‘da Blog

I haven’t ridden my Kawasaki KLX 250S in a few months. I’d blown out its rear tire a few months back, let it sit, got it fixed, and then let it sit. So I rode it in today instead of my BMW F650GS…figured I’d give the 650 the day off since I’d be riding it to Death Vally tomorrow (Saturday). So I’m riding down Rancho Road and I’m ahead of traffic. I get to a light, stop, notice an odd burning smell (which I dismiss as coming from a cage next to me), and then go. I’ve got about a mile until the next light and I get it up to about 50MPH. Somewhere in there I notice that the bike is tracking funny (I recognize this sensation). I get to the the next light which is a left turn on Cheyenne Rd. While waiting for the light I check the wheel and tires. I look at the rear and I know what’s happened: The rear tire’s gone flat.

The left turn light turns green so I pull out and slowly make the turn. I pull over and take another look at the tire: It’s starting to come off the wheel (the bead’s broken so the tire’s bead isn’t resting on the shoulder of the wheel). There’s a gas station across the street so I signal, check traffic, and with as much throttle as I dared, limped out to the median, made a U-turn and got over to the opposite break-down lane. The tire feels really bad so I decide to shut it down and walk the bike in. As I get off the bike, a pick-up rushes behind me. If I’d gotten off the bike two seconds sooner he would’ve flattened me. I push the bike to the gas station.

Once at the gas station I get some change for the air machine and try to air up the tire. No joy. I decide the tire’s been holed and make the call to my insurance to call in some roadside assistance. I TXT work to say I will be late. I wait about an hour (I got a Diet Pepsi and a polish dog for breakfast at the mini mart) and the tow truck (a flatbed) arrives. I’m told they can’t take me home and that they have to take me to the nearest Kawasaki dealer. This is OK since my house is very close to the dealer and maybe I can get it fixed while-I-wait.

Turns out that the Kawi dealer doesn’t have the tire guy working today and suggests that I go next door to an independent off-road motorcycle place. I walk over and find out that they can take me right away. I push the bike over to their garage and arrange the repair. I’m waiting in the store while the wrench is working on the bike. After about 20 minutes in he comes with the tube and something else in his hand. “Here’s the problem,” he says and hands me the valve stem. Then he moves his finger off the hole in the tube where the valve stem goes and out comes the air. Somehow, I managed to tear the valve stem off of the tube. He suggests a rim lock and I say, “Go for it.”

A few minutes later I’m putting along—all’s right with the world but just in case, I’m heading home to get the BMW to ride that into work. I’m suddenly not so confident in the KLX.

So here’s what probably happened: At some point in the morning I accelerated hard enough that the wheel turned faster than the tire. This can happen if the bead isn’t firmly seated on the wheel which allows the wheel to slip (and turn) against the tire. So if the wheel turns but the tire doesn’t the tube in the tire has to do what the tire is doing. The problem is that the tube has a valve stem sticking out through a hole in the wheel. If the wheel turns enough, it’ll pull the valve stem off the tube. Out comes the air.

Not sure where to go from here with the KLX…eventually I was going to get new wheels and tire to SuMo (SuperMoto) the bike, i.e. take a dual-sport bike (which looks like an off-road bike) and give it street wheels and tire resulting in a super manouverable bike with ridiculous cornering capability but I don’t have the money for that right now. I’ll just have to stare at it for a while, mayne take it out one weekend, and see what blows up.