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Message started by rijopiatt on 02/05/14 at 19:42:45

Title: tire concern on a long trip
Post by rijopiatt on 02/05/14 at 19:42:45

I'd like to take a long trip this summer from Indiana to maybe Colorado or South Dakota on my 2012 S40. Seems that the most probable problem I might experience is a flat tire?

Do I buy specialty tools and something to jack-up the bike and:

1) Carry a repair kit, and attempt to patch either tire myself.
2) Carry two spare tubes and attempt to replace the tube in either tire myself
3) Use a Fix-a-Flat type product on the road and attempt to get to a mc shop and have them repair or replace the tubes I supply them.
4) Just call a towing service, if available for transport to a shop, or accept a local offer to haul the bike in a pick-up or be towed with a strap and chance damage to the bike.

All suggestions based on your experiences wil be appreciated.

Rick in Indiana

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by pgambr on 02/05/14 at 20:02:10

You can a road side insurance added to your policy for 50-75 bucks a year depending on coverage. It would be worth looking into for a trip like that. They can even include a nights stay at a hotel while it's getting fixed.

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by Cloudy on 02/05/14 at 20:54:57

I've been riding for 34 years and in all that time have had one flat tire. I just don't worry about it. if going on an extended trip I make sure the tires have plenty of tread left and check the pressure's.
Would worry about what to do if/when it happens.

Of course I have now jinxed myself, am heading away tomorrow to a rally and doing several thousand k's, so fingers crossed. :P

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by verslagen1 on 02/05/14 at 21:00:12

If you've never fixed a flat, don't plan on doing it on the road... Front tire maybe, rear tire never.

Having stuff is much better than not. I've gone into a couple of shops and whoops, no tubes.

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by thumperclone on 02/05/14 at 22:50:51

map shops along your route
how far into Colorado are you planning to venture? I am on the west slope pm me if you'll be in the neighborhood

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/05/14 at 23:36:06

Ive tried putting a rear tire on, in the shop. Youre NOT gonna handle that on the side of the road, YOu mite be able to break one down enough to get a tube out & swapped or patched, but, Im doubtin it,,A fresh rear tire will do highway speeds at almost zero pressure. They get squirelly down around 40 or so,Just hafta get help.. You can TRY Fix-A-Flat, but, it just doesnt work on tubes often, I used3 or4 cans getting home from Tyler to Longview, Id stop & fill up when I got into places I had to go slow enough it was handling badly,, I got home, stopped & the thing just barfed green slime & fix-a-flat out & the tire sagged down,,

Now,, heres what I did on a cheapo tube.. The tires on the generator take a $7.00 tube, & they dont last,I got a little unhappy that it let go right where the brass valve stem joins the rubber tube. I put Green Slime in, it just puked it out,, & Im really tired of buying those crappy tubes, so, I took a can of expanding foam, construction stuff, crack filler, tapered the tube to fit, threaded it in where the valve core goes & Pumped it UP.,.I jammed the valve core in & aired it u[ the rest of the way,, OHH,, Its still up,.,.Would I do that in a roadside event? Depends,, depends on how far it is to someone who can help,

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by DavidOfMA on 02/06/14 at 07:31:43

You might want, at least, to add some Ride-On to both tires. It has a better reputation than Slime and although I haven't had a flat to test it on is supposed to handle up to a 1/8" hole in a tube. I can personally attest to its ability to permanently stop a slow leak, which in itself was worth the price of admission.

http://www.ride-on.com/

I wouldn't count on it -- I also carry a can of fix-a-flat and have tow insurance, and having a spare tube seems like a really good plan -- but I think it adds another layer of safety, and it also seems to slightly smooth out the ride.

The most probable problem you will experience is actually running low on oil, as I found out on a long trip where I was above 70mph most of the time. Carry an extra quart, as oil suitable for our bikes is not going to be available at every gas station.

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by verslagen1 on 02/06/14 at 08:35:29

The ride-on would be good insurance.

What tires do you have... or will have?

How many miles on them?

