Triumphrat

n578md

Well, Just as I rolled over 1500 miles tonight, I received an error message from the rear wheel again, for the fourth time. I was always worried about flat tires on motorcycles beause they are dangerous, and there's less spare tires than on the old F250. Incidentally, a puncture on a Bonnie isn't dangerous at all, the bike behaves very safely and remains very stable, even during turns! (Believe me, I know, this happened to me 4 times since May 17th.) Everyone I spoke to said that flat tires are very rare on a motorcycle. (Not on mine.) My wife has been riding for 15 years and has never had a flat. She drove from Anchorage, AK to Denton, TX on a pile of dung 1989 Honda PC800 (4100 miles) and not one single flat! She drives on the same roads every day with the VFR, no flats. Me? Every 375 miles. What am I doing wrong? (Besides aiming for nails on the road.) Do you guys have any tricks or tips?

Here are the (really helpfull) suggestions I have received so far:

From my co-workers: Get a real bike, a Harley Road King or an Ultra Glide. (Real bikes, for men, you know.)

From my wife: Get a real bike, get a Honda ST1300.

From the neighborhood home builder whom I asked to pay for my flats since it's his nails: Get bent. And oh yeah, get a real bike: a Honda VTX 1800.

From the guy I work with: Dude! Fill the F-ing tires with liquid silicone!


I'm at the end of my, huh, inner tube here. No riding tomorrow, AGAIN!!!!!! And what if I go further than 10 miles from home? Am I going to get stuck 500 miles away until the tire fairy comes? I was looking forward to taking the Bonnie on a long tour, but I must admit, I have very little confidence in it now, other than being a (short) commuter bike!

How are you guys doing vis-a-vis flats?





[ This message was edited by: n578md on 2006-06-19 20:13 ]

Thunder_Forever

First thing....I don't get the "re-jet" comment in the title......

Dude, sounds like a spell of bad luck. Did you break any mirrors in the last 7 years......walk under ladders.....you don't own a black cat do you?

I got my only flat after 150 miles of having the bike.....turned out to big friggin nail sticking out and it was because I had access to my house through an alley and it was full of junk like nails and glass.....

By the way, the Bonneville is a real bike....that must be rather frustrating when they tell you that.

Do you have a "special" edition Bonnie....whats the color scheme?

__________________
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Bu...cle_airbag.gif

bonnevillebilly

I'm thinking maybe if you go with 130 mains, that should do
the trick. Ha, ha,
I know rig up a broom in front of you bike.
OK, enough fun.
30 years of riding. I have not got a flat.
I have a feeling I should of never said that????

Tell those schmucks you would get a real bike if only there
was one out there that was as well engineered and as
beautiful as the Triumph Bonneville.
Bill

__________________
2001 Bonnie
1976 Bonnie

RedBird

Move to an "old" neighborhood. :-D My son moved to a new housing addition, and picked up a nail in his R3 rear tire in the first 500 miles. I had driven my Honda Accord for 160,000 miles without a flat until he moved, and I got three visiting him in three months. So far I have escaped with my Bonnie--all the houses on his street are finished now, so hopefully there won't be so many nails in the street.

Oh, I would leave the jets alone--just change the needles to Thrux or TBS--that should do the trick.

Larry

[ This message was edited by: RedBird on 2006-06-19 20:37 ]

__________________
Larry
2003 T-100 (790cc), NARK, NH Togas, 8100 rpm rev limiter, 158 main jets, 42 pilot jets (less than 1 turn out on pilot screws), stock needles--no shims. 13 A/F ratio from 1100 rpm to 4000 rpm; 12 A/F ratio from 4000 rpm to 6000 rpm; 13 A/F from 6000 rpm to 8100 rpm.:D
2007 Tiger 1050--White:D--SW-Motech crashbars, Skidmarx rear hugger/chain guard, Calsci +7 windscreen.

Panthermark

Dude, everyone knows that the only way to prevent flats is to re-jet to 140's, go 4 turns out on your screws, side gap your plugs, post 3 topics about which oil to use, and pull your restrictor plate.

What are you, a newbie? :-D

__________________
Jealousy is a sickness.....get well soon....

Mark

http://www.triumphrat.net/photogalle...m793/album755/

tba-golfer

Don't mention the word "needles" to a guy who is having flat tire woes!

Take a contrarian view- expect and accept the fact that you are going to have a flat tire EVERY time you ride. A. You won't be disappointed if it happens. B. It won't.

Be thankful that your wife has been flat free.

:wink:

__________________
What's the most amazing thing you've ever found?
Impossible to say. You see there's something amazing every two or three weeks.

Local Hero (1983)

n578md

Actually, my Harley-type co-workers ALL like the Bonnie. I let them ride it and they all said "You done good, you couldn't have found a better first bike." They're just joshing. Black cat? Nope, I used to have a 1985 red tabby, but she finally blew a head gasket in 2001. No broken mirrors and I don't even own a ladder, although I should. Yes I do live in a new subdivision. There are 12 homes being built on my street alone and about 40 more on other streets. Although my wife had a 1994 VFR750 when we moved, I never dreamed she would sucker me into getting my own murdercycle. (I'm actually glad she did, after 13 years of needling...) Yes, I agree, the Bonnie is a well engineered and built bike. How many other bikes do you know of that will let you take a fairly sharp curve at 70MPH with a completely flat rear tire and only give you minor wiggles for the trouble. (And no accidents or deaths?) My wife came up with another solution to the problem: See if I can get tubeless rims so that I can simply plug the hole and refill the tire. When I installed the air horn, I also installed a 12V power outlet from which I can run a little compressor. I can take the wheel off easily, but I am still unable to take the tire off the rim. I do have an impressive stockpile of inner tube, both in the garage and in my saddle bags. I'm going to the Triumph dealer tomorrow to get the tire taken off and the tube replaced. I'll ask them about tubeless rims in the process I guess. You guys have no idea and much this angers me.

About the "special". I don't know very much about motorcycles. It does say "special" under the Bonneville covers and on the dealer's paperwork, but I can't figure out what is special about it. The color is simple black, even the engine. Maybe it's special because it is designed to teach you how to become well adept at rear tire removal and replacement? My father still has his 1968 Bonneville Special that he bought brand new in Europe and I can't figure out what is special about it either. His is silver and green. (That's who gave me the idea of buying a Bonnie.) He's only had 3 flats since 1968!!!!!! 2 rears, 1 front. (But we used to live on an old military base in Germany.)

So what do you guys think about the tubless idea?

Oh, and my plugs were Dazco-ized by my wife at 700 miles on the bike. Didn't help the flats. Needles! ouch... Bigger jets, more speed, less contact time with a nail? No?

Oh, By the way, this particular flat happened while visiting a friend in Allen. His neighborhood was built in 1994...

[ This message was edited by: n578md on 2006-06-19 21:03 ]

stevent

I think you need to remove the A.I. jets don't have anything to do with flat tires

:upthumb:

__________________
stevent....."May the Goddess turn the hearts of those who hate us, if not their hearts then turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping..."

n578md

Maybe I can re-route the air injection to the rear tire? It might keep the ***** thing inflated for more than 400 miles, huh?

Spyder94

YOU my friend are a victim for Murphy's law of physics and engineering. I could soap box the flat tire issue but I shall not.

Steve Du Bose GHAL. :-g

__________________
Uno Para Todos. Todos Para Uno
11B40!!!!

Marilyn, for my husband.