by Ron Schmidt
Preface: Probably the most likely failure you will ever have on a well-maintained BMW motorcycle is a flat tire. This seminar will cover: (1) ways to minimize your chances for a flat to begin with, and (2) how to repair the tire if it is repairable.
How Best To Avoid Tire Punctures
Motorcycles have a far greater chance of having a flat on the rear tire than they do on the front. Here’s why. Most things that can puncture tires, such as nails or shards of glass, typically lie flat on the road. The front tire usually rolls over the object with no damage. However, when the object is disturbed by the front tire, the sharp object will often flip up. So, the object will then be in a position to puncture the rear tire.
Here are a few tips on how to avoid having tire punctures:
1) Stop riding your BMW. This is highly effective but not desirable.
2) Keep your eyes on the road. This sounds like a given, but it is amazing how often we have customers tell us that they did not see the item they ran over, even when it was big enough that they should have seen it.
3) Stay out of the curb areas of the road. Most of the debris is finally pushed over to the curbs or side of the road by the cars. They are the war zone for tires!
4) Do not ride in the center of the lane. That is the second most likely place for debris to be. Also, that is the most slippery part of the lane because that is where cars drip.
5) Make a debris guard. Cut a piece of heavy rubber material (mud flap material is ideal) about 8 inches wide and long enough to just drag on the ground. Zip tie it to the bottom of the bike somewhere (off the centerstand is a great place) between the front and rear tire. It will knock down the objects that the front tire flips up. Most of the time the rear tire will also then roll right over the object without damage. This is a an ugly thing to do to your beautiful BMW, but it really works well.
Repairing Tires, General Information
The best tire repair is accomplished by using a phone and having a tow truck take your BMW to a shop to get it repaired. Even the best road-side repair is not much fun at all.
The use of canned liquid tire repair is not recommended. If you do resort to this, please understand that it is only temporary, it seldom works, and once used you can never put a good plug in the tire, so you will have to purchase a new tire. Additionally, once the goop is in the tire, you will ruin your tire gauge if you check the pressure because the goop will plug the gauge.
NOTE: If you do use liquid tire repair, PLEASE let us know that you have done so when you bring the tire in to have it replaced. The mess it makes of our equipment if we are not aware of it takes an hour to clean up. We will not smile.
Repaired tubeless tires or patched inner tubes should generally be considered a temporary repair to get you on the road only until a proper repair or replacement can be accomplished.
BMW suggests that tubeless tires repaired with BMW plugs should not be ridden over 37 MPH or further than 250 miles, and that tires repaired in that manner be replaced. Most tire manufacturers also state that any repaired tire should only be used at slow speeds and for limited distances.
It has been our finding that in many circumstances, a properly repaired tubeless tire can be reliable and used for the remaining tread life. This takes into account such variables as: where the puncture is; the size of the puncture; and how much damage was done to the tire by being ridden with low pressure before the tire was repaired. If the puncture is not in the center of the tread, is over 5mm in diameter, or there is any sign of tire damage from running at low pressure we strongly suggest you replace the damaged and/or repaired tire as soon as possible.
A patched inner tube should be replaced as soon as possible and the tire should be rebalanced.
Part of any repair includes the need to re-inflate the tire after the repair has been made. The two most often used methods of accomplishing this are: (a) CO2 cartridges, or (b) an air pump. If you rely on the CO2 cartridges, we recommend a CO2 cartridge holder with a variable valve.
Pumps can be either manual or electric. Quality manual pumps are often too big to practically carry, although some of the high-end bicycle pumps are small and excellent, providing you are in good enough physical shape to use them! The electric pumps are wonderful and are available in small packages. We have found that The Cycle Pump is the best on the market for bike use. It also has a nifty gauge that plugs in-line to the tire valve. If you ride a GS, get The Cycle Pump. If you plan on using the pump for emergencies only the Slime Pump or something like it will get you by.
CO2 cartridges are small to carry, but the least effective. It will take many of them to provide the necessary pressure to re-seat a tube-type tire or bring a repaired tubeless tire up to optimum pressure. They are great for emergencies though. As to size of package, when you put 5-6 of these in a bag plus the holder, they take up as much room as the Slime Pump.
Repairing a Tube-type Tire
Tools needed: (a) Correct wrench and other tools to remove the wheel from the bike; (b) tool to brake the bead of the tire; (c) tire irons to remove tire from rim; (d) tube patch kit or spare tube; (e) air pump or CO2 cartridges; and, (f) air gauge.
Tube type tire repair is a drag even in the best situations. You will need to remove the wheel from the motorcycle, break the bead and either patch the tube or replace it.
We will not discuss how to remove the wheel because each model may be different, and to cover each would take more time than we can maintain your attention. Please refer to your owner’s manual for your particular bike.
