[StoneTrekker]

Short spin yesterday. 2 miles from home ....riding through a wooded area of dappled sun & shadow ...I rounded an easy curve and hit something that felt like a tennis ball-sized jagged rock, or possibly a piece of metallic debris. The area is loaded with deer and I was scanning the roadsides ahead, but never saw the rock due to the mixed shadows. Thud..bang...whump. It was a nasty strike by both tires and jarred hell out of us. I barely gathered my wits when the BOOM screen warned me of suddenly dropping tire pressure. The Dakota Digital readout confirmed it...rear air pressure dropping steadily at +1 pound per second. I stopped the bike at 1.5 miles from home. I carry plugs and a small compressor but my gut told me this wasn't going to be the strategy today. We spent 5 minutes in discussion and I left to walk home and get the cargo trailer. This was a safe area and my wife remained with the bike. 20 min later I was back with the truck and trailer. We loaded up and headed on home.

I lifted the bike back at the house, to find the rim was in good shape but the rear tire with a fatal damaging wound. Looked like a compound jagged puncture in the center of the tire. I knew it was a goner, so tried plugging it just to see if it would hold. Not a chance. So now I have to locate a tire and have it changed this week....hopefully.

Jarring reality hit me in the gut. What if this had happened 150 miles from home on a Sunday at 5 pm? What if it happened where no cell service was available? Who would we contact and how would we get the bike moved? How would we get home? It really bugs me to think we've been riding on pure luck for years...no solid plan to deal with such an occurrence. Any breakdown of any vehicle can do this of course, but it's different on a bike. I have to get this figured out...a solid plan of action we can depend on if it happens again far from home.

I'm really curious how you would (or did) deal with this? Are you trusting your luck every ride?

 

[Toothpick]

“Hello AAA? I’ve got a flat tire” 🤣

All seriousness….I don‘t know my strategy. I’m pretty sure I have roadside assistance either from my insurance or the dealer or HD themselves. But I’m not 100% sure. So I guess I would just call around and ask. And if not just call a tow truck.

I do recall seeing something on my insurance plan about towing up to 250 miles. But I can’t recall if I selected that AND/OR if it was for my autos, not the bike. Guess I should find out!

 

[smitty901]

1-800 come get this dam thing. Life happens worrying about it to much is a wastes of time.
Just not something that happens that often. Have the funds for the tow service as a back up and ride.
Credit card. Many places will not take cash for a rental car should that be necessary. You can pay cash but they will not rent it without a card.

 

[Traxx]

Well, I do have a plug kit and compressor on the bike. So, pretty much it is good for minor punctures only. For what you experienced, there is no portable solution. Its a call to roadside assistance/tow truck.

 

[NCPiper]

Well the good thing for many others here: At least the SiriusXM would work. And that's all that's needed. lol

I don't think this scenario is much far off from a breakdown (not a flat) with a car. But good thing for you - At least you have a trailer.

Being a bit of an over-planner (what if this, what if that....), I have considered getting a satellite phone. I would already have one if I lived out in the sticks...... but definitely will put more serious thought into it if I do an extended road trip.

Best wishes

What if it happened where no cell service was available?

I'm really curious how you would (or did) deal with this? Are you trusting your luck every ride?

 

[StoneTrekker]

I'm not gonna apologize for being a planner...a planner for when schit happens. Worrying isn't my way, and that's the reason to have a plan. I suppose "I'll figure it out when it happens" is a plan too, but it's not my plan. Especially with my wife being there to consider.

This is not complicated. I'm glad yesterday happened close to home...good wakeup call for me. In all my years of motorcycles I've never needed a pickup or roadside assistance. I truly wonder how many tow companies are rightfully equipped to load/handle a half-ton bagger worth more than most cars they tow.

Additionally: I do have an InReach unit I can activate and carry for the possibility of being outside cellular service. I can text from it with satellite capabilities.

 

[NCPiper]

You are an interesting carbon-based life form.

Nobody asked you to apologize for being a planner. Many of us are.

Worrying isn't your way - well okay.

This is not complicated. Then why the big write-up with all the questions?

You have an InReach. Well there you go friend.

No need to pontificate here..... we're all good.

 

[Stoic Joker]

Can't push it, and ain't leaving her sit. So next time will be the same as last time, flip on the hazards and ride the flat until I can get to a safe place to be broke down...be that home, a friends, or some place with signal.

 

[StoneTrekker]

Thanks guys. Definitely appreciate.

 

[TexasSmoker]

Dam Stone,

Why do you got to fill my head with all these thoughts knowing that I'm going to be traveling? I don't carry shit. No portable compressor, no plugs..... that just takes up space, my insurance does not specify mileage, it specifies nearest Harley-Davidson dealership. I don't want to jinx myself, but I've never had a flat tire on the motorcycle. I should have had a flat tire when I rode up to Louisiana to visit scratch, deep pothole caught me off guard. But you do bring up one very good point, is that sometimes you can't be watching everything, all although your trying to.
When I was racing roundy round, I literally had to train my eyes, to keep constantly moving. Looking forward was just not enough, you looked in the front, you glanced at the back, you glance to the sides,then you glanced at your gauges, and repeat, and repeat, now when riding a motorcycle, I am constantly doing the same thing that I did back in my racing days, oddly enough it's still in the back of my mind still saving my ass to this day, just by using that routine I have saved myself from being sideswiped,
But even with all of this knowledge, shit happens.....
Now that you got me to thinking, i will add additional funds for tires.....

