[wildbill]

i was out cruising along a back road today at a steady 60 mph when suddenly the bike began to shake and weave about. it totally took me by surprise and seconds later i had trouble keeping a straight line on the sealed section of the road and within seconds i was off the edge - into the table drain and luckily pulled up not far from the tree line.
i applied the front disc lightly on the sealed section but once i went off and onto the dirt - just rode it out.
my first thought something had come loose on the bike. everything looked fine till i sighted a hex screw roof nail in the centre of the rear tyre.
so it was on the phone to the wife to get the hi-ace into gear for the 100 mile round trip to transport the bike home. now two question.
1. in a situation such as this what is the correct procedure to handle the drama. might as well say front and rear tyre punctures.
2. opinions on putting a tyre puncture preventative in the tube.
best of all i think i was lucky today as i got out of this one drama free.

[mattsz]

Just can't trust those B5's!    Glad you coasted through this one unscathed, wildbill.

Looking forward to the replies to this one...

[DanKearney]

Wild Bill,

Sounds like you're a lucky one.  I've had a couple of rear punctures over the years.  Basically, when they happened to me I did the same as you--rode it out.  My feeling is that it would be bad to brake or downshift or change the attitude of the bike at all when that happens.  Luckily for me, mine occurred when traveling in  a straight line.  Had they been in a curve, I'm not sure what the result would have been.

I've never used any of that green slime stuff in the tubes of any of my bikes, so I have no first-hand knowledge.  What I've read in a few places is negative.  Reasons sited being:  The stuff is heavy, so you're adding a bunch of spinning weight to your wheels which affects steering and handling.  If the tube deflates as the result of a tear, the slime gets all over the place and is a pain to clean off.

Cheers,

Dan K.

[Bulletman]

i was out cruising along a back road today at a steady 60 mph when suddenly the bike began to shake and weave about. it totally took me by surprise and seconds later i had trouble keeping a straight line on the sealed section of the road and within seconds i was off the edge - into the table drain and luckily pulled up not far from the tree line.
i applied the front disc lightly on the sealed section but once i went off and onto the dirt - just rode it out.
my first thought something had come loose on the bike. everything looked fine till i sighted a hex screw roof nail in the centre of the rear tyre.
so it was on the phone to the wife to get the hi-ace into gear for the 100 mile round trip to transport the bike home. now two question.
1. in a situation such as this what is the correct procedure to handle the drama. might as well say front and rear tyre punctures.
2. opinions on putting a tyre puncture preventative in the tube.
best of all i think i was lucky today as i got out of this one drama free.

glad you made it out of that one safe and sound..
Regarding the stuff you might put into your tire as a preventative...perhaps the following link might be of some help.
http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,7889.msg87656.html#msg87656
Cheers

[barenekd]

Slime works fine in tube tires. It will also help balance the wheel.
The only complaints I ever had about Slime was that, using it in tubeless tires, where it also works great, the tire changers hated it because it made a great mess while your are changing the tires. With a tube tire, the tube will contain the better part of it, so not as a much complaining. I've  had very good luck with it in both types of tires though. I recommend it.
As far as riding it out when you get a flat, that's about all you can do. Once you get slowed down, you can ride quite a ways with it flat. I've ridden many miles on flat tires. Pretty slowly, though. It beats just sitting waiting for someone. If you can get to a gas station, you may be able to get fix it there. They may be able to patch the tube. With tubeless tires, if I didn't have Slime in it, I always carried a plug and tools.
Plugged lots a tire with no problems. Had two or three in some of them. And rode 'em until they wore out. Always worked out that if I as going to get a flat it was within the first 300 miles of putting the tire on! Be damned if I'm going to throw away a brand now Supersport tire with 300 miles on it!
Bare

[Vince]

    Slime does work well for small punctures, and it does help balance. It is messy, especially on tubeless tires. Also, in tubeless wheels it can cause corrosion issues that take forever to clean up before you can mount a new tire.
     When you do get a flat you need to avoid sudden actions. Gently roll off the throttle, don't chop it. Relax your grip on the handlebar and let the bike wander. Gently correct the handlebar to keep the bike relatively straight. Avoid braking until the very last few feet. At any speed apply the brakes gently, slowly, and progressively. Don't hit the brakes hard.
     It sounds counter-intuitive, but running higher tire pressures minimizes blow outs or rapid air loss. Reason being, with higher tire pressures the tire squirms less. This minimizes tube tearing. With lower pressures, tire squirm will rip the tube faster as it works around the puncturing object.  Higher pressures help keep the tube pressed against the object. This initially slower pressure loss will hopefully give you more time to feel the change and you can begin to slow down sooner.
     You can avoid most punctures with a properly mounted mud flap. Cut a chunk of automotive mud flap a little wider than the rear wheel. Hang it in front of the rear wheel anywhere from you engine or center stand or frame so that it hangs all the way to the ground while you're moving. Most rear flats occur when the front tire rolls over an object and flips it up for the rear tire to run over it. The flap will knock it down or to the side if you mount it as I suggested.