Once you have the wheel off, you will need to break the bead to access the inner tube. This will be very hard to do without a bead breaking tool. Jim Heise of Heise Engineering here in Salt Lake City makes the most clever bead breaker kit we have ever seen. The kit includes tire irons which will be needed to remove the tire. The instructions for use of the kit are included and are very easy to follow.
You will also need a tube repair kit. If your BMW no longer has one we can fix you up, or your can buy one at any automotive parts store.
Follow these simple steps:
1) Remove the wheel.
2) Break the bead on both sides of the tire using Jim’s super cool tool.
3) Remove one side of the tire from the rim. This is easier if you put some soap or something else slippery on the tire bead. Work around the tire, prying up only 1 or 2 inches of the bead at a time until the tire bead is off the rim.
4) Extricate the tube.
5) Inspect the tube. Look carefully at the valve stem where it connects to the tube. Often, the valve stem will be torn. If that is the case you will have to replace the tube; there is no fix for it. If the stem is ok, locate the hole in the tube. If it is small enough to patch, proceed with the patch kit, using the instructions provided with the kit. Using a new tube is always the best fix.
6) Align the punctured tube with the tire to determine where the puncture was. Chances are good that the item that punctured the tube is still stuck in the tire. If you do not remove it, you will re-puncture the tube and get to do the whole job again. By then, you will probably be ready to light the motorcycle on fire and use it as a flare so someone can come and find you. Be careful as you remove the item that punctured the tire because it will be sharp! Put a patch on the inside of the tire to cover the punctured hole.
7) Inflate the tube with just enough air to get it beyond the flat stage to be sure your patch holds.
8 ) Deflate the new or repaired tube and slip the stem into the hole in the rim. Install the tube into the tire. Make sure the tube is laying in the tire evenly and without folds.
9) Using the tire irons, pry the bead back onto the rim an inch or two at a time. Be VERY careful not to pinch the tube with the tire iron!
10) Inflate the tire to proper pressure.
11) Reinstall wheel per owner’s manual.
12) Recheck tire pressure. If it is still ok, go ride. If it is flat, start over; pay particular attention to instructions # 6, 7 and 8!
13) Recheck tire pressure after about 15 miles. If the pressure is still OK, continue to your destination. Note that the pressure should be higher than when you checked it after the repair because of the heat generated in the tire from riding the bike.
Repairing a Tubeless Tire
Tools needed: (a) Tire plug kit; (b) air pump or CO2 cartridges; (c) air gauge.
Tubeless tire repair can be made in three basic manners: (a) Use of the BMW plug kit, (b) use of a Stop & Go style plug, or (c) use of a Plug Patch. The first two can be done on the road. The Plug Patch requires removal of the tire from the rim to accomplish and is therefore not a realistic roadside repair. The Stop & Go brand plugs are a much better repair than the BMW plug, and under the best circumstances can be considered a permanent repair. The BMW plugs will often tear if being installed in a belted tire, which will render the repair useless. The Stop & Go brand kit protects the plug as it is being inserted, so it is useful on all tubeless tire types. It is also MUCH easier and faster to use than the BMW plug system. The Stop & Go Pocket Tire Plugger takes up much less room than the gun style Stop & Go Tire Plugger, uses exactly the same plugs and protecting technology, and is only slightly more effort to use. The gun type is the very easiest and fastest one to use, but takes up more space in your tool kit. The Plug Patch can be considered a permanent repair and is the very best way to repair a tubeless tire. The Tire Plugger kit will fit into the case of electric tire pump.
There is no need to remove the wheel from the motorcycle to repair a tubeless tire if you are using the BMW plugs or a Stop & Go brand plug. Do make sure that the bike is stable on its stand because you will be pushing on it some. If you have a friend with you, have them help stabilize the bike while standing there laughing at your poor fortune.
Follow these simple steps:
1) Find the puncture hole. If it is near the center of the tread, proceed with the repair. If it is in the sidewall, the repair will not be safe. Do not attempt to repair it!
2) Use the probe/reamer supplied in the repair kit to size and clean the hole. If the hole is smaller than 5 mm you should be able to repair it. If it is much larger than 5mm, or it is a slit rather than a hole, the repair will not be reliable.
3) Follow the instruction provided with the plug kit you are using.
4) Inflate the tire to the correct pressure.
5) Wait 10 minutes and recheck the pressure. If it is OK, go ride. If not OK, check plug or pull out the cell phone and make the call.
6) Recheck tire pressure after about 15 miles. If the pressure is still OK, continue to your destination. Note that the pressure should be higher than when you checked it after the repair because of the heat generated by the tire while riding.
