Sunday afternoon I had a rear flat about 40 miles from home. I had to leave my bike on the side of the highway overnight, and that's not a fun thing. Got a Uhaul trailer the next day and got her home. Anyway, the duh moment came when I had the wheel off, and realized that that was the easiest way to clean the chain on both sides. Lots of Simple Green and a wire brush and the chain is pretty clean. Any other bike it would be a huge hassle, but from now on I'm taking off the wheel to service the chain.
End of story.
good tip! keeps the gunk from splattering on the wheel and tire too.
glad you got her home safe and sound!
ive been thinking about getting a tire plug kit and some co2 for just such an incident. would at least be able to get home that way.
A few years ago I hit a piece of firewood that had fallen off of someones trailer. It bent the lip of the front rim and went flat after several minutes. Rode home approx. 70 miles. This has happened to me twice on VFRs. Needless to say, the handling is sluggish but you can travel in an emergency. But rear tire is a different story.
I'm just surprised you could leave the bike out and it would still be there he next day. Glad also the issue was not too big. Thanks for the tip too.
C
I recently got a flat on the rear tire and I used a plug to repair it. I bought this kit from Competition Accessories, it's compact enough to keep in my tail bag but might be a bit too big for under the seat of the VFRs, but fits perfectly under the seat of the Duc! Cool thing is that it even has a tiny air compressor, which works well enough for emergency use.
http://www.compacc.c...-puncture-pilot
I'd rethink using a wire brush on the chain, as it can destroy the O-rings, a toothbrush soft may be an option.
^+1
missed that the first time, but agreed! NEVER wire!
Also simple green is a bit too harsh to clean the chain as it tends to dry out the o-rings and can run into places you don't want it to go
Much better to use kerosene sparingly and an old soft toothbrush to clean the chain then wipe chain clean with dollar store towels never use a water blaster or pressure hose
I try to avoid water altogether for chain cleaning and I average around 70,000km's on a chain and sprocket set but I also run a scottoiler on every bike I have owned since they were available And rarely have to adjust the chain tension
Never wire or pressure washer .
I bought one of the Grunge Brushes about a year ago but for some reason, haven't used it yet. Still using an old rag to do the job however pulling the wheel to do a 100% cleaning is a great idea.
I just put about 300 miles on my VFR on Monday during a mini-loop of Colorado and my #1 rule for going anywhere outside the Denver metro area is to throw in my Slime compressor and tire repair kit into my tank bag with my rain gear and some water and snacks. I don't want to be hitch hiking home and I would sure as hell be having a panic attack leaving my bike out there all night before I came back with my trailer.
A+ to your Nebraska neighbors for leaving your stuff alone. I would think it might be ok here in Colorado too but that >MIGHT< part would make my skin crawl. I lived in Jersey for a while and wouldn't leave it along the road for ten minutes there.
Best way to clean chain = WD40.
Dissolves crap, and doesn't dry out O rings.
If any gets in between O ring and links, no harm done.
Pulling the wheel of is the best way, never thought of it myself. Go figure.
OK guys, I'm well and truly chastised- no more Simple Green and wire brush. Hopefully no long term damage was done. I spent a couple hours yesterday Googling chain cleaning. There's no consensus as to proper method. I think WD40 or kerosene are the two most popular. There is a Honda product that sounds good and also sounds expensive.
Monk, have you had a change of heart about getting out of the sport?
I scrubbed a chain with Simple Green years ago - it was beautifully spotless and shiny...for a few days until it was a rusted, ruined mess. Never again.
People, people. Just go buy some Ride On and be done with it. Competition Accessories drilled the damn tire and kept riding! And, it balances. I can attest to the balance part. Hell, just watch the video. Also, it stays in the tire when it gets changed, so it's not a big mess when you need to change them.
[video: https://youtube.com/embed/YqkBfEHYzxw?html5=1&fs=1]
am i the only one who rides on a flat????!!!
seriously. 0 psi, bombed down I95 with the flow of traffic..
yes, the gas mileage was bad. but i got home with no problem.
am i the only one who rides on a flat????!!!
seriously. 0 psi, bombed down I95 with the flow of traffic..
yes, the gas mileage was bad. but i got home with no problem.
If anyone else has done this, I'd like to hear about it. When mine goes flat it feels so squirrely that I can't imagine riding it, let alone in traffic.
Flats suck, but most can be plugged well enough to get you on the road again to a shop or home. This is why I carry a small plug kit and air pump on my bikes always.
Clean, you clean your bike? :goofy:
am i the only one who rides on a flat????!!!
seriously. 0 psi, bombed down I95 with the flow of traffic..
yes, the gas mileage was bad. but i got home with no problem.
:unsure: WTF???
People, people. Just go buy some Ride On and be done with it. Competition Accessories drilled the damn tire and kept riding! And, it balances. I can attest to the balance part. Hell, just watch the video. Also, it stays in the tire when it gets changed, so it's not a big mess when you need to change them.
https://youtu.be/YqkBfEHYzxw
Guess the beads would have to be removed before hand huh Herman? Maybe my next PR4 I'll give it a whirl