I was riding Highway 38 down from Big Bear to Yucaipa, CA in a rain/snow storm and all of a sudden it felt like I was on ice so I slowed down and minimized lean angles. After 15 miles I had descended below the snow and it got worse and then I smelled rubber. My partner pulled next to me and said I had a flat. We stopped by the side of the road. There was a ranger station a mile away so I rode there.
The ranger station was in Yucaipa, just above Mentone and Redlands. No visible puncture. Would not inflate using the portable compressor.
So I called Allstate Roadside Assistance. They tried calling 3 local Yamaha dealers and all were closed, as it was Sunday.
So they covered a 90 mile tow to my residence at no charge. Just a $20 tip to the good tow truck driver. It would have been $300 otherwise.
I highly recommend the Allstate Roadside assistance. I wont leave home without it....
It turned out I had a split rim which caused the tire to lose all pressure and as I rode the 15 miles the inner sidewall got shredded.
Here are the pictures to illustrate the damage the tire sustained:
No visible damage to the sidewalls from the outside:
So in conclusion, this demonstrates that a Bridgestone Potenza Grid can function as a run flat and be used with zero pressure during a catastrophic failure. However, if you do this, the inside of the tire may sustain damage that is not visible from the outside and so should be inspected and replaced if necessary.