Tyres and how to avoid puncture(s)

Philip Smith

Forum User
VOC Member
Hello- So there you are getting set to ride across the UK on your pride and joy- what precautions do you take to avoid being sidelined by a puncture ? I ask the question because in September I will be doing a John O'G to Lands End Run, with Bob Fisher of the Vintage M C Club- around 1,300 miles in total, including getting to the start and then getting home again. Any advice on what to put in the tyre before setting off- some web sites suggest pre-filling the tube with chemicals that wash around inside while riding and then when the nail arrives, and you take it out the "goo" seeks out the hole and fills it.

Any other suggestions ?

Thanks-
 

Peter Holmes

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Hello- So there you are getting set to ride across the UK on your pride and joy- what precautions do you take to avoid being sidelined by a puncture ? I ask the question because in September I will be doing a John O'G to Lands End Run, with Bob Fisher of the Vintage M C Club- around 1,300 miles in total, including getting to the start and then getting home again. Any advice on what to put in the tyre before setting off- some web sites suggest pre-filling the tube with chemicals that wash around inside while riding and then when the nail arrives, and you take it out the "goo" seeks out the hole and fills it.

Any other suggestions ?

Thanks-
All pretty straightforward really, new or newish good tyres, new good quality inner tubes, I always carry spares of both sizes on a long journey, and I had occasion to use one of them last year, whilst you have the tyres off the rims check for protruding spokes, rim lock bolts to stop tyre creep, the rest is down to good fortune, I have seen "slime" and other self sealing products but have always steered away from them, I guess you could also try those inflating aerosol cans that inflate the tyre and seal it but I am not sure that they work with tube type tyres.
 
Last edited:

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
, I guess you could also try those inflating aerosol cans that inflate the tyre and seal it but I not sure that they work with tube type tyres.

Oh yes they do! always carry them on the long distance trials no time to stop and mend a puncture -and since the avaerage has to be low anyway a reduced speed is Ok
once I did Frome to lands end and back off and on road. be careful where you carry it one year I straped it to the side of the bike carrered off a stone wall and covered a row of spectators in the creme. as I continued up the section
I of course did not see it ,But I was told later
 

Albervin

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
The previous owner of my Series A put some goop in the rear tyre. What it did was clog the tyre valve so every time I tried to pump up the tyres this green slime oozed everywhere. In the end I had a flat tyre an no way of pumping it up :-( Problem solved with a high pressure pump but then I ripped the old tyre and tube off and have not re-filled with slime.
 

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Just to be clear green slime or gloop is a pre puncture item not the best idea I agree
Finilec and similar is an after the event item sometime its goto be addressed by a tyre removal anyway
diferent problems different 'solutions' (scuse the pun)
 

Howard

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thanks Tim, always good to hear first hand experience. I carried a can of tyre inflator/sealer for years and never had to use it (see, it works) then someone in the tyre world told me they were useless, so I stopped carrying it. After that, I had 2 punctures in 6 months (both club night) and had to trailer the Egli home to fix it. I'll have to get another can, if only for club night.

H
 

yorchie

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
google search: "michelin heavy duty motorcycle tubes". No fun installing but will give you piece of mind on your next moto foray. Thousands of miles using them offroad and will last a lifetime in street bike application.
 

johnmead

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Back before they made all of the tire goop stuff, we would mount a piece of aluminum from the bottom of the RFM, the width of the rear tire so it hung down to @ 2 inches off of the ground. Why, you ask...It seems that almost all tire punctures happen to the rear tire. This is because the front tire, as it runs over a nail laying in the road, tends to make said nail stand up and before it falls again the rear tire gets it.

The aluminum piece knocks the nail down so it doesn't get punctured.

John Mead
 

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
How I looked for a genuine nail catcher for the front mudguard of my 52 Trophy
not one in sight after a year looking and not even a dimensioned picture or drawing
bit like trying to find a working amstrad PC...
 

Jim Richardson

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I normally carry a tin of finelec, but I did once have a can go off in the top box, took a while to clean up, but the top box doesnt leak any more.
 
Top