recently returned from guatemala / belize / mexico

[PhantomRider3@aol.com]

I finally had an opportunity to go ride yesterday. Nothing much, just a couple errands and a trip to Home Depot. I wasn't more than 15 minutes inside HD (a record time for me) and I walk out to see my moto was taking a nap in the parking lot. I thought it was strange since it usually sleeps standing. It was a VERY windy day and I figured it was just blown over. I picked her up and the guy next to me said "hey, you got a flat." Craaaaaaaaap! I finally get a ride in and now I have to fix a flat. Yes, I made a video how to do it but I never said I was very good at it. I push the bike to the back of the building and start at it. I easily found the tiny metal bit and removed it. My mistakes: I didn't know how my Moose hand pump worked and I only carried ONE air cylinder. I wasted lots of time trying to figure the thing out. I almost lost my dust cap and spacer since I wasn't careful when I started to unseat the bead. Tips that might help others: I was unsure about the time needed for the glue to set up for my patch kit. I took an extra patch, cut it in half and glued the 2 pieces together as a test to see how things were bonding. Carry paper towels to clean up the dirt that will get on stuff. My latex gloves saved me from putting greasy hands back in my fancy Gore-Tex riding gloves. Learned: I need more practice changing tires As the back tire pressue escapes with the side stand deployed, the bike goes very upright, falls down and go boom. Lucky... Bike didn't fall onto another person or car Didn't blow out on the road Nuth'n broke I had all the parts and pieces to fix it Didn't have to remove the tube, just the cut part. It was dry, sunny and only a little cold I didn't have the bike loaded up with camping gear Last note: I went to one of the Home Depot guys driving a lift truck in the back. I asked if they had a compressor I could use to fill my tire. He said "NO!" and was absolutely no help. NO one asked if I was OK or if I needed help. I'd guess about 8 people saw me and no one offered assistance. I wasn't able to get enough pressure in the tire for the bead to seat at Homo Dep.. I did a huge no no and rode with an unseated tire to a gas station. I rode slow, stayed to the far side of the rode and waved people by me until I got where I needed. They let me use the air hose for free there. Thanks to the list for all I have learned. I hope these comments will add value to someone, someday. Jay Phantomrider3@... Beverly, MA (about 25 miles north of Boston, on the coast) '85 BMW K100 RS, '72 Yamaha CT1 175, Y2K Kawasaki KLR 650 Toss me an email to to purchase my KLR Valve Adjustment and Tire Change VIDEO. Only 19.95 (4.00 S&H), Ah bahgin (MA speak for a great deal). You can see stills from the actual video and all my nutty crazy mods at http://2wheelerjay.tripod.com/jaysworldofinvention/

[dooden]

Is'nt that sad... Home Depot... ya know place were "men" go to get manly things.. and not one single person would even offer help.. Goes into the same line that Jim Sherlock talks about kinda, that most people have been bred to be self centered buttwipes thesedays. I would have been there to help, weather loading bike into truck or at least running wheel to air tank or something. Broken down car I might just keep going, at least in a city, just because there are so many weird people out there, but have been known to stop along the road in the middle of nowhere ( its all like that here, since I live in da U.P. eh) and check on a somebody at the side of the road, in the middle of the night, cause frankly the next street light or phone might be 10 miles in pitch black. Bikes are pretty easy to load up and at least take somewhere, did that couple months back, leaving city dump already had tandom trailer on the back of the truck, see a kid pushing a little Honda XR, at first was just going to let him push it, strange logic somehow when I noticed he appeared to be riding without a helmet, that strange logic gave way to common sense about 15 seconds later. Back up and talk to him a bit, had a rear flat, his sister already took his helmet home on the 4 wheeler, since the compressor was useless to him (must have had a really big hole), his dad was at work, the kid choose to push the bike via the pavement vice the trails since there was lots of sand between there and his house. Anyhow drop the gate on the trailer and lift his bike up and tie it down, kid is really tired, just talking with him, find out he is like 12 yrs old, stopped along the trail and helped a small bird that was in trouble, and keep pushing his bike. Drive him and his bike home and remove from the trailer, tell this kid to call his parents and tell them he his home, since he did'nt know if his sister had called them or not and she was not home at that time. Bottom line, if I did'nt help that kid, that would have ate at me like a cancer. I guess living by big cities and having to worry about weird people and car jackers and such (wife got carjacked once at knife point, thankfully that guy just wanted a ride, when he got close to where he wanted to go, he took her keys and tossed them into bushes and left) just took 15 seconds to clear my head. You city slickers can have your cities, im back to stay up here eh.. I like a town where the fancy shopping is at Walmart, or Menards.. But rumor has it Home Depot is attempting to setup a store too. Dooden

