Rushing, tire plugs, and TPMS vs Mitas E07 failure

Madhatter

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CW, glad your alright ….. I would have added the cost of new underwear to the story..... 80 mph at night ? with a damaged tire . the human factor in play I think . and as an accident investigation pro you have seen it before. the rush over reason . a series of things that lead to an accident , as most accidents (failures or crashes is more accurate ) are preventable …… being human is human.
 

EricV

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I believe a less robust tire (more flexibility sidewalls) would have yielded a much worse outcome.
Actually, the reverse is more likely. Here's why; With a stiff sidewall tire you are less likely to notice early warning signs of loss of pressure. A more flexible side wall tire would be weaving all over the place at low pressure in the rear. I would bet that the stiff sidewall tire also was weaving, but it was subtle enough that CW simply didn't pay attention to it while focusing on other aspects of a night ride.

@Checkswrecks - Glad you're ok and lived to ride another day. Mount the TPMS where it will get your attention or it's worthless.

And as Grumpy said, it does not address the tire pressure at the start of your ride. A reminder to all TPMS users, don't get lazy, check your tire pressure at the start of your ride.
 

EricV

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I've never heard of a run flat moto tire. I know plenty of moto LEOs and they were running the same tires we run, (normal commercially available tires).

I've had pressure loss failures at speed on radial sport touring tires, Car Tires on a bike, K60's, Mitas E07 Dakars and others. You always get a weave in the rear at low pressure before total loss. I've never had a blow out or sudden deflation, other than losing a double sticky string plug in a big hole. (I carry a plug/patch inside repair now). That was at about 70 on the interstate and was a non-issue as it became very apparent with a weave in the rear the moment the double sticky string departed the tire and pressure started going down. IIRC, that was on an Anakee 3 rear tire.

The trick is to be aware of what's going on and stop before you're completely out of air. Front gets hard to turn and rear weaves. The only total loss of air and bead separation event I've had was off road at low speeds. Bent rim and it happened very fast, but I was only going 15 mph. Mr. Rock and I worked together to beat the rim a bit before getting the bead seated again with my mini compressor and a ratchet strap.
 
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ballisticexchris

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Boy I'm happy I have a radial. I never did like those stiff sidewall tires. As far as I know Michelin is the only one that has a radial in a knobby style tire. I have never run a bias ply on my street bikes since before my KZ's.
 

Sierra1

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....Cop tires on Harley’s use to be run flats.....
"Run flat" for motorcycle only means that the tire will not come off of the rim when the tire goes flat. I put a chunk of steel through a Dunlop run-flat....it did NOT run flat. The RT 1150 spec'ed Dunlops that were certified "run-flat". Their traction was "ok", and they got plenty of flats. We went to the Metzler Z6s, and loved them; great traction, and no flats. Metzler did not make the Z6s in a size for the ST1300, so we used the Bridgestone BT-23, 30, etc.; again, great traction, and no flats. Eric's right, motorcycles don't have true run flats. I lost the bead on a just installed REAR tire on my SECA, just as I was getting on a highway. It wiggled all over the place, but did not crash. Hauled it back to the dealer, who advised that they had faulty bead sealant. So, no, I don't know why it came off.
 

SilverBullet

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I ran an E-07 Dakar flat for 10+ miles doing 70-75 mph. When I finally stopped the tire was smoking, sidewall destroyed and near moltant. But it never came off the bead. Two days later in motel parking lot under full sun was still a beach to break the bead.

I had a rear flat once on a Shinko 804 and the bead popped near immediately at 20 mph. I was able to reset that bead roadside with a Slime pump, Rok straps and my hands.

Fricking night and day difference. I choose safety after that occurance.

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gv550

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I installed Garmin TPMS after I picked up a nail 2 years ago on my touring bike. I hadn’t checked the tires in probably a week, heavy Kawasaki with hard saddlebags and low exhaust.....can’t see the rear tire let alone find the stem, and the tire went flat while riding with my wife on the back. Lesson learned and replaced the tire that day.
I then installed steel valve stems on my Tenere and have the Garmin syste installed. It works great, displays the pressures within 2 revolutions and also provides graphs for past readings. Battery lasts a year and are cheap and easy to replace.
 

magic

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I installed Garmin TPMS after I picked up a nail 2 years ago on my touring bike. I hadn’t checked the tires in probably a week, heavy Kawasaki with hard saddlebags and low exhaust.....can’t see the rear tire let alone find the stem, and the tire went flat while riding with my wife on the back. Lesson learned and replaced the tire that day.
I then installed steel valve stems on my Tenere and have the Garmin syste installed. It works great, displays the pressures within 2 revolutions and also provides graphs for past readings. Battery lasts a year and are cheap and easy to replace.
Thanks for the info. Good to know.
 

