What I learned about flat tires...a long post...a longer night!

[Rottweiler]

Last night I was awakened by my pager after having been asleep for only 10 minutes. I had to go back to work to fix the stuff my company pays me to fix. At least it’s overtime, and it’s 65 degrees out so I’ll be riding the RT. At mile 37 of the 38 I needed to travel things got weird. I was on Rt. 80 which is a 65 mph road, and since I was getting paid by the hour, I was doing the speed limit and just trying to enjoy the ride. I could tell something wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what. It felt like I was being hit by strong cross winds, which is no big deal on the RT. Then I heard the sound, like there was a big loud truck coming up fast behind me, but there was no truck in site. Then the handling changed, as if I was riding on a road with deeply rutted tire tracks from heavy truck traffic, but Rt. 80 is a smooth super slab. I eased it to a gentle stop on the dimly lit shoulder about a ¼ mile from my exit to take a look. Sure enough, the rear tire was totally flat. With traffic zipping past me at 70+ mph, I had to get to the exit. I put on my flashers and at a walking pace, road to my exit and off the hiway to a closed but well lit gas station at the end of the exit ramp. I called my wife to let her know that I may need her assistance picking me up or bringing me tools, she was not pleased at 11:30 to hear this news. Now it was time to see if I was as prepared as I thought I should be for my first ever flat on the road. Heeding the advice of some on this board, I left the BMW tire repair kit in my garage and instead carried a small electric air pump and a Dynaplug tire plugger. Using the small pocket flashlight that I also always carry, I located a hole between 1/8” and 3/16” dia. in the center of the tread. I could see metal in it below the tread surface. I took out the Dynaplug directions and re-read them (good thing I had my glasses, it sucks getting old). I attempted to load the first plug in the tool, using water to lubricate it as the directions suggested, but struggled too much and broke the plug. The Dynaplug kit comes with 4 plugs so I had 3 more tries. I would suggest to anyone who has the kit to purchase more plugs today. I also discovered that good old spit works much better than water to help you get the plug into the insertion tool. Plug #2 went in easily, however the hole in the tire was much too large for just one plug. The last 2 plugs also went in easily. At this point I was ready to inflate the tire, and the Walmart special 12v pump worked GREAT. The plug seamed to be holding but would have been better if I had used all four plugs or maybe even more. Off I went to work just a half mile down the road only to find out that the technician I was covering for forgot that I was covering his standby and had already come and gone and did the job for me, but that’s another story. Now it was time to see if I could make it back home another 38 miles of hiway. I checked the pressure and it was still good, but I could hear air leaking from the plug. I figured I could just stop every 5 or 10 minutes to top it off if needed. My first destination was a rest stop on the Garden State Parkway about 5 miles away via Rt.3 …no sweat!. I pulled into the rest area into a brightly lit spot and checked the pressure…10 lbs.!!! I tried moving the plugs a little and psssssss, total air loss. I got on the phone to my very unhappy wife (it was almost 2am) and talked her into my tool box to get the BMW tire repair kit and to get some sockets and ratchets just in case I needed to remove the rear wheel. I still have the last tire I removed when it wore out (still had some life left in it) and was I going to get out my tire changing stuff and put on my old tire and then wake my extremely unhappy wife up again to drive me back out to put my new old tire back on. That is if the BMW tire repair kit failed, which I’m happy to say it did not. It was actually easy to put the plug in, perhaps because it was such a large hole. I didn’t attempt to use the CO2 fillers that came with the kit, I had the Walmart special 12v electric pump which is a bargain at less than $20. I had previously removed the large plastic box it comes in and made a small form fitting perforated metal housing for it and it fits neatly into the tail section. My wife followed me home at about 55 mph which is as slow as I dared to go for fear of being run off the road at 3am, and I managed to get another 20 minutes of sleep before I had to get up for work again which is where I am now. When I’m done with this, I’ll be ordering some tires and one of those good plugger tools, and then if work is quiet I’ll try to take a nap (yah..right). I have Bridgestone BT020 tires now with about 12kmiles so it was time anyway, I think I’ll try the Metzler M880’s this time around. So what did I learn, the Dynaplug is probably best for 1/8” holes or less and you should have lots of plugs to use with it. It still seams like a good tool even though it didn’t work for me this time. Bigger holes require a bigger plug so get one of those mushroom type plug guns for better results. Don’t be so quick to ditch the BMW tire repair kit at least for the plugs, although I know I will now need a new tube of glue for it as they tend to dry up once opened. Always have a good flashlight, your reading glasses and a fully charged phone with you. And finally, always treat your wife right because she’s probably the only one that will come out at midnight to save your ass. Sorry this post was so long, we could all use a nice nap now.

[twilmotte]

David, I enjoyed reading your post and learned that I need to carry the BMW plugs along with my DynaPlug kit. I also have one of the "cheapie" Wal-Mart tire pumps and am glad to hear it performed during your field test.