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., PhantomRider3@a... wrote: > I finally had an opportunity to go ride yesterday. Nothing much, just a > couple errands and a trip to Home Depot. I wasn't more than 15 minutes > inside HD (a record time for me) and I walk out to see my moto was taking a > nap in the parking lot. I thought it was strange since it usually sleeps > standing. It was a VERY windy day and I figured it was just blown over. I > picked her up and the guy next to me said "hey, you got a flat." > > Craaaaaaaaap! I finally get a ride in and now I have to fix a flat. Yes, I > made a video how to do it but I never said I was very good at it. > > I push the bike to the back of the building and start at it. I easily found > the tiny metal bit and removed it. > > My mistakes: > I didn't know how my Moose hand pump worked and I only carried ONE air > cylinder. I wasted lots of time trying to figure the thing out. > I almost lost my dust cap and spacer since I wasn't careful when I started to > unseat the bead. > > Tips that might help others: > I was unsure about the time needed for the glue to set up for my patch kit. > I took an extra patch, cut it in half and glued the 2 pieces together as a > test to see how things were bonding. > Carry paper towels to clean up the dirt that will get on stuff. > My latex gloves saved me from putting greasy hands back in my fancy Gore-Tex > riding gloves. > > Learned: > I need more practice changing tires > As the back tire pressue escapes with the side stand deployed, the bike goes > very upright, falls down and go boom. > > Lucky... > Bike didn't fall onto another person or car > Didn't blow out on the road > Nuth'n broke > I had all the parts and pieces to fix it > Didn't have to remove the tube, just the cut part. > It was dry, sunny and only a little cold > I didn't have the bike loaded up with camping gear > > Last note: > I went to one of the Home Depot guys driving a lift truck in the back. I > asked if they had a compressor I could use to fill my tire. He said "NO!" > and was absolutely no help. NO one asked if I was OK or if I needed help. > I'd guess about 8 people saw me and no one offered assistance. I wasn't able > to get enough pressure in the tire for the bead to seat at Homo Dep.. I did > a huge no no and rode with an unseated tire to a gas station. I rode slow, > stayed to the far side of the rode and waved people by me until I got where I > needed. They let me use the air hose for free there. > > Thanks to the list for all I have learned. I hope these comments will add > value to someone, someday. > > Jay > Phantomrider3@a... > Beverly, MA (about 25 miles north of Boston, on the coast) > '85 BMW K100 RS, '72 Yamaha CT1 175, Y2K Kawasaki KLR 650 > > Toss me an email to to purchase my KLR Valve Adjustment and Tire Change > VIDEO. Only 19.95 (4.00 S&H), Ah bahgin (MA speak for a great deal). You > can see stills from the actual video and all my nutty crazy mods at > http://2wheelerjay.tripod.com/jaysworldofinvention/

[gpokluda]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., PhantomRider3@a... wrote:

>... finally get a ride in and now I have to fix a flat. Yes, I > made a video how to do it but I never said I was very good at it. > > I push the bike to the back of the building and start at it. I

easily found

> the tiny metal bit and removed it.

At least you were able to fix it. I'm amazed at how many riders, who would never think about driving a cage without a spare tire, hop on a motorcycle without even carrying a tire repair kit. The key to tire repair, as with any other aspect of motorcycling, is practice and experience. Build a bike specific tool kit and carry it with you at all times and do all of your maintenance with that tool kit when possible. Gino Whose Ural Patrol has a spare wheel/tire, thank you very much.

[monahanwb]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "gpokluda" wrote:

> Gino > Whose Ural Patrol has a spare wheel/tire, thank you very much.

Gino, just curious.....does the extra wheel on the Patrol fit all three corners?

[dooden]

Gino, gotta admit the Ural Patrol is a cool looking bike and have a feeling someday I might even find room for one. I guess anything that is not normal I like or something, could be why when it was time to pick "a" bike I got the KLR, looks different and does things that I needed it to do. Dooden

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "gpokluda" wrote: > --- In DSN_klr650@y..., PhantomRider3@a... wrote: > >... finally get a ride in and now I have to fix a flat. Yes, I > > made a video how to do it but I never said I was very good at it. > > > > I push the bike to the back of the building and start at it. I > easily found > > the tiny metal bit and removed it. > > At least you were able to fix it. I'm amazed at how many riders, who > would never think about driving a cage without a spare tire, hop on a > motorcycle without even carrying a tire repair kit. The key to tire > repair, as with any other aspect of motorcycling, is practice and > experience. Build a bike specific tool kit and carry it with you at > all times and do all of your maintenance with that tool kit when > possible. > > Gino > Whose Ural Patrol has a spare wheel/tire, thank you very much.

