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Photo by George Guille, It's going to be a long 300km... Bolivian Amazon

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by George Guille
It's going to be a long 300km...
Bolivian Amazon



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  • 1 Post By Chris Scott
  • 2 Post By shu...
  • 4 Post By *Touring Ted*
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  • 2 Post By Threewheelbonnie
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  #1  
Old 21 Feb 2019
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Punctures
Hi everyone, I had a puncture on the back of my F650gs ( isn't it always on the back) the first in 20 years so maybe I shouldn't moan. Luckily a fellow biker had a 12v pump so I was able to ride home. (just about). I used to carry a spare tube and tyre leavers on a trip across Europe to Greece, but luckily never needed them. And besides, not the sort of job to do on the roadside in the dark or in the rain. As these are tubed tyres, I was told that the sprays wouldn't work, so considering using Slime or Goop as a preventetive measure. Anyone have any experience with this stuff? Or is there any other method? As for 12v pumps I looked at the Airman Tour as it looks fairly compact. Or maybe Co2 inflators and cartridges ?Any ideas welcome.
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  #2  
Old 22 Feb 2019
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Twenty years without a flat is good going.
Fyi the reason the back usually gets punctured is that the rolling front wheel flicks up a nail or whatever, which strikes the rear at just the right angle to poke through.

By sprays I take it you mean the aerosol foam – they should work but I can't recall it ever doing so for me, especially on a tube as opposed to TL.

Aerosols after used after you get a flat and may have possible crashed.
Good thing with Slime and the like is they're supposed to work the moment the tube is punctured and may seal a puncture (complete with nail) before you even know you have one (though I'd be more confident of Slime working with tubeless tyres than inner tubes).

For the tenner it will cost you I would not hesitate to Slime your tyres.
Tubed or tubeless, I do it to all my bikes before a trip.
Because it can work unseen, it's worth checking your tyres once in a while to look for embedded nails.

A pump running off your battery is much better than CO2.
Airman Tour looks OK. You can probably strip off the casing to make it even smaller.
Underneath they're all the same.
I've used Cycle Pump for years.

Another suggestion is convert your (spoked?) wheels to run tubeless tyres – much safer all round.

I just did this to my Himalayan (+ added Slime).
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  #3  
Old 23 Feb 2019
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If you can't fix a flat you can easily ruin a big part of your day getting back on the road- even if you're only 10 miles from home.

Under the worst of conditions, if I have my tools and tubes, I can "rescue" myself in an hour or so. I always carry the tools that make it as easy and quick as possible to fix them:



3 tire irons, including these 2 which slotted together make a very good bead breaker:



bead buddy:




Tire valve stem fishing tool:




small bottle of tire lube.
spare front tube
spare rear tube
12 volt pump. CO2 cartridges give you one shot at success. I want to be able to deflate and pump up again if the tire won't seat, or something else happens.

I don't know much about slime and goop, but I've had flats where they wouldn't have helped in the slightest. Neither would patches.



................shu
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Old 23 Feb 2019
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Sealants will only work on the tiniest of holes in tubes.

They also make the tube impossible to patch. It gets everywhere and it impossible to clean out. And no patch will stick to it. It leaves a greasy film.

If it doesn't work, you're likely going to have to bin the tube.

If you have tubes, you need to know how to fix/change a flat or have breakdown cover. That's the only answer.

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  #5  
Old 23 Feb 2019
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What Ted said ^^^

You can also get pinch punctures in tubes that are too large for patching and which slime won't touch, plus of course with low pressure running you can rip the valve out of the tube (as I did in Kazakhstan).

Tubeless tyres you may be able to plug with a roadside kit, though this should really only be regarded as a get-you-home repair until it can be done permanently with a mushroom plug from inside.

For tube repairs I carry a set of lightweight alloy tyre levers from eastbound.org and the lightest 12v pump on the market from motopumps.com

The aim is to replace the punctured tube with a brand new one then repair the old item as an emergency spare until I can source another new tube.
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  #6  
Old 23 Feb 2019
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The F650 usually has TL marked tyres on a rim with a very tight safety bead, yet has tubes. You will struggle to do anything at the roadside. Can't plug them, can't carry the kit to get the tube out. You need a support van with a press!

Slime etc. put in before the puncture hides the failure until it's beyond the ability of the stuff to seal it. In my case the nail made little holes which sealed but then joined to make a flap which didn't. Try it after the nail makes one hole and you have a chance.

If you can't run to a tubeless conversion at least get TT tyres on and lubed and try the levers at home.

Andy
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  #7  
Old 18 Mar 2019
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Thanks everyone, I now have the pump and tried it, remarkably effective. With slime (or Linseal OKO) this might provide a temporary fix. The leavers and tubes are next on the shopping list and since my Tourances are soon due for replacement (possibly with Avon Trailriders) I will pay attention to the TT mark. Strangely, my local mechanic also said I wouldnt stand a chance without a press! But worth a try.
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  #8  
Old 18 Mar 2019
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Getting a car to slowly drive over the edge of the tyre to break it works well.
Done that at home and on the road.
But even with a lot of lube you may need more pressure than a mini pump can give to remount a tyre properly over the safety lips and on to the bead. At least with a tube you can ride unseated to a more powerful garage pump.
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