Checkswrecks

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I had a very similar deja vu experience as you with a flat; 2 nights lodging, tow, replacement tire, next day shipping, etc.

Interested in what TPMS you decide on. After my incident I searched long and hard but no TPMS available was acceptable to me. I would have bought the Orange Electronics system but it had just been discontinued.
I'm kinda perplexed on what to choose as well. I had been thinking of the Orange system from remembering all the reviews and with them being gone, it seems like the choices for an internal system are Chinese with a real range of reviews. For now I'm still checking pressure at the beginning of the day and looking to see if there are any new nails or screws in the tread. Having retired a month ago, I'm no longer parking with the back tire to the curb in downtown DC every day so the risk is a LOT less.
 

SilverBullet

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When the handling characteristics of my bike change even slightly I investigate. And I don’t stop till I know why. A sudden change happens for a reason, never a good one. And I assure you it will get worse and create a dangerous situation...
Likewise but there are times you can be fooled. And as stated the Mitas Dakar can be ridden very low on air before you start to feel anything.

My situation was end of a long long day. Was pitch dark on a narrow two lane highway doing high speed with 3 cars following me. The shoulder wasnt wide or safe as no lighting. The road was under construction and there were 3 distinct surfaces. Fresh chip seal, ground and groved asphalt and original smooth asphalt. I was switching between the 3 surfaces trying to pinpoint my noise and vibration and each was a change from the other. Only with complete air loss after 10 miles did I get the death wobble. By then the tire was toast. Sidewall chewed up by the road surface. I tried string plugs but after inserting all 10-12 I had, was still far away from sealing the tire to limp into a town.

In hindsight I would have mounted a new or used car tire instead of waiting around. Didnt occur to me at the time.

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stuarto49

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Checks . . . I have TPMS systems from Hawks Head (western Canada) on both my FJR and Super Tenere. The ST has the slightly newer 'Moto Track Cruiser 2' model which has a rechargeable display unit and smaller stem units. They recommend NOT using with rubber stems so I changed to steel stems on both machines. They display the pressure quickly, sometimes while still in the garage. After returning from my Denver Iron Butt ride (3500 miles in 4 days) I noticed a warning signal and replaced the rear sensor battery (a CR1225, not in most stores). Then replaced the front also. Takes 1 minute. Yes, the sensor need to be unscrewed to air up the tires, but a small annoyance compared to the benefit.

Systems (both) works beautifully and I watch the pressures rise as the tires warm up. Surprising how much they will increase, as much as 6 - 8 PSI from dead cold to high speed on a warm day. Also, very good phone tech support from Hawks Head. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Stuart, Richmond, VA
 

Sierra1

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Had my front Bridgestone A41 get punctured the other day. Exited from one highway onto another highway. Went into the curve and thought something felt funny, but ok. Exited the highway a couple miles later, and KNEW something bad was happening. Was able to get into a parking lot as the front was starting to walk all over the place. Apparently the A41s have a stiff side wall; yay. TPMS would have been a help to keep it from getting as wonky as it did. On the plus side, I didn't crash, Xclimation came over, and we plugged the hole. On the negative side, I had to push it a 100yds....into a H-D shop....for air. I've been saying she doesn't feel like she's 600lbs. With a flat tire, and pushing up hill....she feels double that.
 

wjfawb0

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I put the amazon special valve stem cap TPMS on my 2019 ST after reading about it here. It works well for my basic riding. The temp readings really let you know how much work the back tire does pushing down the highway.
 

SilverBullet

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I'm kinda perplexed on what to choose as well. I had been thinking of the Orange system from remembering all the reviews and with them being gone, it seems like the choices for an internal system are Chinese with a real range of reviews...
CW, did you try one of those Chinese TPMS with internal sensors yet?

Anyone else?


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