OK, all the signs and stars were aligned: been "thinking" the HOG roadside assistance was a great deal!; plugs and pump were safely stowed somewhere in the garage; middle of nowhere in late afternoon with bride on back ... flat on rear.
First some observations, might be of use to others. Was bopping along around 80 mph on interstate and crossing a bridge when I began to notice what felt like a high speed wobble begin, heading to a real tank slapper. Slowly (perhaps the key) eased off as the wobble became more radical and headed for side of road. Could then hear the sound of the flat on the back. Could have been really nasty had I "panicked" and slowed or turned more abruptly. Hate to think about it if I had been in the twisties! Anyway, rear tire was flat; recalled avoiding most of the debris in the road earlier but ovbiously had picked up and thrown a nail/screw etc.
OK middle of nowhere and feeling pretty screwed! A great Samaritan had seen what happened and had stopped on his way home from a long day of work! He had a compressor kit and offered it to me! It had a slime like can and an electric pump. Stayed and helped me get it on the valve stem etc but couldn't get it to seal! Finally left to pick up his little girls which he was now late for... Thanks goodness for really nice guys!
Eventually got the leak on the bottom and the sealant began to work enough to pressure up the tire. Made it 4.5 of the 5 miles to the nearest Wally-world where I got some walley-worms to plug it, re-air and nervously make it the final 100 miles home. Quite a kludged up affair but I understand god loves idiots or something like that...
Been reading about plugs and flats and have a few unsolicited comments:
1) CO2 cartridges are small and when they are gone, well your in trouble. Would never depend on them for the only solution - carry a pump!
2) have yet to see slime or the like to actually fix a flat. In this case it sealed enough to air up the tire and make it about 4 miles. Enough in this case.
3) finally, a flat on a bike really leaves you screwed, especially if you have set the stage properly with no preparation! Middle of nowhere with Princess along (get luckier with "princess" than "bitch"
) options are really limited!
Now on to the debate to plug and ride or plug and toss... Frankly, the effects of the rear flat on the bike were very serious and could have ended much worse. Fortunately, I have screwed up enough in the past to know not to do anything abrupt and my bride also is very stable (well on the bike
). Although I hate to pitch a tire with so much tread left, I am afraid that is my decision. Don't even want to think about a flat on the front or in the twisties!
I now vow to sign up for roadside assistance, find and carry pump and plugs, and help the next distressed person regardless of how busy or late I may be.
Cheers,
Rusty
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Topic: Flat on rear wheel! (Read 1740 times)