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New tire flat after accident, what to look for?

5K views 26 replies 9 participants last post by  Trailing_Throttle 
#1 ·
I got rear ended about 10 days ago and noticed my new rear tire was 100% flat. I didn't check the pressure afterwards, so I'm assuming a slow leak.

The impact was right on the tire, but I'm not sure what to look for. Maybe a crack in the rim?
 
#2 ·
You should prolly get your rim checked for runout tolerances, I'd look it up, but I don't want to look like a know-it-all...and I'm lazy ;-)
I was looking at some Harbor Freight kit wheel balancer thing with an attachment for checking runout, don't remember if I saw it on here or some utube thing but if they got one at hand I might pick it up next time I'm in HF, looked like it might come in handy for things like this.
 
#3 ·
On top of that, you can stick the wheel vertically in a plastic tote partially filled with about a foot or so of water (so you don't get water in the bearings or interior) and rotate it slowly to see where the air is leaking from.
 
#11 ·
Anyone ever use one of these before?
I had a flat on a road trip, and got home [250km] with a roadside glue-in plug-type repair, much to my surprise, then took the [new-ish] tyre to a repair shop to ask their advice. They took my plug out, glued in one of their own, and put a big round flat patch inside the tyre, so the air pressure couldn't act on the plug from the inside. Rode it till the tread ran out.
 
#6 ·
I've done plug repair, but this is different, I guess it basically looks like a "T" with a patch part on the inside and a plug thru the hole.

Because I just had an accident and it was a hit in the rear, I'm going to include the new tire in repair estimate.

I'm wondering if I get a new rear tire, should I keep the old one. I just had it put on maybe 6~8 weeks ago and at the rate I'm going thru tires, I'd be using this pretty soon.
 
#9 ·
Buy them from Cycle Gear and get the Motoguard tire road hazard warranty. Last year I had a series of flats and they just kept replacing the tires.

Tire patches on motorcycles are strictly temporary measures to get you home. The consequences of a patch fails are so dire that it is stupid to not just get a new tire.
 
#17 ·
I was watching a motorcycle cop show a couple of nights ago and one copper got a puncture. To get back on the rode again he just pushed in a plug then used a small pressure can to inflate. It looked like the ones you would use for a life jacket or whip cream? I wouldn't have a clue but am interested in getting one. But it would need to fit under seat along with plugs and plug needle.
 
#19 ·
Something like this should do the job. You can get a small compressor, but even the small ones would be tough to fit under the seat.

One other option is a special license plate holder that's actually about 1~2" thick and you put a few things in there. Basically it's a plastic box about the size of the license plate that can hold things.

https://www.amazon.com/Motor-Motorc...t=&hvlocphy=9032529&hvtargid=pla-568499109529
 
#25 ·
This kit uses the same size "small" CO2 tubes as a cycling inflator does.
So that means a Planet Bike Red Zeppelin CO2 Inflator would be more than adequate.
As well, 25g tubes are interchangeable and for a MC tire, I'd automatically use that size instead.
I have a Planet' in my road bike flat fix kit, and can attest that it works like a charm.
 
#21 ·
Perfect. Those are exactly the type of kit I saw that copper using. I'm going to get one. Piece of mind and all that.
Thanks lads.
Kiwi glad to hear repair might be good for at least 250km. I'm never that far from home or a mates place. Cheers bro.
Karl that is a very novel storage idea and I will consider if I can't store where I want.
I'm sure the kit will fit under the seat somewhere even if it means dividing the kit up between spots.
Any chance of one of those cylinders blowing up and taking your bum off?.....that wouldn't be fun.
 
#22 ·
Those types of cylinders have been around for a long time. I have a pellet gun that uses them, they're pretty common. I've never heard of them blowing up.

The ones on Amazon say don't go over 120F which doesn't seem all that hot to me. I guess wrapping them in some foam would be a good idea to keep the heat off. They also say to store upright, I've never heard that before. I really doubt they'd make it thru the seat, it wouldn't be directed pressure, it would just be the release of pressure in all directions.

I think these are the same thing they use in those air bags. They make air bag motorcycle jackets that inflate when you fall off the bike. I think they use these.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXhhQMKKRaE[/ame]

I'd check to see how many it takes to air up a tire.

https://www.sportsrec.com/dangers-co2-cartridges-5980374.html


One other note: I have no idea if that flat tire kit is any better than any other, I just picked one for example. Someone mentioned that the cords used should be made in the USA for better quality. I have no idea if the kit I linked is good quality or not.
 
#27 ·
It's possible to do a satisfactory repair of a punctured motorcycle tire. The repair MUST consist of two steps. 1st you have to plug the hole with either a rubber plug or one of those gummy string things. The purpose of the plug is not to keep the air in but to keep the water out. Left open a puncture into a steel-belted radial tire will allow water to creep in and corrode the steel which will cause it to separate the belt from the carcass. And even into a fabric belted or bias ply tire, water entry is never going to be a good thing. This is the part that should make you worry about a sudden tire failure.



2nd you have to apply a flat patch from the inside, taking care to carefully clean and smooth the inside liner of the tire before applying the patch. The inside patch is what keeps the air in the tire. The inside patch isn't going to leak but even if it does, it will not be any sort of sudden deflation leak.



Properly done, there is no reason to fear any sort of sudden tire failure from a repaired tire.
 
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