[Albert]

Can one of you guys post a description or name of the Walmart pump you're talking about.

Thanks,

[Rottweiler]

Albert...I don't know the name but I can give you a discription. It is contained in a blue plastic box that includes storage for the inflator hose and the long wire with cigarette lighter plug. The inflator has a lever that locks onto your tire valve. Mine was made in China, they may differ by lot or store. I have seen them in all large auto parts stores but at a higher price, I beleive I paid about $12 for mine at Walmart. I removed the pump which is quite small and built a form fitted metal shroud. I also cut off most of the power wire and added a BMW type power plug. It easily fits into the tail compartment under the back seat. Good luck.

[Albert]

Cool, thank you.

[JayW]

Interesting read. Many of these kinds of posts go on to relate an accident, and I was glad yours did not.

 

Jay

[tonyla]

wHAT IS WRONG WITH THE BMW TIRE PLUG AND WHERE DO YOU BUY THE DNYA PLUG

THANKS

 

TONY

[Rottweiler]

The only thing wrong with the BMW tire repair kit is the CO2 filler can be difficult to use but it's better than walking. The Dynaplug can be seen at dynaplug.com. I just ordered 10 more plugs today. BTW, turn off your caps lock key.

[JR356]

Hi,

 

Get down to your local auto supply and get the rope type tire plug kit made for car radials,it's a bit messy to use,so put some gloves in the kit(latex medical gloves tear too easily with this adhesive)

 

These kits are a lot easier to use,faster and can plug bigger holes than BMW or dynaplug.

 

In car applications,I have had these plugs last thousands of miles without any leakage.

 

JR356

[Shaman97]

Hmmm...just a thought, but a membership with the KOA Roadhelp service might be cheaper than a marriage conselor should this sort of thing happen to you again.

[GelStra]

Can one of you guys post a description or name of the Walmart pump you're talking about.

Albert, WebBikeWorld shows how to do the Walmart air pump conversion . My local dealer had one which is even smaller, has the battery connections, etc. for $35, saving me a lot of time for not much money. Fits in the gap bag under the tail on my GS.

[EricJRW]

Thanks for the post, and a reminder of what I still need to do.... get a small compressor to carry with me.

 

This one (Airman Sparrow Compact Air-Compressor) looks similar to the "dealer one" above, but for a few bucks less ($23 vs. $35) and it also includes a built-in pressure gauge, but no "Handsome Carrying Case." I find the built-in gauge helpful for getting my tire close to the right pressure before checking with my hand-held gauge.

 

I'm currently using a "Wagan 2014", that I suspect could be removed from its case too, as I'd like something smaller (but didn't want to gut this one)...

 

FYI, Amazon has the "Campbell Hausfeld RP1200 12-Volt Compact Inflator" for $9.99.

 

Eric

[Rottweiler]

Thanks Shaman, KOA Roadhelp sounds interesting. Does anyone else have an opinion on the service?

[ednap]

Thanks for the lengthy report, glad it all turned out well for you. Lots of interesting follow up comments too.

 

I also carry a 12v mini compressor, a handy tool. I have also found fitting 90' valve stems makes inflating easier.

[wolcott]

Rotweiler: I heard good things about the KOA road service program so I joined up. It's actually run by Allstate Motor Club. You are covered for vehicles that you own, borrow, or rent. Your spouse is covered, too. You also got other perks like 10% off every night at a KOA campground, personalized trip-planning service, lodging discounts, etc.

From what I understand, if your bike breaks down, and needs BMW techs to fix it, they will tow you 500 miles if necessary to get you to the BMW shop. If it was just a simple problem, they would probably just tow you to the nearest bike shop that would agree to do the work (such as replace a patched tire).

[Warren_H]

Hi,

 

Get down to your local auto supply and get the rope type tire plug kit made for car radials,it's a bit messy to use,so put some gloves in the kit(latex medical gloves tear too easily with this adhesive)

 

These kits are a lot easier to use,faster and can plug bigger holes than BMW or dynaplug.

 

In car applications,I have had these plugs last thousands of miles without any leakage.

 

JR356

 

What JR356 said. I bought a car kit from Safety Seal about 20 years ago and have used them numerous times on car tires, including Z rated tires and never replaced a tire until the tread wore out, these plugs never leaked. Just bought some refills from at my BMW dealer last Saturday - Genuine Innovations .

[wolcott]

In addition to a dynaplug kit, I have a tire "rope" kit with the T-handle on the rope inserter, fresh glue, wal-mart compressor stripped down, and most important- a LED headlamp so you can see what you are doing. In my jacket pocket, I also carry a small, oval red light (about 4" long) that takes two AA batteries and has 4 or 5 different flashing modes on it. I picked it up at sports authority. If you have to stop on the side of the road at night, you could clip it onto the back of the bike or yourself and draw attention to yourself so you don't get creamed by a semi or a cage.