BMW F800 Forum banner

f800GSA - YA, I have a flat. Now what?

2K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  danexmachina 
#1 ·
OK, now what[:(]. It is the front tire and I am all alone here, old [xx(]and unable to lay the bike over and pick it up again[:(!].
Up on the center stand, but the weight is forward and the front wheel is touching the ground[:0]. Well, I can't sit on the seat and work to lower the rear:confused:. I don't see any rocks or wood around and all my riding cloths are not heavy enough. I can't even eat my lunch because I need the weight on the rear[:(].

OK, now what:confused:
 
#5 ·
There's always lighting the bike on fire and wait for the help of the fire dept to come to the rescue following the smoke.
AS asked above, where are you at?
You could dig out from under the back wheel and find a fulcrum and lever the back side down enough to get the front clear. You do have a shovel and an ax with you for your off pavement excursions?
 
#6 ·
Hopefully, he's home and in his garage by now. Otherwise, he spent the night out somewhere in Colorado.

I took heart that if he was able to post on the forum, he had cell service and could call for a tow truck. Hopefully, we'll hear from him again and find out what he did to get out of this mess.



It's worth mentioning that riding a GS alone out somewhere isolated is no different than backpacking alone in an isolated area. If we twist our ankle and can't hike out, do we have the 10 Essentials with us? When I go on any trip outside the very local area, I always carry a tire repair kit and a Slime pump. I always tell someone where I'm going so if I run off the road, at least my body might be found. I bought an inReach SE for that purpose (and to give my wife some assurance of where I'd be when I'm off traveling).

Chris
 
#7 · (Edited)
What you carry with you maters. i picked a small folding shovel and a lightweight hatchet to have in the camping kit. With energy bars and freeze dried stuff and my Svea 123 stove, I can stay fed for a few days. Having some water is a given too. One of those spot things might be nice if you are a solo ADV nut.
Salesman at a BMW dealer was telling me a story about his 1200GSA doing a fall over up in Death Valley far from a well traveled road and he couldn't lift the pig back up. A long hike and finding some fellow riders got him out of his bad spot but things don't always go so well.
i carry one of those jumper batteries too. That will keep your phone working a while and hopefully you have cell coverage.
 
#8 ·
This is something I was just thinking about as I pulled my rear tire / wheel, to take it to Denver to get it taped so I would not have to carry tubes. I will also get a new ft rim and tape once my rear returns.
Just thinking about a ft flat in that situation. Man this bike is heavy and last time it went down I being 67 & friend being 60??, had to wait for another to come by. Position and weight were just a pain.
BTY: I was thinking of getting a lowering kit. I am 5'9" and touch dirt with my Sedi boots, but just barely with other boots. I don't push it or believe (?) I need all this travel???Everything just feels top heavy. Any one want to comment on if the lowering kit has more +'s than -"s? I like to ride dirt roads, but push it like the old days of MX racing.
 
#11 ·
This is something I was just thinking about as I pulled my rear tire / wheel, to take it to Denver to get it taped so I would not have to carry tubes. I will also get a new ft rim and tape once my rear returns.
Just thinking about a ft flat in that situation. Man this bike is heavy and last time it went down I being 67 & friend being 60??, had to wait for another to come by. Position and weight were just a pain.
BTY: I was thinking of getting a lowering kit. I am 5'9" and touch dirt with my Sedi boots, but just barely with other boots. Everything just feels top heavy. Any one want to comment on if the lowering kit has more +'s than -"s? I like to ride dirt roads, but push it like the old days of MX racing.
You might want to look online and read some articles on how to pick up a heavy motorcycle. Here's one that looked good at first glance. https://motorbikewriter.com/pick-heavy-motorcycle/ There are also lots of videos on the subject showing tiny petite women picking up huge motorcycles. There's a smart way to do it, and the guy's macho way...which won't work when you get older.

BTY: I was thinking of getting a lowering kit. I am 5'9" and touch dirt with my Sedi boots, but just barely with other boots. Everything just feels top heavy. Any one want to comment on if the lowering kit has more +'s than -"s? I like to ride dirt roads, but push it like the old days of MX racing.
I don't ride dirt roads generally, but I wouldn't think about doing so on a lowered motorcycle. Ground clearance to keep from bottoming out seems to be something you want more of, not less. If you can't keep from dropping the bike unless you can flat foot it, maybe you should buy a Subaru Outback? (I thought about getting a GS like yours, and decided that if I was going to do forest roads, I would be better off to use the Subaru that's sitting in my driveway. :) )

Wait, a Slim 'pump'? I know about slim bottles, but what is this - pump?
BTY: if you tape rim for tubeless, you are advised not to run liquid's
Slime sells kits with both a pretty decent air pump and the Slime sealant, all in one package. You could buy a small air pump by itself, but this works well and doesn't cost a fortune.

Why would you not be able to put sealant in a tubeless tire? If it holds air, it should be able to hold Slime or one of the other sealants like Ride On. Those sealants move into the tread area. They don't coat the entire interior of the tire and rim.

Chris
 
#14 · (Edited)
My vario cases fit pretty well under the bike to hold the front end up. I also carried a bottle of tubeless sealant that I planned to inject into the tube and cross my fingers before pulling the wheel , the hope being it would get me somewhere where it would be easier to address the flat. Luckily I never had a flat with my GS so I never got to put my plan into action, but I did have a plan, and tubes, and tools, and a pump and patch supplies. They all just lived in my top case in a rollup bag.

EDIT -

Current bike is tubeless, I still carry the stuff I think I'll need to rescue myself. Dynaplug tool with a handful of 'ropes', a pair of pliers to pull out whatever caused the puncture and a small pump (Aerostich mini compressor).
 
#15 ·
liquid, yep am going to carry some of this. There are a lot out there. Any views about the stuff, see tread question - 'which one is best'.
Jamming a case under the bike. I like that idea.
going tubeless. - that I have just done for the rear. Getting it taped. Front, they will have to change rims, so that comes when the rear returns - A 700.00 ordeal.
 
#16 ·
I'm a cyclist too and my go-to sealant is Orange Seal. I always have a qt or two floating around so I figured why not just carry it on the moto. I can't think of any reason it would work any better or worse than a motorcycle or automotive specific sealant base on what I've seen it plug up in the cycling world. The key thing for me is that I already had/have it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top