.....GF found the smallest nail possible, and it had to be the rear tire, stuck in the center of VT on Sunday, without a dealer or an Indy open til Tuesday. On a good note, if possible, there's a bike shop next door that has offered to take a look. Even tho it's a tube, we attempted to plug it, but for reasons unbeknownst to me, the valve stem is leaking. Oddly enough the tire does not go entirely flat, If he can get it hold air, we'll ride to the closest HD dealer and have it done right.

 

AFAIK you can`t plug a tube
Must be removed and patched

 

FWIW ... There are several sealants that claim they will seal a tube ... Never tried myself ... Might do in a pinch

 

Not sure how you can plug a hole in a tire tube from the outside.....

If you just plugged the tire, the hole in the tire tube is still leaking inside the tire... you may be hearing the air escaping by the tire valve stem, instead of the valve stem leaking...

Two things to consider:

A small puncture to the tire tube, in the center, may be able to temporarily be stopped with a can of Slime. But I wouldn't want to ride too far, too fast on that temp repair.

If you plan to take it to an HD dealer for proper repair, call them and see if they will come pick it up. Many offer that service.

Case in point:
I was with a group of friends on a multi-day ride. I picked up a nail in a tubed tire, about 5 miles from an HD dealer. We called them and they said to bring it in, they'll put us at the head of the service line. I used several cans of a fix a flat variant to get the bike rolling. It was slowly losing air. I got about a mile from the dealer. The tire went flat, and the tire bead broke. I almost had a wreck (many bad decisions in this story). We called the dealer again, and they said, "No problem. We can come pick you up with our trailer. We thought you just had a nail in a tubeless tire. We didn't realize it was losing air or we would have come and picked you up when you first called"...

 

Valve stem cores in tubes are not of the best quality. Replace them even on a new one. Little trick I do is dab a little Vaseline on them to keep them from dry rot and provide waterproofing. I do this to all my vehicles and trailers. It sucks that your stuck, but enjoy the sites and make the best of your time. I’m sure you and the “Girlfriend” can “find something” to do….. 😂

on a Sincere note Best of luck!

 

@eighteight I know, it was a long shot, I wasn't sure if if it was tubeless or not, so we tried it. The tires are practically brand-new installed by the PO, but I know most spokes have tubes. But I also know my DNA Fat Spokes were tubeless. That's why we tried it.

Thanks @hattitude I thought about the fix-a-flat but wasn't sure about the safety aspects of being the rear tire, the front I think I would go for it. Plus, there's a hardware store across the street.

 

For consideration:
First: what is the tire pressure on tire?
Looking like it is holding air means nothing with thick sidewall tires.
If tire gauge is showing that it can hold some air like 20+ pounds then move forward if you have nothing to do or if bike is in an awkward situation..
Get a 12 volt tire inflator.
Inflate tire.
Can you hear the air loss?
What does the gauge show as air loss?
You can break electrical plug tip of 12 volt inflator and grab positive from starter lug/post and negative from muffler clamp.
Do not use battery tender connector because it will blow fuse.
If you do not have a 12 volt inflator then even a cheap inflator from a pharmacy, hardware, auto part will work.
While you are addressing this situation consider having GF research independent motorcycle shops.
Reason: Some Harley dealers do not fix punctures and will only mount a new tire and that tire looks nice...but an indy will remove tire and insert a new tube while a dealer may not.
That is a difference of maybe of $100-$150 for a new tube vs $400+++ for a new tire and tube + the 10% rag fee + disposal fee stuff .
What is leaking at valve stem? From exact center (like a loose core that needs tighten) or is it the air from the tube puncture leaking into tire and releasing around outside of stem at rim hole?
If it is from outside of stem then the slime can only help you a little bit.
If you can find an independent motorcycle shop then perhaps some tire sealant and air will get you a few miles to the shop tomorrow.
The reality is that a tubed tire with a flat is really hard to address from the outside and the slime stuff just buys you a couple of miles with repeated inflation.
Basically a pull-over every 1/2-1 mile to get air into tire.
I wrote up a while back about my experience with a flat on a tubed tire and the green liquid slime stuff.
The pour-in slime stuff that requires core removal from stem to squeeze into tire and my little 12 volt pump got me back to the edge of city with multiple air ups.
The slime stuff is just to get you into an area of safety..just a handful of miles.
As someone who has experienced a rear flat and front flat...both suck...A rapid deflation at speed of a front tire will get you religious really fast.

 

Sux that you had this happen. Just had my own similar moment a few days ago.
I was riding my Heritage (spokes & tubes) when I felt a weird "thunk" - almost like a stone hitting the underside of the bike. Felt it more than I heard it. I went about a mile or so and things didn't feel right. I stopped, and when I put my feet down, I didn't have to stretch as far to reach the ground. LoL... I kinda knew what that meant.

I got looking at the tire, and it hadn't collapsed completely. It looked low, but not flat, but this is a tubed tire. I limped it to an air station nearby and tried putting air in it. Like you, air hissed around the stem and the stem was loose. I figured the tube popped when the screw pushed through it and I think when we pull the tire, there'll be a big, gaping hole in the tube.



But as I said, it didn't collapse completely. I hit the four-ways and slowly crept through town to my BIL's house, where we pulled both wheels in preparation for the new whitewalls I ordered. I figured if the bead didn't pop off the rim, the sidewall was stiff enough to keep me rolling. Made it fine, but didn't go over 20 mph. There was no WAY I was going to try risking the extra miles home at anything near highway speed!

Hope you get yours fixed quickly. Maybe you can get by with just a new tube? Both of my tires take the same-sized tube, so I bought an extra one the last go-around just in case. Better than having to order one and wait, so long as your tire is still in good shape. My tires were getting down there in wear, and they were blackwalls, so that was two strikes against them. I was going to replace them with wide whites when it was time. The screw in the rear tire just forced my hand a little sooner.

 

Where in VT were you? I live in central VT. Only one dealer in the whole state (also in central VT). Gilles in East Montpelier is open Mondays and does MC tires.

 

We're about 30 minutes south of Wilkins in Barre.