[Don Dotson]

--- PhantomRider3@... wrote:

> > Learned: > I need more practice changing tires

What I learned during my first tire flat, (40 miles from another carbon based life form) was get real tire irons. The six inch ones just leave ya wishing you had the longer ones and cause you too spit out fowl language. don Utah ===== __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com

[gpokluda]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "monahanwb" wrote:

> --- In DSN_klr650@y..., "gpokluda" wrote: > > Gino > > Whose Ural Patrol has a spare wheel/tire, thank you very much. > > Gino, just curious.....does the extra wheel on the Patrol fit all > three corners?

Since the Ural uses drum brakes, they splined all of the drums on the wheels to fit as a drive wheel and they simply have the drums setup so that a wheel will fit any axle. They also use a non- directional tire. They actually recommend rotating the tires/wheels on the sidecar bikes. Gino

[gpokluda]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., "gpokluda" wrote:

> --- In DSN_klr650@y..., "monahanwb" wrote: > > --- In DSN_klr650@y..., "gpokluda" wrote: > > > Gino > > > Whose Ural Patrol has a spare wheel/tire, thank you very much. > > > > Gino, just curious.....does the extra wheel on the Patrol fit

all

> > three corners? > > Since the Ural uses drum brakes, they splined all of the drums on > the wheels to fit as a drive wheel and they simply have the drums > setup so that a wheel will fit any axle. They also use a non- > directional tire. They actually recommend rotating the

tires/wheels

> on the sidecar bikes. > > Gino

One more note is that they use spacerless mounting on the wheels. The axle has the spacer built into it so there is no worries of losing spacers. gino

[Fred Hink]

Be sure to ask Gino about that mysterious one armed stranger who was changing tires at Arrowhead Motorsports using those short tire levers. Fred

----- Original Message ----- From: "don dotson" To: ; DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 9:23 AM Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] Tire change story > > --- PhantomRider3@... wrote: > > > > > Learned: > > I need more practice changing tires > > What I learned during my first tire flat, (40 miles > from another carbon based life form) was get real tire > irons. The six inch ones just leave ya wishing you > had the longer ones and cause you too spit out fowl > language. > don > Utah

[Judson D. Jones]

--- In DSN_klr650@y..., PhantomRider3@a... wrote:

> > I went to one of the Home Depot guys driving a lift truck in the

back. I

> asked if they had a compressor I could use to fill my tire. He

said "NO!"

> and was absolutely no help. NO one asked if I was OK or if I

needed help.

> I'd guess about 8 people saw me and no one offered

assistance. I wasn't able

> to get enough pressure in the tire for the bead to seat at Homo

Dep.. I did

> a huge no no and rode with an unseated tire to a gas station. I

rode slow,

> stayed to the far side of the rode and waved people by me until

I got where I

> needed. They let me use the air hose for free there. > > Thanks to the list for all I have learned. I hope these

comments will add

> value to someone, someday. >

I guess I'm surprised that no one stopped or offered help. Either I or a riding partner has been down with a flat four times in the last three years, and every time, someone has stopped to offer aid, from the gas drillers in Spotted Horse who offered to throw Craig's GS on their truck, to the member of the Bond Slaves MC who helped me fix a flat betwen Pierre and Sturgis, to the guys from Pierre who stopped after my first patch failed five miles down the road, to Jim Peterson, an employee of Andy Goldfine's, who lent a hand when my KLR went flat in West Duluth after the trials. (This last was only after a couple of other west Duluthers recognized the Aerostich riding gear and just stopped to tell us what an evil guy Andy is. I guess he must have fired them, or never hired them). Or the Mormon family in Pincher Creek who put up me, my wife and a buddy for the night after his Honda 750 got a flat just around sundown. Then there was the repair shop owner in Chamberlain, who rode out from town to lend me a multimeter. I had gone into a store to use the phone, so he just left the meter with my bike when he couldn't find me. I generally find that people are willing to help a motorcyclist on the road, but am sometimes astonished at the lengths they are willing to go to.