Flat Front tire :-(

[wes0778]

Why Me??? But at least it happened in my driveway.

Hopped on the RSTC to run a quick errand this afternoon and noticed it did not wanna turn out into the street. Yup, front tire was VERY low. Got the air compressor and pumped it back up. When I took the chuck off, noticed air coming out from the valve stem. It is torn just above the wheel rim. Cannot for the life of me understand what could have pushed it sideways enough to tear it. Oh well!!!

As I don't have a M/C jack, just a 2-ton small floor jack anyone have suggestions on how to jack it up enough to get the front wheel off. I'm thinking about running it up on my trailer (it will hold air long enough to do this) where I can tie it off in the rear to hold it upright, then using a 2X4 under the engine to lift the front wheel.

[Eck]

Dont know how your garage ceiling is but if the rafters are showing, you can strap both forward crash bars to the rafters. As you pick it up on the jack, tighten straps evenly.

 

Slow process but safe.

[wes0778]

Dont know how your garage ceiling is but if the rafters are showing, you can strap both forward crash bars to the rafters. As you pick it up on the jack, tighten straps evenly.

 

Slow process but safe.

 

The limbs on my garage ceiling aren't strong eough to hold it up...:stickpoke::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[Herb In Texas]

You can lift the front of your RSV by placing the bottle jack under the right side floor board mount. The side stand will support the left. raise it only high enought to do your work and you will be fine.

[tazmocycle]

you can put a 2x4 under the kick stand and get it a little higher up to get the tire off. you maybe able to break down the tire from rim and put new stem into rim without taking off tire completely. sometime the rubber in the stem just dry rots and starts to leak. hope you get it fixed. you may want to checkout harbor frieght for a bike jack, sometimes they mark them down this time of year.

[wes0778]

you can put a 2x4 under the kick stand and get it a little higher up to get the tire off. you maybe able to break down the tire from rim and put new stem into rim without taking off tire completely. sometime the rubber in the stem just dry rots and starts to leak. hope you get it fixed. you may want to checkout harbor frieght for a bike jack, sometimes they mark them down this time of year.

 

Thanks Guys!!!

What kinda upsets me here is this tire was put on this March or April, and the independent shop that put it in for me told me they put in a new stem.

[Wolf]

Just turn it upside down, seems to work on my bicycle....

[Condor]

I'm thinking about running it up on my trailer (it will hold air long enough to do this) where I can tie it off in the rear to hold it upright, then using a 2X4 under the engine to lift the front wheel.

 

If you can get it up on the trailer take it down to the guy that did the tire change with the new stem (later post) and let him deal with it..

[Eck]

The limbs on my garage ceiling aren't strong eough to hold it up...

 

The jack under the engine has all the weight on it.. the straps to the rafters only keep it from flopping over in one direction or the other.

 

It might take two people, but you jack up the bike from under the engine, and have someone tighten both supporting straps with you as you jack it up keeping the straps taunt at the same time.

 

Once high enough to remove the tire, you leave the bike on the jack.

 

Just loosen / remove the axle nut and front calipers first before jacking it up...

[crockettrider]

I saw a similar link on another forum that may explain the valve stem problem....scary.

 

http://www.newsomelaw.com/resources/chinese-valve-stem-safety-probe

[wes0778]

I saw a similar link on another forum that may explain the valve stem problem....scary.

 

http://www.newsomelaw.com/resources/chinese-valve-stem-safety-probe

 

THANKS!!!

I'll be sure to check the numbers on the valve when I get it out.

This was an "all of a sudden" thing. The pressure in that tire has never varied since I had it installed. This would not have been a fun thing if it had dropped the pressure while underway, at any speed!!!