Flat Tire on a Tiger?

[daddystarr]

OK, just bought an '01 and coming from tubeless bikes, this is my number one concern. I have never dealt with a flat on a tubed rim.



OK, so bring on the advice. What kind of gear do you carry to deal with this? Just an AMA book? There must be a better answer than that.



Thanks.

[BP_LONDON]

When I get my Tiger in August I'll get it treated with Ultraseal. Apparently it works wonders.

[NortonCharlie]

When traveling, I carry tire irons, tubes and a couple wrenches so I can get the wheels off.  I really need to find a tube patch kit to carry along.  That way I could probably pop off one side of the tire slip the tube out and patch it without removing the wheel.  That is assuming you can pull whatever made the pucture out of the tire.  I havn't needed to use them while out on the road, but I used them to change my 1st tires.  I just needed to prove to myself I could do it.



I use the tire irons to break the bead while the wheel is still mounted on the bike.  It is time comsuming and it helps to have soapy water.

[Guest]

I use the tire irons to break the bead while the wheel is still mounted on the bike.  .

Have you actually done this?

I ask because the rim is a "Tuibeless" shape and therefore the tyre(tire) is very tight on the rim. When I changed my own at home I had to use a bead breaker.

I just carry enough extra tools to get the wheel out of the bike then I would hope to get a lift (ride) to the nearest shop for fixing.

[NortonCharlie]

Blacktiger,  Yep I have actually done it. Twice actually.  It crtainly isn't the easy way.  It takes me about 1/4 hour per bead.  That is 1/2 hour per tire.  I take my wheel into the shop and it takes about 10 seconds to pop all the beads.



I changed my 1st tire myself so I would know if it would do any good to carry irons and tubes.  I did it the other tire to see if it was a fluke and to demonstrate to my doubting Harley riding friend.



The trick is to use the flat end of the iron to pry the bead away from the sides of the rims.  The 1st time around and it doesn't even look like it moved, but it is easier to get the iron in (also lets the soapy water get in).  Work it around 4 or 5 times and you'll have the bead off.  I found instructions buried somewhere on the Michelin websight.

[RedMenace]

I have changed tires on the Tiger, but given the choice I will pay someone to do it for me. If you get a flat, don't let it sit. The trick  is to break the bead and get it pried off the rim while it is still warm and flexible. Joel( he uses no last name) sez he rides it til the bead starts to come loose, then stops to change a flat.

[AK Tiger]

Here's what I carry with me.  http://www.extremeoutback.com/index.cgi?cart_id=4302253.28824&pid=57 I know for a fact that it has broken beads on Tigers and Gold Wings.  It works.  As with most things, if you carry it, you'll not need it.  I'm in the middle of a 13K mile trip from Seward, AK to the Arctic Circle to So.Cal. to Chicago and home.  It's stayed in the pannier so far (I'm in So Cal now) and I hope it remains there!



Darrell

[daddystarr]

I appreciate the words of wisdom. Bottom line, since I am obviously too cheap to buy a bew 2005, I will spend a little time practicing this procedure myself at home. I would like to try it without a bead breaker as that is a pain to carry.



I have heard of guys using their centerstands as bead breakers so I think I'll give that a shot.

[Sasquatch]

My '01 rims will be sealed this week.  Then I will just use a plug kit.  In case of extreme emergencies, I can not stress this enough.  Get AAA roadside assistance.  We have the RV plus package (we have an RV).  They will tow you 100 miles after hooking up.  This alone would have saved me $180 during my last trip out on the Mojave.

[daddystarr]

Replied to your post on the tubeless.