Are motorcycle tires nail magnets?

[FlyingLow]

Happened again today! Does bad luck run in threes, or am I just unlucky?

About 2 months ago, I pulled a nail out of my '05 rear tire, plugged it, the plug failed on the freeway going to work [i mentioned this earlier here] so after work I went to Del Amo Motorsports and had a new tire put on.

Then, more recently, on my Suzuki Intruder, a bike I just bought for my 100 mile daily round trip commute to work, the rear tire is flat from a large construction staple in the parking lot after work. An automotive can of fix-a-flat got me home so I could pull the wheel and get a new tube put in.

So today, the rear tire is flat on the FJR. Dammit! This is the tire I just had put on by Del Amo. It only has maybe 2,000 miles on it. And it had a nail AND a smaller shank like a staple or a tack or something.

Again, dammit! I don't have this problem with my cars, and they have 4 tires [each] not to mention a larger contact patch.

Do you feel lucky? I don't .

 

[Rogue]

Yes!

 

[Windjammer]

Hmmm, too much coincidence there for me. Got enemies at work? Could it be sabotage?

 

[FJRmogul]

I've had 3 flats out of four sets of tires. Seems like every time I get a new set I get a flat within 4k miles. :angry2: I don't ride on the shoulder and try to avoid all debris and pot holes.

I don't feel lucky. :angry2:

 

[daviddowns2000]

Last time I read a nail-in-tire thread I ended up with punctures on both bikes within two days. One tire had only 1500 miles on it. Plugged both but decided to get new ones anyway. I'm so sorry I looked at this!!

 

[Groo]

Might be worthwhile to go sweep your parking lot at work with a big magnet....

 

[worldbound4now]

Oh man, that sucks. Sorry to hear about your bad luck.

 

[donaldb]

where do you live and where do you work? what type roads do you ride? etc. I think likely your enviro may have something to do w/your problems. Here where I live in MS, so far no real nail issues, but I have rock issues. Not so much a problem w/rock/tires but rocks kicked up by other cars and trucks and hitting me in the chest, neck, helmet, windshield, etc. :angry03: and I have not only the chips in plastic and paint to prove it, but it hurts like hell to get hit by a small stone in the neck and/or chest at 50-70 mph, bees aint crap compared to a small stone. I like to ride w/shield down but because of all the loose stones on our roads around here while in traffic I have to ride w/shield up. Both my truck and car keep cracked windshields. As soon as I replace one, it gets broke, kinda like your tire problem.

 

[radman]

And here I've never had a flat on a bike. Maybe don't ride through junkyards? Seriously, is there a lot of truck traffic on your routes, roll offs, construction and the like?

 

[Scab]

I'm gonna go with the revenge theory. Sleeping with anyone else's wife?

just messin' with ya

 

[GPRIDER]

I hadn't had a flat in 26 years till I installed my first set of Avons on my FJR. 1st rear flat around 4000 mi. 2nd rear Avon flat after 50mi. 3rd rear Avon flat after 16mi. I don't feel lucky at all. I think the Avons are magnetic I'm on my first set of Perillis now and no flats yet. Keeping my fingers crossed (which makes it a little hard to drive the bike).

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Yep another thing to cuss the Avons for.

 

[FJRmogul]

You do know that the Avons have a free road hazard program that pro rates acording to the tread left. So having a flat early in the tires life makes this a pretty good deal.

 

[double_entendre]

I hadn't had a flat in 26 years till I installed my first set of Avons on my FJR. 1st rear flat around 4000 mi. 2nd rear Avon flat after 50mi. 3rd rear Avon flat after 16mi. I don't feel lucky at all. I think the Avons are magnetic I'm on my first set of Perillis now and no flats yet. Keeping my fingers crossed (which makes it a little hard to drive the bike).

At least they're rear tire flats. I've had a few flat tires over the years, but all in the rear tires and it was a relatively simple matter to pull over to the side of the road. My understanding is that front flats are much less enjoyable.

I am, of course, talking about tires, not women. :lol:

I haven't had a flat on the FJR and if I get one I'm blaming the OP for the jinx. :threaten:

Bob

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

 

[FlyingLow]

Let me address some of the points you guys brought up:

Enemies at work? Yeah, but I would expect them to try to flatten my head, not my tires.

Groo: Yes, and doing FOD walkdowns from now on here in my neighborhood. Try this sometime; walk the length of your street and see how much sharp metal debris you find.

DD2000: Hope I didn't jinx you :lol: .

donaldb: I live in south Orange County and commute to L.A. County near LAX, mostly on the 405. It's a messy freeway and this could be the culprit.

Thanks for all the good words, guys.

 

[FJRSTAR]

And here I've never had a flat on a bike. Maybe don't ride through junkyards? Seriously, is there a lot of truck traffic on your routes, roll offs, construction and the like?

Never say never.

 

[GPRIDER]

I've never had a flat on the front yet either. I can only imagine how much fun that would be. I have used the Avon road hazard warranty in the past. They cover the tire for the first 1.4 mm of rubber. I had excellent results with their customer service. That is a plus for Avon. I'm not sure if any other motorcycle tire manufacturer does that.

GP

 

[socalrk]

Got up Sat morning to take a ride to Palm Springs via 2 lane twisties and found rear Avon half flat :angry:

Found the small nail, yanked it and put in a Stop-n-Go plug. Went ahead and did the 350mi ride(I just couldn't bring myself to scrap the day) and the plug held but I was constantly wondering about it. I checked the rear at every stop.

Got new Avon on this morning, hope this doesn't happen again soon, tires are expensive!!!

FlyingLow: I also commute from O.C. to LAX. The 405 is getting worse with potholes :angry:

 

[Ric in Sac]

I had a fairly new Avon pick up a nail. Avon replaced it free but I had to pay for mounting and balancing. This is the best reason yet to run Avon's.