Weekend tire saga
Thread Starter
|
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,183
Likes: 4
From: Fennario
Weekend tire saga
Went for a nice little 600-miler this weekend with some friends.
On Saturday evening at the hotel one of the guys noticed he had a flat front tire. Aired it up and it was flat again a short time later.
Visual inspection didn't reveal anything stuck in the tire, or any evidence that that had happened. This is a tubed tire, spoke rims.
He called Road America in the morning to discover that the dealer he would get towed to was 100 miles in the opposite direction of the day's travel. And, no telling if their service department would be open on a Sunday.
The tow company arrived when they said they would, with a Haulmark trailer. It was a grandfather and his grandson, both Harley riders. Loaded up and hit the road.
Got to the dealership and they did have one tech working. He got it all squared away promptly and were were soon rollin' down the road.
The problem? A new tire had been installed about 7k miles ago, at a different dealer. They had replaced the tube strip, but didn't align it properly, so it had folded over in several spots. As if that wasn't bad enough, a washer was left loose inside the tire. The washer had finally worn through the tube, causing the leak.
He took the old tube (with visible indentation and hole where the washer sat) and strip to take back to the dealer that did the work.
Turned into a nice 800-miler (for me, anyway).
On Saturday evening at the hotel one of the guys noticed he had a flat front tire. Aired it up and it was flat again a short time later.
Visual inspection didn't reveal anything stuck in the tire, or any evidence that that had happened. This is a tubed tire, spoke rims.
He called Road America in the morning to discover that the dealer he would get towed to was 100 miles in the opposite direction of the day's travel. And, no telling if their service department would be open on a Sunday.
The tow company arrived when they said they would, with a Haulmark trailer. It was a grandfather and his grandson, both Harley riders. Loaded up and hit the road.
Got to the dealership and they did have one tech working. He got it all squared away promptly and were were soon rollin' down the road.
The problem? A new tire had been installed about 7k miles ago, at a different dealer. They had replaced the tube strip, but didn't align it properly, so it had folded over in several spots. As if that wasn't bad enough, a washer was left loose inside the tire. The washer had finally worn through the tube, causing the leak.
He took the old tube (with visible indentation and hole where the washer sat) and strip to take back to the dealer that did the work.
Turned into a nice 800-miler (for me, anyway).
Last edited by pargenz; May 23, 2011 at 01:46 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 505
Likes: 2
Still at least nobody got hurt so it's sort of good news 'cos if that front had gone down quickly, which tubes often do, and at speed you might have a whole different story to tell.
Last year I picked up a nail in the rear of my RKC and it went down slowly (30 mins) so had it picked up and taken to a famous, nearby UK Harley main dealer for a new tube and tyre. They fitted the tube with a fold in it and it blew on me 2 up and at speed 150 miles later. That reminded me why I stopped using main dealers about 7 years ago - I wasn't a person to them just a wallet and they'd lost sight of the fact that they are responsible for peoples safety when they did that work. Hate to think what would have happened if it had been the front.
Last year I picked up a nail in the rear of my RKC and it went down slowly (30 mins) so had it picked up and taken to a famous, nearby UK Harley main dealer for a new tube and tyre. They fitted the tube with a fold in it and it blew on me 2 up and at speed 150 miles later. That reminded me why I stopped using main dealers about 7 years ago - I wasn't a person to them just a wallet and they'd lost sight of the fact that they are responsible for peoples safety when they did that work. Hate to think what would have happened if it had been the front.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,396
Likes: 146
From:
When I ride on a trip with spoked wheels I always carry a tube. I woke up in a tent with a hangover and the sun beating on that tent back in '83. Crawled out of the tent to find my rear tire had a 1/4" diameter spike in it and flat as a pancake. I pulled the wheel and replace the tube. A bud had a bicycle pump. Front wheels are easy, carry a tube. My bagger has cast wheels for this very reason. Now I carry a plug kit and a compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter.
I've been riding a long time. In the old days we always changed our own tires. I always had tire spoons in my tool kit when traveling. Now guys call AAA.
I've been riding a long time. In the old days we always changed our own tires. I always had tire spoons in my tool kit when traveling. Now guys call AAA.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