Thanks Stone
For bringing that to our attention😉😉

 

[smitty901]

Good time to remind some. Get to know some on the forum. Show up at rides like Patti's run. May not be a break down near your house but a break down near another members is almost as good.
This place is not like others you would be surprised. A good number of us have trailers and would show up. Not uncommon for some of us to have a spare tire mounted just sitting around.
You can bet a good number of those coming in for Shark Week will have a numbers list.

 

[Hullhorr]

Good time to remind some. Get to know some on the forum. Show up at rides like Patti's run. May not be a break down near your house but a break down near another members is almost as good.
This place is not like others you would be surprised. A good number of us have trailers and would show up. Not uncommon for some of us to have a spare tire mounted just sitting around.
You can bet a good number of those coming in for Shark Week will have a numbers list.

We have a thread with an emergency contact list for just such a scenario. It's a sticky in the "General Off Topic" section. Here is a link https://www.roadglide.org/threads/emergency-road-list.46841/

It's an old list and probably in need of updating by the Admins. I don't think the guy who started it is on here anymore. Both #'s listed for me are no good anymore and I suspect others may not even be on here anymore.

 

[skratch]

Jarring reality hit me in the gut. What if this had happened 150 miles from home on a Sunday at 5 pm? What if it happened where no cell service was available? Who would we contact and how would we get the bike moved? How would we get home? It really bugs me to think we've been riding on pure luck for years...no solid plan to deal with such an occurrence. Any breakdown of any vehicle can do this of course, but it's different on a bike. I have to get this figured out...a solid plan of action we can depend on if it happens again far from home.

obviously, if you have no cell reception, you're gonna walk (or hitch a ride) until you get somewhere you have reception. then it's a call to the insurance co. to get a tow, and because you thought ahead and purchased the additional 'trip interruption' coverage, they're gonna hook you up with a room and some food to eat until you can get back on the road. all for the low, low price of $20 year.

 

[BDMastiff]

Has anyone used a tubeless tire sealant like Slime or Geen Goo? Thoughts?

 

[piper59]

While traveling home this past weekend from South Dakota riding south in Nebraska and Kansas where you ride for miles and miles before getting to a town and a headwind blowing 30 mph with no trees anywhere in 100 degree Temps the thought occurred to me,if anyone of us broke down we'd be screwed out there.Roadside assistance or not the suffering we'd have to endure waiting for a ride.

 

[cactusred]

Glad your situation worked out okay. I can only say this, when I go on out of state trips, it's almost like a mini camping trip, at least that's what I tell my girl. There is only so much crap I can pack on that bike, we don't need every gadget you can bring. With that said, I have more than most, and have helped many on rides where their bike broke down. Battery jump starts, tools, spare voltage reg, fuses, tire compressor, plug kit, flashlight, etc. Some trips I've even taken the saddle bag 1/2 gal gas can. Outside of that I plan my routes so I plan on my phone, and my .40cal or I'm with others on longer trips. If I was going to be alone and knew I'd be in remote areas, then I'd probably have a sat phone, that's about all you can do short of hooking up a hitch and dragging a mc trailer along.

 

[cactusred]

While traveling home this past weekend from South Dakota riding south in Nebraska and Kansas where you ride for miles and miles before getting to a town and a headwind blowing 30 mph with no trees anywhere in 100 degree Temps the thought occurred to me,if anyone of us broke down we'd be screwed out there.Roadside assistance or not the suffering we'd have to endure waiting for a ride.

That same stretch, when I did Sturgis last year, one of our riders, in the middle of Kansas, and I mean bumfuck nowhere, voltage reg died, hence the reason I carry a voltage reg now. She called us and said her voltage had dropped to like 11 volts. I told her pull over now. We checked for loose connections, and everything was tight, so we played the game of swapping out a good battery on one of our bikes with her almost dead battery, 3 different times at about 70 miles each stop, until we could limp it into Rapid City Harley I believe, and dropped it off for the night. I'm very intimate with that area, cuz there ain't nothing out there, lol.

 

[JacktheBagger]

I carry a plug kit and compressor , used once on one of the Patti's trips , whichever year we met Christian from Europe on the Indian . We stopped for gas on a Sunday at noon and I walked over to speak to Gary and looked back and realized I had a flat , so we plugged her up and rolled on ..
I also have MTS , motorcycle towing service , have had for several years now , never had to use , but they use people who have bike equipment . I also have towing on my insurance , but alas who knows who you're getting ..

JtB

 

[MORider]

Several flats out in the middle of no where USA.

plugs and a can of Fix-a-flat in a pinch works all the time.
I’ve used AAA once on my bike for the wheel when I hit a rock and it broke the rim.
Beer.

 

[JacktheBagger]

Them pitchers in the middle of Cornfield Nebraska or is it Cornfield Kansas ( they look a lot alike ) also make the point of maybe carrying some water or gatorade just in case ..

JtB