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Mad Scientist Tire Academy

While we wait for the tire tool update I'll regale you with a suspenseful tire change related story.

Coming back from Lone Star today I rode directly into a pretty nice rain shower. As the sky before me was turning black I put on my rain gear and headed south toward the bright blue thinking I'd be out of it shortly. It kept piddling on me for a few miles, just enough to need to keep the face shield down to stop the sting. Coming into the Northrup Curve - you know, there by the railroad tracks - the front end washes out. For a moment I see myself low siding into a long skid through the railroad ballast along the side of the road. So following the adage "Ride it until the crash; you just might save it," I did all the wrong things, put a foot down, snapped the throttle shut, climbed up on the seat and instead turning a low side into a high side like should have happened, the bike straightened out.

As I rode along pondering if the problem was too much speed or wet roads or too much speed on wet roads I passed my turn. Making a slow U to go back I realize the bike is handling like it's in wet concrete. Yep, the problem was a flat front tire.

The other day I as bragging that in 40 years of riding I had never changed a roadside flat on my own bike. Intending to keep that record in tact I put in a CO2 cartridge and started nursing the bike the seven miles back to my house hoping I had a slow leak. In about ten minutes of slow gravel I realized that I wasn't going to make it so I pulled over. For another ten minutes I fiddled around with the jack stand (I had brought the wrong one) and tools, called my wife to put her on extraction notice, cursed my bad luck, looked for big rocks and wondered if the nearby farmer had a compressor. Finally I gave up and implemented the RollingJ jack stand maneuver. Yes, I laid the Bavarian Princess on her side. With the front wheel soon removed it took only another ten minutes using the methods outlined in this thread to install a new tube and be on my way.

So anyway the morals of the story are: Put on your rain gear before it rains. Sometimes heavy duty tubes can mask a flat. Never, ever brag that you've never had a flat. And lastly, two thirds of the time it take to fix a flat are spent wishing you didn't have a flat and looking for big rocks so just fix it.

Can you repeat tat SIR ?


korman_zps94c79e4a.jpg
 
Glad you got it done and missed most of the rain.:clap:
 
What was the reason for the flat? Remember the ride the other weekend your front was near flat and you had to air it up. Maybe a slow leak and then a pinch flat due to low air?

Only 7 miles from home? JMZ would've just rode a wheelie all the way.


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Hey that was a very good flat story indeed. For the moment I was satiated, inner zen & tranquility returned to my riding psych. But then I had to change a simple front pinch flat yesterday at hidden falls. Luckily I had help from my fellow riders this time around to assist me in the tussle, so we got the task done fairly quickly. But my thoughts were quickly redirected back to that slick looking portable tire lever gadget thingy. Still haven't tackled that bald 17" rear tire on my GS 650 cause I know how much of a fight it will be with my wimpy little tire irons. Hoping to hear a report soon that it works well and doesn't scratch up the rims...Thanks for the great story Meriden!
Note to self: BETTER GET A PORTABLE JACK MADE UP FOR YOUR BIKE SOON.
 
What was the reason for the flat? Remember the ride the other weekend your front was near flat and you had to air it up. Maybe a slow leak and then a pinch flat due to low air?

Only 7 miles from home? JMZ would've just rode a wheelie all the way.


Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

Not sure yet. There was nothing in the tire and the new tube is holding air. I had checked the pressure before I stared into Austin, but I was on Old 20 most of the way.

Hey that was a very good flat story indeed. For the moment I was satiated, inner zen & tranquility returned to my riding psych. But then I had to change a simple front pinch flat yesterday at hidden falls. Luckily I had help from my fellow riders this time around to assist me in the tussle, so we got the task done fairly quickly. But my thoughts were quickly redirected back to that slick looking portable tire lever gadget thingy. Still haven't tackled that bald 17" rear tire on my GS 650 cause I know how much of a fight it will be with my wimpy little tire irons. Hoping to hear a report soon that it works well and doesn't scratch up the rims...Thanks for the great story Meriden!
Note to self: BETTER GET A PORTABLE JACK MADE UP FOR YOUR BIKE SOON.

Hey Donny, Let's get together sometime this week and change that tire out. I'll bring home my large irons, but we'll use them only as a last resort.
 
How about Wednesday night under the trees? :trust:
 
Well, It's another gully washer in Spring Branch right now...
 
