Flat Tire

[Herman]

I was heading out to a local Biker Night last night and felt the back end getting a little squirrelly, pulled over, and sure enough, the rear was going flat.  After 2.5 hours on the road and a 72$  towing bill, I got it home and up on a jack and other than the fact that there is no air in the tire, it looks perfectly fine.  I went over every inch of the tire with a work light and I can't find the hole or any cause of it.  Any tricks to finding the hole.  It's got to be a fairly good sized hole because the tire went flat FAST!

[Greg Cothern]

Pull the wheel and put it in a tub of slightly soapy water and air it up, you will find the leak pretty quick.

[antman]

I have found leaks by just pumping the tire up and pouring soapy water on the tire.  A tub would work the best, but if it went down quickly you should be able to find it by just putting water on it.  Of course this only saves time if you are putting a plug in the hole.

If you are going to patch it anyway, then I would take it off and put it in the tub.

Good luck

[Herman]

I'm going to get a new tire (I don't feel comfortable riding on a plug), but I'm going to plug it myself and then smoke the h3ll out of it (I have yet to do a burn-out).

[antman]

That is one heck of a plan.  There is nothing like having a tire you are ready to get rid of and burning the heck out of it.  I put on a good show for my neighbors that last tire I was ready to change out.  I felt a little bad for the house downwind, but not too bad.

On the other hand.  I know a lot of guys that have gone the life of a tire with a plug in it and absolutely no issues.  As long as it is the rear I would have no concern plugging it up.  My .02 cents, but I am cheap.

[Magnum Magna]

I will be changing out my tire very soon.  I was going to look at doing a burnout with this old slick of a tire I have.  It has been many years so it may take me two or three tries to do a good one.    

[Herman]

I found the cause!!  When I got the tire changed out last time I had them put in a 90 degree stem so I didn't have to almost break the fitting filling the rear tire.  The rubber around the new stem ripped (not exactly sure how that happened....).  Good news, I don't have to get a new tire.  Bad news, I won't be doing a burn-out any time soon.

[MagnaDaddy]

Bummer we were looking for the video clip with all the smoke  

[Curtis_Valk]

I have serious safety concerns about a 90* valve stem and ask that ya'll use descretion before deciding on one.  My Valk has them, but there is a plastic "chair" to support the stress of the stem.  Several Valk owners have had sudden pressure loss from valve stem failure because the "chair" got broken or lost and they didn't replace it.

It's probably ok to use the 90* stems unsupported on the Magna, but only if you replace them at every tire change or every two years whichever comes first!  Your safety is certainly worth it!

Curtis

[silveradocowboy]

Seems like I remember seeing some with metal valve stems somewhere. I'll double check and let you know if I find any.

[MagnaMan]

I had a metal 90 on my Virago and it worked great. For some reason I've only been able to get the rubber 90s on my Magna, but that was from the Honda dealership. I get them replaced everytime I get a new rear tire. I'd much rather prefer a metal one. Since I'll never be going back to that Honda dealership again, it may not be an issue.

[Magnum Magna]

Im not having problems with the straight stems.  Is there a big need for the 90 degree stems?

A friend at work is working on his 1983 750 Virago (Black and gold) that he got on ebay.  My Magna and gas prices has motivated him to get it running.  He needs new carburetors or rebuild his.

[MagnaMan]

A straight stem the front is OK. But if you have a straight stem on the back there's only one kind of of air chuck that will fit on it without prying the stem out to the side. So it limits your options.

[Magnum Magna]

I had to buy a new gauge because the one I kept with my truck was way to big. The tip on my air hose on my air compressor fits.  But I guess at some gas stations could possibly have a problem.

[MagnaMan]

Robert, you hit the nail on the head. Most of the gas station pumps and the little portable air compressors can't squeeze onto a straight valve stem on the back.