a new rear, and I going to put some miles on it.

Other option, use ride-on tire sealant. You can search for that too.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by northshore_paul on 05/19/08 at 13:35:19

I have researched Ride-On and according to their specs it would not have helped last night. On a tube type tire it will seal up to a 1/8" puncture and mine was from a nail that must have been at least 3/16". As a last resort I may use it anyway.

You say you switched to cast in front (never had a flat in the front always the rear), how did you find a wheel to fit?

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by verslagen1 on 05/19/08 at 13:54:38

A GS450 has the same drive configuration as our savage. Check the whale (whael?) post. My conversion in the rear is going to take longer not only because of the new tire, but because I want a rear disk brake. For that I went with a GS650GL which is shaft drive. But the 450 is drum so it can be a quick change over (which I might resort too)

Also, the rear is a 16" rim and have to go with a 130/90-16 tire. Just slightly bigger than the 140/90-15.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by verslagen1 on 05/19/08 at 13:58:20

6273677E120 wrote:

until you pull the nail out, it will seal. pull it out slowly, maintaining some air pressure, it might seal. At least you won't be doing 70 when it goes flat.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by northshore_paul on 05/19/08 at 14:19:53

Thanks for the feed back, now I will search for some wheels. Paul

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by Paladin. on 05/19/08 at 20:56:34

54455148240 wrote:

....what other choice do we have if you want to tour?? A tubeless cast wheel would be the answer but is it available? Has anyone heard of anyone going tubeless on our thumpers?

I have a set of wheels in the garage awaiting the cash for a trip to WheelWorks in Garden Grove CA. They seal the spoke holes so you can run Tubeless. Present rear tire is only good to maybe the end of Summer. Thinking about Metzelers.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by northshore_paul on 05/19/08 at 21:31:45

Thanks, I will be calling them for a quote.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 05/19/08 at 23:02:08

I posted a "How To" from another site a long time ago. Not sure I remember How To, but I remember some of it. Clean the wheel up inside & lay down some good RTV, let it set up, do it again, repeat till you have a good layer over the nipples. ( remember to Work it in, around everything down in the "well" where the spoke nipples are), then tape over it all very carefully. Thats about it.. I saw a guy use some tape, instead of a rubber liner, for the tube to spoke nipple junction. It wasnt duct tape, it was as wide, but didnt have the grainy look, it was slick, like electrical tape, only it wasnt black. I would rather use that stuff than duct tape.Havent seen any for sale, tho.

If I was gonna do this, I would like to rig a vacuum to the rim, sealing off the entire inner part, spokes & all, to pull the sealer into the spoke nipples as much as possible.It sounds good, but the technical issues would be a nightmare.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by northshore_paul on 05/20/08 at 08:47:11

Regarding the silicon method, what would happen if you had to tighten a spoke, would it twist the silicon and break the seal inside the rim? In place of a vacuum it may be easier to substitute air pressure from the inside to blow the silicon in, just a thought.

Title: Re: Rear Tire Flat
Post by verslagen1 on 05/20/08 at 09:24:06

RTV is fairly soft. If you have to adjust a spoke, it will just tear through it. But in reallity, the RTV is just a filler for the tape. That where the real work is done.

If I were to do it, I'd use the heavy pvc tape they use for wrapping pipe with over the RTV. Available at any hardware store. A couple layers of that and you'll have a good seal.