Well, I left the house today around 9 am for our Sunday morning Polar Bear ride. The day started out a bit chilly, but was getting sunny and warmer as it went on. The location was about 100 miles from home. I got about 5 miles from our stop when the bike started shuddering and shaking with a bit of wiggle in the rear. I pulled the group over and sure as ****, I had a flat tire. It had a screw stuck in it. Now normally this wouldn't be that big a deal, but I have spoked wheels with tubes. There wasn't gonna be any roadside miracles today. I pulled out my phone and called AAA. You need to have the RV Plus or their premium package to tow a bike. We also had the deal that will tow up to 100 miles included in out coverage. I waited about an hour for the guy to show up, watching over 100 bikes go by. When the tow guy shows up and he had a pickup truck with a hydraulic lift platform which loads the bike . Pretty slick setup. An hour and a half later I was limping back into my garage. I don't think you could have beat that service. Now to get a new tire and tube for next Sundays ride.,,,,

 

Is your tire that bad that you need new rubber ?

 

It might be able to go another 2-3k, but if I'm gonna go thru all the trouble of taking it off and apart now, I'll throw the tire on now and be done with it.,,,

 

One of the reasons I traded in my '14 Super Glide with spoke wheels and tubes, and got the Road Glide with cast wheels.

 

I'll be looking for cast wheels more sooner then later, after this rideruiner.,,,

 

Polar bear rode?. In November?. Little early yet ain't ya?

 

Glad to hear that it was no worse than what it was.

Sounds like it went fairly smooth compared to some luck that people have.

 

One of my moto-buddies was on her way to work via the interstate. About 10 miles from home the bike did the same thing your did, except at 65 mph most of the spokes on her rear rim broke and and flattened the tire. She limped off to the side of the road and waited for a friend with a trailer to pick her and the Electra-Glide up. She immediately traded for a bike with cast wheels.

Heed the warning all you folks riding on spoke rims.

 

I'm sorry the OP's ride was interrupted but it turned out just fine.

I have a 2012 Heritage and laced wheels. The difference is that my tires are tubeless. So, if the same thing happened to me, I'd get my tire repair kit and compressor from my saddlebag, fix the tire, inflate it and I'm on the road again.

The moral of the story is that not all laced wheels leave you stranded.

 

Spoked wheels are the least of my worries when I'm out riding. Seriously, if I added up all the 'poor me' stories on here about anything HD related then I should just give up riding all together.