Thanks for the offer to help Meriden. :rider: Man I'm glad I've been in The hill country all weekend. Sounds like Houston is in the perma- swamp mode. We rode on dusty trails at Hidden Falls on Fri, Sat, & Sunday. I am in San Antonio thru tomorrow, but hope to be back in for our Wed night gathering. I will plan to bring the GS if it looks like nice tire working weather. Hope it starts, I don't think I have even ridden it since the winter.
 
When I attended the Academy a while back, Tricepilot showed me how to perform a roadside repair of a tubed tire (including how to patch). After that was completed he asked if I knew how to repair a tubeless tire. The answer was that I had a the repair kit, but had never used it...nor read the directions. In other words, the answer was "NO".

He left me alone for a moment and returned with a tire, promptly drilled a hole in it and lead me through the process of repairing (in this case plugging) the hole with my repair kit. Well, today I was given the opportunity to put that training to good use. I picked up a nail while riding 306 just north of Canyon Lake. I could feel the bike was handling a bit different, so I pulled into the parking lot of a Dollar General. The rear tire was flat. Thanks to the Mad Scientist Tire Academy there was no need to call someone else to help me. I had all the tools, repair kits, and training I needed...I was back on the road within minutes. Thanks Tricepilot!!

20140721_tireRepair_.jpg
 
Knowledge is power and self-reliance. Now if we could get liberals to understand the simple concept ...
 
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HE IS PREPARED AND CARRIES EVERYTHING
NEEDED FOR A FAST TUBE CHANGE


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That's Meriden on day one of the ET750.

I had two flats on my journey. I rode the last one the last 10 miles to the trailer.
 
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Thanks for everyone's help on that change. I know I was a bit cranky, but I was a little perturbed that I didn't find the flat while y'all were repairing the oil leak. I shouldn't have put that patched tube back in in the first place. Anyway time for new tires... and tubes... and a few other spares...
 
Thanks for everyone's help on that change. I know I was a bit cranky, but I was a little perturbed that I didn't find the flat while y'all were repairing the oil leak...

what? nobody had a Snickers bar for you? haha


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I remember seeing that done some time ago but have never tried it. Maybe next tire.
 
A tire changing video with some slightly different and effective techniques

https://youtu.be/cjt0k1ptBoc

Great video. I've been using that trick for the valve stem after fixing a flat, but its hard to explain to someone else. Now as long as you have the tire off the rim completely, its easier to pull the tube out a bit and mount the valve stem, before remounting the first bead.
 
Scrambler first described that method to me. I'll give it a try next time around.

After watching the video I think I'm going to start "rotating" tubes. I keep a spare front and rear, but in the past I've purchased new tubes to go with new tires. From now on the spares go into the new tires and the new tubes become the spares.
 
i just got finished dismounting a tire so I can have the rim re-spoked. Off the bike, tire off the rim washed the rim and threw it in the truck in 20 minutes. Using the both beads to the outside and yank the rim out technique. That's the way I have been dis-mounting tube and tubeless for years.

I reuse tubes till the valves stems fail or the holes too big to be patched. Some have 3 or 4 patches. And yes, you can patch a tube with slime in it. just hold it up while you rough it up, I use sandpaper, then rinse it with gasoline before smearing on the glue. As long as you hold it up, the slime stays in the tube and doesn't cause a problem.
 
i just got finished dismounting a tire so I can have the rim re-spoked. Off the bike, tire off the rim washed the rim and threw it in the truck in 20 minutes. Using the both beads to the outside and yank the rim out technique. That's the way I have been dis-mounting tube and tubeless for years.

I reuse tubes till the valves stems fail or the holes too big to be patched. Some have 3 or 4 patches. And yes, you can patch a tube with slime in it. just hold it up while you rough it up, I use sandpaper, then rinse it with gasoline before smearing on the glue. As long as you hold it up, the slime stays in the tube and doesn't cause a problem.

+1 on both bead method
although it didn't work on my Vstrom tubeless tire change. Tire profile is too low and not enough depth for rim to drop into to allow top to pull away from tire at top. Have you done this on your DL1000?

+1 on reusing tubes
although I seldom patch (haven't needed to). Factory original tube on the Husky got reused for 6 rear tire changes but then gave out on Hwy 290 doing 75mph so I've scaled back a tad.

I run HD tubes with Ride-On sealant/balancer but carry the thinnest most compact spare available. Using a take off tube and carrying it as a spare is too bulky.

_
 
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