Author Topic: Front Flat Tire  (Read 4800 times)

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adi-4004

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on: September 27, 2014, 07:34:47 pm
Hello

So I have completed 800 miles. Got a flat front tire. I got the inner tube replaced (at a Honda dealership) with the spare one which can with the bike. Now even that tube is losing pressure. It went from 36psi to 25psi in 24 hours.

Are the tubes which come with the bike faulty? I bought the bike recently ( ~3 months). The service person and myself tried to find the location of the fault in the old inner tube in a water bath. Found none.

What should I do now?
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2014 C5 Military Green


motomataya

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Reply #1 on: September 27, 2014, 08:06:10 pm
It's likely they missed whatever punctured your tire the first time and it punctured the tube again. It can be easy to do if the culprit is small enough.


barenekd

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Reply #2 on: September 27, 2014, 08:14:24 pm
The tubes that come with the bikes are fine. Very few complaints about flats on this forum. Those who get them generally have to pull out the nail.
If it's leaking that slowly, it's probably the valve core. Put a new one in. If you pumped up the tube and put it water even the smallest leaks should show up.
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Vince

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Reply #3 on: September 27, 2014, 08:19:20 pm
     The tubes are not faulty. If the shop put it at 36 with their gauge, then you checked it at 25 with your gauge, I would wait a while and recheck with your gauge. If the pressure stays around 25 then either their gauge or yours are off. Maybe even both! When I was racing I used 2 gauges and averaged them.
     If it is losing air that fast, then you have to inspect this tube and the tire with a magnifying glass. A small needle or shard of glass stuck in the tire can put a too small to find hole in the tube.
     Other issues can be related to installation. Tubes can be pinched, or the valve stem area can be damaged or twisted, perhaps being partially pulled out from the tube.
     You may just have a loose valve core. We usually remove it to ease tire installation and seating. You might try tightening it before you do anything else.
     The Enfield tubes are natural rubber. They lose air quicker than  butyl tubes, but not that fast.
     Check the valve core, then the other things I suggested.


Desi Bike

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Reply #4 on: September 27, 2014, 09:25:12 pm
Also check for sharp spoke ends inside to rim that may be poking through the rim tape while you have it all apart
میں نہیں چاہتا کہ ایک اچار
میں صرف اپنی موٹر سائیکل پر سوار کرنا چاہتے ہیں


no bs

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Reply #5 on: September 28, 2014, 03:42:32 am
if the cause of the deflation isn't obvious(nail protruding,etc.), try running a soft cloth inside the tire case. it will catch on sometimes invisible foreign objects.
killing bugs since 1972 2011 g5 deluxe frankenbullet


High On Octane

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Reply #6 on: September 28, 2014, 04:19:53 am
if the cause of the deflation isn't obvious(nail protruding,etc.), try running a soft cloth inside the tire case. it will catch on sometimes invisible foreign objects.


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adi-4004

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Reply #7 on: September 28, 2014, 04:45:22 am
Have been thinking about this a lot. Could it be that the service person put the the same old tube in instead of the new spare? Does this happen?

I will be checking the inside of the tire to check for invisible foreign objects. And also checking the inner tube again.

BTW the valve core is good. I checked.
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GreenMachine

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Reply #8 on: September 28, 2014, 02:54:46 pm
Shop may have nicked it...Did u watch them replace the tube? Were they gentle working the spoons around the bead with the new tube installed?  Try what Vince and the others suggest as the only other way is to pull the tube again...Been there/done that...Those stock enfield tubes are pretty tough IMO...You might want to see if if your local bicycle shop can do the job too as one here seem to be willing if I brought the tire/hub to them..Their not much larger than some mountain bikes anyway...GM
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suitcasejefferson

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Reply #9 on: September 29, 2014, 01:00:39 am
I have always replaced my own tires (hundreds of them) I have more flats than normal according to the forums I belong to. In fact I'm a little surprised that I have 3200 miles on the Enfield and have not had a flat. I always carry everything needed to fix flats on the road.

I'd say the two most likely causes are either the valve stem is leaking, or whatever caused the first flat is still stuck in the tire, and punctured the new tube. There is also a possibility that there is a spoke end sticking past the nipple that could have punctured it. Had that happen to me on dirt bikes.

The spare tubes that come with Enfields seem to be excellent quality, at least twice as thick as name brand tubes.