[GA-DK]

I have had high speed punctures on the rear, but it was many years ago.  I have used Slime, but only on garden tractors.  Either shunt down and ride it out, or if you know which wheel is involved, brake cautiously.  I carry a set of bike patches, a bicycle tire boot (in a pinch cover the hole in tire with a folded dollar bill), a set of CMW tire tools, and a 12-V inflater.  I fix me own.  Remember to crank the engine to avoid a dead battery when using inflater.   GA-DK

[Royalista]

Had a rear flat some 10 months ago. Not much else to do but hold it straight and ride it out like you did.
Overall, because of the suddenness, it is scarier than it really is. It feels not unlike riding in loose sand.
Having a patch and a pump is the cheapest and fastest solution.
In most cases the wheel can stay on while patching the inner tube.
You can be back on the road in under half an hour. I needed a full hour more. Most of it went up to loosen up the tire. Getting it back in place was much easier.
After you have put the tire back on pressure give it some extra. There will be air trapped between the inner and outer tube that needs to sip out (5-7 psi). Check it after a short ride and adjust pressure as needed.

It helps a lot when the weather is fine. 

[wildbill]

thanks for all the good advice -unfortunately the tyre has a large hole in it. bike shop advises against repair and riding it.
might as well buy 2 new dunlop k70's any advice on the exact size for the 19" on the b5 which will fit problem free

[Ice]

 The bike is going to wander and abrupt control inputs only make things worse so don't try to keep the line instead just keep the lane and gently roll off the throttle while easing over to the side. 

 Fitting a mud flap to the front mudguard helps avoid rear tire punctures by deflecting debris to the sides.

 Road side flat repairs are easy enough provided a bit of practice is done at home beforehand.

[mattsz]

might as well buy 2 new dunlop k70's any advice on the exact size for the 19" on the b5 which will fit problem free

wildbill - there have been varying attempts at mounting different sizes, but if you're looking for "problem-free" I can assure you from experience that going with the OEM sizes of 3.25-19 for the front and 3.5-19 for the rear will fit the B5 just fine.  The tires do have a slightly larger outer diameter: with the bike on the center stand, the rear OEM skidmaster hung about 1/2 inch off the ground.  Now, the rear just touches the ground - not nearly enough to affect the center stand stability, but enough to stop the wheel slowly turning while in neutral.  When I changed my front tire, I rolled the OEM right out from under the fender; it just fit.  The K70 wouldn't quite roll back in without a little boost.

I've seen some 3.5-19's mounted in front as well - it looks badass, but I think there's questions about fender clearance...

EDIT - The rear wheel doesn't touch the ground on the center stand!  Don't know what I was thinking...

[High On Octane]

    Slime does work well for small punctures, and it does help balance. It is messy, especially on tubeless tires. Also, in tubeless wheels it can cause corrosion issues that take forever to clean up before you can mount a new tire............

I have changed a LOT of car tires in my days and I have never seen Slime corrode a wheel.  Fix-A-Flat, on the other hand, I have seen eat itself completely thru an aluminum wheel so badly that the wheel was junk and needed to be replaced because the wheel itself could no longer hold air.  I've seen this happen 2 different times, not to mention the handfuls of wheels that I saw where the Fix-A-Flat had pitted several spots of the wheel, including in the bead area itself.  But I've never seen Slime do this.

Scottie

[Vince]

     Every cast motorcycle wheel I have changed with Slime, or any other flat proof fluid, in it had globs of black paste glued to the bead as well as the center part. At this point it is only marginally water soluble. Clean up is a pain requiring washing, scraping, and wire brushing.  It always leaves black marks that I assumed were the beginnings of corrosion. The worst wheels had of course sat the longest. Bikes that were used and aired up regularly had less rim issues.

[singhg5]

Here is a copy/paste from FAQ on the SLIME website about safety of product;

"• Is Slime TPMS safe?"
I’ve heard Slime will ruin my rims, is that true?

Our Slime Sealant for tubeless tires is formulated with rust and corrosion inhibitors as well as a pH buffer making the product more alkaline. All of these ingredients work to protect the integrity of your rim. It is important to note there are factors which can allow damage to occur in spite of this. If you want to err on the side of caution, you can use Slime as a roadside repair. All you need is Slime and an air compressor! Slime can have an adverse effect on certain types of aluminum rims. Because alloys differ, it is difficult to predict how Slime will react with your rims specifically. Over the years, though, we have found that older rims are more susceptible to damage from Slime. Make sure that, if you have tubeless tires, you are using our tubeless formula. Our inner tube formula does not contain rust and corrosion inhibitors. Do not leave Slime inside your tires for more than 2 years. After that time, we cannot guarantee the integrity of your rims. If pre-existing damage is present, we do not recommend using Slime."

"•What happens to Slime after 2 years?

"Slime is a liquid that may dry out over long periods of time. The rust and corrosion inhibitors in the sealant also break down over time. For maximum puncture protection and optimal performance, we recommended that Slime be replaced after 2 years. For most tires, this will also be the time period for replacement due to wear and tear."

http://www.slime.com/category/faqs/

[wildbill]

mattsz

took your advise and order the k70's in
3.25-19 for the front and 3.5-19 for the rear

[wildbill]

vince
good idea on the mudflap to divert nails etc from the rear wheel. will look into that one.
bare - bought the slime today. when they arrive it will go into the new k70's

[mattsz]

Re. the K70's:  I had a brain fart - My rear wheel doesn't touch the ground on the center stand!  It's just closer.  I can still rotate the wheel by hand to lube the chain!

Don't know what I was thinking... 

[Sectorsteve]

Geez ma, scary stuff. Glad your ok. It's a freaky one that. When it happens. My front tyre went , whilst riding down the m5 once. The only option in that moment was to not brake, but slowly decelerate , but I also shifted my weight towards the back a little.
. You should check out Brian oconners motorcycles in brookale. He has a lot of tyres in stock, but gets them within in a day- anything. He also let's you work on your bike in his carpark.