flat tire Q

haven't ridden in many years
got my bike going again - 78 sporster
want to make a trip to the USA - 300 miles.
traveling by bicycle, I could pull the tires off the rim and patch the
tube without removing the wheel - especially the back wheel.
can one do that with motorcycles tire irons?
hear the stuff sprayed into the tire isn't any good for flats?
the motorcycle being so heavy and all, I can't seem to
get my head around a flat. I have never seen
a motoryclist dealing with a flat as opposed to cars and bikes.
thanks for suggests, and words of confidence appreciated.

 

Your Sportster won't have tubeless tyres, and so those dinky tubeless
repair kits won't be any use.

It's patch the tube or replace it. So yes, you'll have to carry a
spare tube and/or a traditional tube repair kit. Ideally, you don't
want to patch a motorcycle tube, so a spare tube is better. But carry
both on the belt-and-braces principle.

I've tried those aerosol gloops. They work better on tubeless tyres
than they do on tubed: in fact, I can only remember one occasion on a
tubed tyre when they worked at all. Forget 'em.

The basic tyre removal and replacement process is exactly the same as
on a bicycle, but because of the limited space in which to work, and
the need to lie the bike on its side, your chances of getting a tube
out without removing the wheel are slim.

 

You might want to carry a spare tube or tubes. Probably
safer than relying on patches. The trick is to get the tire
back onto the rim without pinching the new tube. Slightly
inflating the tube and lube will make this easier.

It would probably be a good idea to remove each wheel
once well before you start the trip. Be super careful
about the reassembly, making sure the axle and brake
retainers are tight and not likely to loosen. Better to
do it at home than try it for the first time on the road.

 

Thanks everyone for your comments.

- will buy a spare tube/patches.
- will practice removing tires/tubes and on and off bike in idea
condtions.
- my tires are old and have never been replaced so this is a good
opportunty to do that also.

Thanks again for clearing my brain with good information.

 

On the road, these are useless without tyre levers. And that's in turn
useless without a pump to re-inflate the tube....

(Those little CO2 gas canisters, as packed in tubeless repair kits, are
good)

 

On this side of the pond, you can also buy a $10 compressor
from Walmart. Open and discard the big plastic housing and
inside you find a small L shaped compressor a couple inches
long on each leg. Chop off the fan, rig a way to connect to the
battery, then throw the whole mess in your saddlebag or
tank bag. Very useful if you do occasional offroad stuff and
want to drop and later raise tire pressures.

 

That's neat. I have a little electric pump that works off car cigarette
lighters. The BMW has a power socket that accommodates it, too.

 

Replace the tubes at the same time as the tires and keep the old tubes
as spares.

Ted

 

Me too. I'm on my 2nd stripped down compressor, the quality of these
chinese wonders is not so great. The previous one gave up the ghost
when the piston decided it was happier in multiple pieces instead of
one piece. So the moral of the story is, CO2 cylinders might be a bit
more reliable although they are definitely of limited capacity.

 

Yup. I do that.

 

I think I've still got one or two cylinders stashed with the pump.
For reinflating an aired down tire though the pump has done well.

Only problem I ever had was a bit of crud caught in the flapper
valve and I was able to clear this by disassembling and
reassembling it with my swiss army knife.

 

Another must-have tool )