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no bs

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Reply #10 on: September 29, 2014, 08:55:39 pm
for what it's worth, i've had exactly 2 flats on motorcycle tires in 40+ years, both on the rear.
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barenekd

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Reply #11 on: September 29, 2014, 10:23:40 pm
I used the same tubes over and over in most of my bikes. Sometimes they'd get done in by a puncture and sometimes I'd just patch those and keep on truckin'. I have been known on occasion to pinch one while changing it. then I'm a dumbass and have to get a new tube. Bad tubes are a real rarity, even the Enfield ones are good. There's something else going on if you're having air falling out of your tires!
As i mentioned in another thread, make sure your tires are getting talcum powder put in them when you change them. It like lube on cables, it improves tube life immensely. The tubes don't get chafed because they can move around as needed in the tire.
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Sectorsteve

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Reply #12 on: September 30, 2014, 05:36:24 am
get it fixed by someone who really knows what they are doing. problem solved. enfield tubes are solid.


Desi Bike

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Reply #13 on: October 01, 2014, 03:27:37 am
What did they find was the issue?
میں نہیں چاہتا کہ ایک اچار
میں صرف اپنی موٹر سائیکل پر سوار کرنا چاہتے ہیں


Catbird

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Reply #14 on: October 02, 2014, 01:27:01 am
I had a different experience with my 2013 RE Military.  At less than 500 miles, I noticed that my front tire had lost a substantial amount of air pressure.  After removing the wheel/tire from the bike, I discovered that the stock tube had indeed failed.  There was an air leak right where the rubber base of the valve stem was joined to the rubber of the tube.  I located the pin-hole leak by submerging the tube in water and observed the steady flow of air bubbles.

There was no obvious cause of the tube failure; I am absolutely certain that it was a manufacturing defect.  I simply replaced the leaking tube with the spare tube supplied by the dealer and all has been fine since then.
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Sectorsteve

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Reply #15 on: October 02, 2014, 01:36:11 am
tubes are tubes, who cares! tubes are the least of our worries.


suitcasejefferson

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Reply #16 on: October 02, 2014, 01:50:17 am
I have never used powder on tubes, because I use a lot of tire mounting lube on the tire. It makes the tire so slippery that it just about jumps on the rim by itself.  I have pinched a couple of tubes, on dirt bikes, mostly from being in a hurry. I have been riding on the street for 39 years, and have averaged about one flat a year. I do get noticeably more flats with tube type tires than tubeless.

What I noticed about tubes, is that when one gets punctured, whatever punctured it wiggles around and cuts the tube to shreds before you get stopped, making them unpatchable most of the time. I always carry spare tubes.

There is a big difference in tubes. The normal stock tubes in most bikes are paper thin. The Enfield comes with thicker tubes. I have 4mm thick tubes in my dual sport bike. That's four times as thick as a standard tube. Almost as thick as the tire. They have noticeably reduced off road flats, and can sometimes even be repaired

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/864/311/Bridgestone-Ultra-Heavy-Duty-Motorcycle-Tube?term=tubes%20heavy%20duty
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mattsz

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Reply #17 on: October 02, 2014, 11:05:37 am
tubes are tubes, who cares! tubes are the least of our worries.

As long as they're holding the air in...  ;)


adi-4004

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Reply #18 on: October 03, 2014, 03:51:17 am
Well this is embarrassing... there was nothing wrong with the tube/tire/bike. It was a human error.

Here is what happened. I checked pressure. It was way below what I expected. There is a good reason why this happened (but that is a different story). So I removed the tire, inflated it and monitored it by checking pressure regularly. Saw that the tire was steadily losing pressure over a day or more. This is what made me think the tube was the problem.

What was really happening was it was losing air when I was checking pressure. The tube was fine all the time. I had no idea that the drop in pressure would be ~1-2psi for every pressure check. The pressure gauge I have does have a long hose. That probably explains the higher pressure drops.

I remember learning is school that the act of measuring something effects the thing being measured. I don't remember if this phenomenon has a name.
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suitcasejefferson

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Reply #19 on: October 03, 2014, 05:25:18 pm
Checking pressure will always result in a pressure drop, no matter what you use to check it with. I have a small air compressor that runs on both 12V and 120V. It has a digital readout. I use it to check pressure. I put a couple psi too much in, because you loose that much when removing the hose.

The same thing happens when you pour oil, especially thick oil, like gear oil, into something. If you use a measuring cup, and fill it up to the exact amount, then pour it in, quite a bit of the oil will remain stuck to the inside of the cup and funnel if you used one. You have to compensate for that with a little extra oil. I'm so picky about it that when I mix up a gallon of 2 stroke premix form one of those little bottles, I pour some some gas into the "empty" bottle, then shake it, to get the oil out that stuck to the inside of the bottle.

I used to work on A/C units, and knew "professionals" who just couldn't wait to "throw the gauges on a unit" This is a serious mistake. Not only are you going to lose some refrigerant, you also risk contaminating the system. Gauges should ONLY be used when it is obvious they are necessary.
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Craig McClure

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Reply #20 on: October 05, 2014, 04:23:51 am
Over the past few years on several bikes, I have had more than the usual number of valve core failures on inner-tubed wheels. like everything else these days, maybe valve cores are getting cheesier?
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