rear flat/almost crashed...!!!

[scorpakid]

less than half mile from my home on way to work this morning... i had the fastest rear puncture ive ever had in 38 yrs of biking..... (x8-400)

me rear tyre went pan flat in about .000005 of a second...and the tyre unseated off the bead/edge of rim... causing me to hang the rear end out and fishtail to the gutter..... in the dark and heavy rain.... dont ya just LOVE biking...! luckily nothing behind me and only a half mile downhill push back to home....

what i would like to alert fellow maxi scooterist to..... i fitted they tyre myself... i have done hundreds with no trouble...pump up to 70-80 psi make sure bead seated correctly etc....then deflate to 36 psi

the only thing i can think of i did differently this time....when i fitted this tyre i couldnt get the tyre to just seal so the air could inflate it up...i usually tighten a heavy ratchett strap round the tyre and it seals no prob then high pressure seats it correctly....

this time i struggled(garage airline was hopeless) so used a tin of tyre weld and it started the tyre off and i sealed it in normal way...all i can think of is some of the tyre weld got between rim edge and tyre bead and helped the tyre slip off... the tyre doesnt even look punctured...and i was not accellerating or leaning when it slipped off...

i have been riding with this tyre for a good few months no probs in all weathers... thats why it suprised me how it deflated..... i wont be fitting a tyre with this technique again thats for sure.... (although a tin of tyre weld has gotten me home on a few occasions) i also have tyre/puncture repair strips under my seat, but in the dark with no torch they were never going to help.. hope this is a help to fellow scooterists..

[pikey]

Ive done what you did just used puncture seal type stuff to lube the bead and yes mostly have to use ratchet strap as only using a 12 volt pump .Those garage airlines where you put 20p in dont deliver air quick enough to pop the bead usually .Theres an old fashioned garage near by with work shop at rear that delivers a good blast of air where you give petrol guy 20p and he switches compressor on I use that usually .It could have been valve leaking happened to me on motorway once could feel vibes so slowed down in lane 1 then tyre came off the bead back went side ways just made it onto hard shoulder.

[Funkycowie]

I was tempted to do a DIY job on mine... now I definitely will trust it to a proffesional

[pikey]

Theres no better sound than when a tyre you have wrestled with getting old one off and new one on goes pop and goes on the bead better than sex (from what I remember )

[Bluebottle]

Glad to hear you are still in one piece

[scorpakid]

i have proper bead lubing soap from the tyre shop that eases the tyre on then dries..... im guessing the tyre weld stuff over time got in the bead and helped tyre come off..? maybee a valve although i have never had one go..? i have checked the tyre's insides and can find no nail or sharp object that made it deflate..?

ive had a new one fitted for the time being.... i will still fit tyres myself but if i ever use tyreweld it will defo be just to get me home...

[monty9120]

every garage i have ever been to uses wd40 around the bead. im going to start doing the tyres myself so will see how it goes when the time comes

[StevenM]

Im having 2 new ones fitted this weekend. Im leaving it to the proffesional's.

[Data]

Scorpa, you had a lucky escape mate! Glad you are ok. You may be right about the tyre weld causing a problem but having fitted many tyres professionally myself I can only think of one other thing that may have had some influence on what happened. And that's the inflation pressure you used to help seal the bead. 70-80psi is much too high for your particular tyre and it can damage the bead and bands even if it is only inflated at that pressure for seconds. Remember, a new tyre is at it's most vulnerable when being fitted and is easily damaged due to trapped moisture in the pores of the rubber, between the bands and every area of the tyre. It's easy for you to start a problem going if you overinflate. You should not need to go that high if the tyre is fitted correctly and with the proper lube used. I've never fitted a scooter tyre but car and motorcycle tyres never need to go above 30psi if done correctly and often 35psi is the tops you ever have to go to. In fact, there are specific warnings from manufacturers about inflating too high when fitting. I can't see any reason for going higher on a scooter. Good luck and try to determine what went wrong with a thorough examination of the tyre bead.

[Data]

every garage i have ever been to uses wd40 around the bead. im going to start doing the tyres myself so will see how it goes when the time comes

Start taking it to some professionals Monty. You should never use a solvent on rubber and I've never seen that done either, that's why tyre fitters use a soap compound to lube. It's harmless unlike wd40.