If I get a flat, it's either the 1st couple of months, or the last couple of months of tire life. And usually a nail in the rear.

If you hear a tick tick tick that corresponds to tire rotation, pull over quick you gotta nail. By the time the tire went flat at 70 that I noticed and I pulled into a gas station, the tire was toast. Dunlap D401's heavy sidewall Harley tire.

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by Blinky-FSO on 02/06/14 at 10:48:53

6E7576736C757D68681C0 wrote:

I'd like to take a long trip this summer from Indiana to maybe Colorado or South Dakota on my 2012 S40. Seems that the most probable problem I might experience is a flat tire?

The most probable problems you will have is running out of gas and neglecting to check and top off the oil at each fuel stop. A lot of these bikes use a fair amount of oil at highway speeds. Just the nature of the beast. Add roadside insurance to take care of flats and any issue that may leave you stranded, carry some extra gas and an extra quart of oil and funnel........and enjoy the trip!

Good hunting

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/06/14 at 11:49:51

I was never able to unscrew the oil fill w/o a tool. Pliers scratched it up, so I took a piece of wood ( 3/4 wide, 1/2" thick, about 3" long) & cut a groove in it that would slip down on top of the fill plug. I didnt just cut it straight across,, look at how the top of the plug is & decide where the slot needs to be. That took up less room than pliers, didnt scratch up paint. A tip off of a 90 wt. oil jug threads onto oil bottles. YOu dont need a funnel that way, just point & squeeze. Keep it in a baggie, no dirt. Thats how I top off the power steering on the back hoe,., For short trips, I used a 2stroke bottle, you know, the little dudes, like 3 oz's or so, That was enough to top it off if I rose hard 50 miles or so,.

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by verslagen1 on 02/06/14 at 13:12:20

47585E5944437242724A58541F2D0 wrote:

I was never able to unscrew the oil fill w/o a tool.

This is caused by over compressing the o-ring and bottoming out the cap on the case.

Replace the o-ring and you don't need a tool.

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip (thanks for the in
Post by rijopiatt on 02/06/14 at 13:41:08

Thanks to all of you for your input! The following are the answers to your questions, my ideas based on the input and a few questions:

1) My insurance covers towing, but I was not aware it will reimburse me for lodging ($100/day) and meals ($50/day) up to a max. of $500 while the repair is being done! $12 for 6mo. at Progressive.

2) I have stock tires with 1600 miles. I'm good there, but I'm going to get the spare tubes(for a mc shop to install, not me). Should I buy stock or ....?

3) I already planned to carry spare oil. Twisted Throttle sells several styles of brackets/storage tubes for MRS fuel bottles, which I already own.

4) I'll pass on the Fix-a-Flat, but I'm going to check out the Run-on as there's a dealer listed about 20 miles from me.

5) I've no set route/agenda or destination at this time, so Thumperclone and others, I'll post when I've fine-tuned. It would be nice to connect with some of the people from the forum. Oh, btw- I'm camping-I've done so for years (non-mc) and have traveled in many areas of the western U.S. I mentioned S.D. as imho it is the closest area to Indiana that has the feel of the west and much to see in a very concentrated area. I've been to Colo. many times and it is a serious contender.

Rick in Indiana

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/08/14 at 10:52:50

Have fun, take pics..&, IMO, odds of a flat are low anyway. Never bad to have a plan,, low odds or not,,I would definitely use expanding foam to get me to a shop or home, but I doubt it would even go in unless the tube had a 90* inlet,.The rear hub is fat & the spokes are short. Heck, just checking & adding air is a task with the stock tube/

Title: Re: tire concern on a long trip
Post by Dave on 02/10/14 at 09:23:21

In order to avoid flats.....keep your tires in the driving lanes as much as possible and hopefully the tires of other vehicles have cleaned out the debris. Avoid driving in the middle of the lane or on the berms where the debris gets thrown. Just about every flat causing bit of crap I have picked up in my car was when I got off the beaten path. On the Dragon trip last year I picked up some broken glass when we pulled under an abandoned store porch to get out of the rain.