Do-it-yourself puncture

Went to return some material my SO had on sale-or-return from a shop in a town about 15 miles from home. Went on a 25 mile route (well, it was a nice day). Bike felt a bit funny, it seemed to be extra sensitive to tar snakes and ridges in the road. Thought: "It must be the tyres wearing flat down the centres."

Got to the twisty bit. Bike seemed reluctant to corner, needed counter-steering effort all the while.

Delivered material, started home, decided "This is decidedly wrong." (I'm quick like that).

Got home, now knowing I'd got a soft tyre. Found this (click on any image for a larger view):



When I came to measure the pressure:



Yes, that's 7.4 PSI (measured about 15 minutes after getting home).

Thought about plugging it, until I realised quite what it was, and the angle it was in the tyre:



The culprit?



Yes, that's a 2 inch screw.

The worst of it? I was using these in the garage. Must have left one on the floor, and rolled right over it.

mcatrophy said:

Yes, that's 7.4 PSI (measured about 15 minutes after getting home).

Click to expand...

Heh, been there. Amazing how sluggish and resistant to turning the bike gets.

mcatrophy said:

Yes, that's a 2 inch screw.
The worst of it? I was using these in the garage. Must have left one on the floor, and rolled right over it. oster_oops:

Click to expand...

As much as a puncture sucks, I'd be doubly pissed knowing I basically caused it myself!

dbx

That's odd....usually avons avoid nails and what-not on the road. My avons never picked anything up. Then again, you are in the UK. Not sure what that says bout the UK but, whatever.............

I ahd a nail in my front tire (original bridgestone 020) and the front got really heavy at about 60 mph. Slowed down uneventfully before I decided it was serious. It was completely flat. 3 minutes before I was going closer to 90 mph. Don't know if it was flat then as it's always a bit reluctant to steer at that speed.

Doh! Thankfully, all my punctures to date haven't been self-inflicted (yet.)

Enough rides on flat tires has prompted me to adopt the motto "if it feels wrong, chances are something is."

odot said:

That's odd....usually avons avoid nails and what-not on the road. My avons never picked anything up. Then again, you are in the UK. Not sure what that says bout the UK but, whatever.............

Click to expand...

Perhaps because these were Bridgestones, not Avons?

Or possibly our screws are sharper than yours?

Otherwise, it's that you've got more sense than to ride over one of your own ...

good amount of tread left, too. my son and I have had good results with the sticky string type plug

for these single punctures...works from the outside. ~$6 over here.

I wouldnt trash that tire so fast. I had just as bad on my last rear tire. I took the advice of many forum members and used the sticky sring type plug. I rode it for an additional 8500 miles with no problem.

I ran over a 4 x 4 doing 50 mph and took it well, but wound up with a chunk of wood in my front tire. Took the next exit of the highway and had to muscle it over to the side. Dead flat! Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think centrifucle force helped keep the tire "a-float" until I slowed down? make sense? or does that only happen at higher speeds?

Rondo777 said:

I wouldnt trash that tire so fast. I had just as bad on my last rear tire. I took the advice of many forum members and used the sticky sring type plug. I rode it for an additional 8500 miles with no problem.

Click to expand...

Can't seem to get sticky string around here. Got a BMW repair kit. When I came to poke its tool through the hole, I could feel it grating against the metal chords. No likey!

In any case I decided there wasn't enough tread left (I reckoned about 1000 miles in the centre), and I want a new one anyway in a month or so for another trip.

haas said:

I ran over a 4 x 4 doing 50 mph and took it well, but wound up with a chunk of wood in my front tire. Took the next exit off the highway and had to muscle it over to the side. Dead flat! Correct me if i'm wrong, but I think centrifugle force helped keep the tire "a-float" until I slowed down? make sense? or does that only happen at higher speeds?

Click to expand...

Ouch!

I have heard about the centrifugal force thing. In my youth (many years ago) it was rumoured that above about 50 it would hold the tyre up, but no-one I knew had actually experienced this. And, in the end, you have to slow down :blink: