Keeping the Rubber Rolling
Avoiding, & Recovering from, Punctures
by R. Bruce Thomas
Knowing how to plug/change your tires makes it easier to keep moving if you find yourself where wind turbines outnumber retail shops.
When I started seriously touring and putting down big kilometers I got a bit of a rude awakening. Getting a set of two tires installed on my Honda ST1300 at the shop cost as much as four new tires on my Honda Civic – and the tires on the Civic would last up to 10 times the distance! A friend of mine had a No-Mar Tire Changer in his garage and I went to his place a couple times when I needed new donuts. The problem now was that Tim lives 3 hours away so, again, not the best solution. I didn't have space for the full-size tire changing system that Tim had so bought a Cycle Hill Tire Changer and Wheel Balancer and have changed my own tires, as well as those of many friends, ever since.
Finding balance
One confounding aspect of tire changing is often referred to as the dark art of static balancing the wheels. Sometimes you are done in five minutes and sometimes it takes much longer. Before departing on a 17 day trip in August 2023 I mounted a new set of tires and could not get the rear tire to balance no matter how many weights I put on it or where. I gave up and broke the beads and spun the tire 180 degrees (this brand does not mark the lighter side of their tires like some manufacturers do) and then used all the tricks I know but couldn't get the beads to seat again. I called Shane in the service department at Honda Extreme here in Edmonton and he said it was no problem if I brought the wheel in.
When I got there, Darren asked if I wanted traditional balancing or if I would be interested in dynamic liquid balancing. I didn't think I had a preference and Darren was back in no time with the tire mounted and told me he had installed Ride-On Tire Sealant & Balancer and gave me a pamphlet for the product. The bike felt perfect on the road and I couldn't discern any difference from a wheel with weights. The balancing component seemed to be functioning.
Just like a volcano
Eight days later I was cruising around Salt Lake City on I-215 at 125 km/hr when my TPMS started flashing and indicating that my rear tire was losing air. Tire pressure had exceeded 50 PSI on this hot day and it was now dropping below 40. I moved to the right lane and slowed, but the tire settled at 36 PSI so I continued the 16 kilometers to my hotel in South Jordan where I found a piece of metal about the size of my little fingernail embedded in the tire. When I pulled the metal out of the tire some of the orange Ride-On liquid spurted out of the hole. And then it stopped. Hmmm, the sealant component seemed to be working, proving that our tires, like the Capulin Volcano in New Mexico, are much nicer when everything stays inside.
Ever since my first long distance ride to Northern California with two buddies in 1981 I have carried a Stop & Go tire repair kit which came in handy on that trip when I got a nail in my tire near Crescent City. In the years since, I have used gummy worms and tire sealant liquids to repair tires for others but I have never had another puncture while riding my own bike. Since I was unfamiliar with the Ride-On product I pulled out my Stop & Go Pocket Tire Plugger kit and installed a mushroom plug in the hole.
Moving the air
While there are many new, cordless, rechargeable tire pumps I am a little old-fashioned and carry a manual Biker's Dream tire pump (one less item to remember to recharge) as well as an electric Slime tire pump. I used the former to pump the tire up to 42 PSI and went for a ride South on I-15. While the tire seemed to be holding pressure I had a few concerns. In the morning I was to head off into the barren areas of Southeastern Utah. How would the plug handle the gravel road to Muley Point and on the twisting descent of the Moki Dugway? My trip would then take me across New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma, with the weather along the route forecast to remain in the high 30's to mid-40 degree range. I do carry an umbrella (not just for rain) and lots of water but did not relish the thought of further tire problems in these conditions. Plus, this was Thursday afternoon before the Labour Day long weekend meaning if I could find a shop their hours may be very limited.
Excellent service on the road
I had noticed the Honda World dealership not far from my hotel so pulled in after my plugged tire test run. Jason greeted me in the Service Department and took me over to Parts to see if they had a tire in stock that would work for me. When the answer was that they did not, Jason and his fellow service writer Daniel took to the phones and called nearby dealers to see if they could find me a tire. Their search paid off but the dealer who had the tire did not have time to replace it for me. Since I carry the tools necessary to remove my wheels, Kenji, the Shop Manager at Honda World, said if I picked up the new tire and removed the rear wheel he would have one of his guys change the tire for me. Done! Kenji even brought his torque wrench out to make sure the bolts were tightened to spec once I reinstalled the wheel and I was able to continue my trip with minor inconvenience and no major delay.
When I got back home I returned to Honda Extreme and bought a few bottles of Ride-On as I would soon be changing tires again before another big trip. Needless to say, I'm very impressed with the product and, depending on circumstances, won't be in such a rush in the future to swap a damaged tire that has Ride-On installed.
Takeaways
Carry tools and know how to use them, carry a means to repair a flat OR use Ride-On Tire Sealant & Balancer in your tires (or both), carry something (tire pump, cartridge system...) so you can inflate your tires, have a tire pressure gauge or a tire pressure monitoring system on your bike, carry water and an umbrella in case you are stuck on the side of the road for hours.
Ride responsibly, and often