Two milestones passed

[Dr. Mordo]

So, last week I passed 77777 miles.  I've only put about 5k on it so far, but I still thought it was cool.


Then today I blew my first tire.  I was going about 85 on a back road home from work, I thought I felt something weird, then I slowed down to turn onto another road.  After the turn the bike started wobbling and I realized what had happened.  So I stopped, called my wife (I was maybe 3 mi from home)  and told her which tools to bring.  My intention was to Slime the tire and get it home.  It had one nail in it.  After she got there, I tried the Slime and it failed utterly.  The tire wouldn't hold air at all.  SO, I went home, got tools and a patch kit, and just in case grabbed a spare tube.

I get the tire off on one side so I can get the tube out.  Slime was everywhere, and it turns out there were two inch long tears in the tube.  So, I'm stoked because now I get to pull the wheel.  Long story short, I manage to get it all apart with the bike on its side, swapped the tube and got it all back together, which was entertaining.



I figure I'm gonna pull it back apart before I ride it to clean the Slime out of the tire and make sure everything is torqued right.  I'm also gonna put together a package of tools so my wife just has to grab them and run if I break down.

[Sin_Tiger]

Nice  :D

Tube "blow outs" like that scare me a bit, I'm still researching the tubeless thing.

[JetdocX]

Dude, mine will probably never reach that point.  How many times can you buy a Steamer over and over and over again? :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

I'm getting a KTM for trips and possible SA tour in a couple years.    

[nightrunner]

Well at least you know how to do the road side flat repair now.   BTW, check the airbox for engine oil.  Its not good for Tigs to sleep on their side.   More than one Tig has suffered severe engine damage from a prolonged such 'nap'.  And are you using the extra thick innertubes for dualsports?  

On the tubeless switch, there are tons of old posts on the Yahoo Tiger groups about this from a few years back.  Some folks were just rabid about that conversion.   A certain type of bedliner spray seemed to be the most popular choice to seal the spoke nuts.  Its funny.  I don't recall much talk about it on this forum.

[97tiger885]

Well at least you know how to do the road side flat repair now.   BTW, check the airbox for engine oil.  Its not good for Tigs to sleep on their side.   More than one Tig has suffered severe engine damage from a prolonged such 'nap'.  

What is the result of oil in the airbox?...Running extremely rich?...Which does what other than kill your fuel mileage?  

And to what type of engine damage are you referring? How does it happen and how do you prevent it once the mc had been on its side?

[Dr. Mordo]

Thanks for the tip about draining the airbox; that hadn't occurred to me.

As for why it's a good idea, I'd think sucking large quantities of oil into the engine would be bad.

I haven't really considered switching to a tubeless setup.  I guess maybe I should.  I guess then I possibly could have plugged the tire and re-inflated it.

[offtheback]

I did the tubeless 'conversion' a few thousand miles ago and now run TKC's.  I posted my process on here a while back.. I used black rtv (sasquatch did the same and that is where I got my idea from) over the nipples.  I had issues with the front and I do not know if it is because the rim is shallower and I bump it with lever or the tire bead but I kept getting leaks so I put the tube back in the front.  The rear has been flawless and hold air like a champ.  I have been on several muti-day rides and put several thousand miles on it, some pretty nasty dirt roads also and no problems (just jinxed myself).   If you do a web search you will see some others that used marine sealants but they are permanent and had can cure hard so I did not try it.  Tubliss is a company that makes an insert for dirtbikes and they are working for a road bike setup that is awesome...http://www.nuetech.com/tubliss.shtml

[Sin_Tiger]

Thanks Greg, it may have been you previous post that got me going on this train of thought. Good feedback, especially to know that the rear holds well being more of a pain to change. How do you find the TKC's compared to say Tournace while on road?

Coincidentally I had been in touch with Nuetech too and got this reply.

The current fronts fit a max width 1.6" rim & the rears a max 2.15 width rim.
 
We will be working on a ON-ROAD version soon & possible have something by the end of this year. Please check back then for an update.

Things are looking up in that department, looks a very good product and if they can keep the price real I will be putting my hand up for a set.

[nightrunner]

What is the result of oil in the airbox?...Running extremely rich?...Which does what other than kill your fuel mileage?  

And to what type of engine damage are you referring? How does it happen and how do you prevent it once the mc had been on its side?

Depending on which side is down, oil can run up through the crank breather tube and into the box.  I would guess that gas could do the same.  With the bike on its side the float valves might open up and let gas drain into the carbs.  Either way, liquid anything getting sucked into the cylinders is bad news.  Too much and you get a lock up on the compression stroke.  And the starters have enough torque to bend a rod.  If it happens it happens quickly and no time to abort.  Lots of old old posts on the Yahoo group about it.

So if she's been napping, open up the airbox and have a look.  A trick is to immediately turn off the gas if the bike goes down.   If you have to lay her down, you could pinch or plug the crankcase breather tube to keep the oil in the engine.

Other ideas anyone???

[Dr. Mordo]

My bike was slightly inclined when it was on its side, which you can't tell from the pic.  So in my case I'd say it's unlikely any oil drained into the airbox.  However, I'm still gonna check it.  I've been riding my BMW the last coupla days til I can give the Tiger some TLC.

Everything I have experienced agrees with the Nightrunner.  When my F650 goes down, it is a bitch to start again.  It just doesn't want to run, and will die again after I manage to get it started if I don't keep the revs up for the first few minutes.  Conversely, I lifted the Tiger upright, waited maybe one minute, and it cranked after 5-6 seconds of cranking, which is 5 secs longer than usual, but still not excessive IMO.  It ran like normal.  However, I did turn the fuel off before I laid it down, which appears to have been unintentionally wise.  Although I did realize that fuel would just pour into the cylinders if I left it on, so I guess I sorta knew what to do.  I just didn't realize you could bend a rod that way.  Scary!

[offtheback]

The TKC's definately transmit a bit of vibration, not really uncomfortable but noticeably more than a more street orientated tire.  We all know that they do not last as much either but they do perform quite well on the street.  My last ride a friend on a GSX750R was stunned that I stayed with them at 110mph on a loaded tiger w/ knobbies, was not a super tight canyon but I have drug the pegs with no problem.  The other issue with the TKC's is that the bike seems to 'wobble' slightly at low speeds i.e. coming to a stop.  When I first mounted the tires I had to keep looking down when stopping to make sure that I did not have a flat.  When I first mentioned my process people were all over me saying there would be 'catastrophic deflation', not the case..  I found my leaks while washing the bike and seeing bubbles around the threaded portion of the spoke and nipple or noticings slight pressure loss over several days.  I do not regularly ride at mach speeds and dragging my knees through corners so I am not worried about rolling a wheel off a rim that does not have the tubless rim.   I also used dyna beads in the tube on the front and the tubless in the rear and I like em..

PHEW.. that is enough for now..