The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: Justin B. on June 05, 2013, 08:01:33 PM
-
A couple weeks back Suraklyn and I decided to prove our worth by doing an "official" Iron Butt ride. We left out the Monday before Memorial Day at 06:00 and headed west. Both Sura's R1200ST and my R1150RT-P were both fairly freshly serviced and all tires and fluids were topped off.
The first half of the ride went off without a hitch and we were making excellent time but at around the 600 mile mark things went south on me. I thought the RT-P was feeling a bit squirrely so I flipped it around a bit and everything seemed OK. About 20 miles further I definitely felt something was not quite right so we pulled into a rest area. Just as soon as I started slowing down I felt a thumping in the back and new immediately I had a problem.
We pulled into a parking spot, I popped off the bags, and one look told me that my day was ruined. The Dunlop Sportmax was starting to fall apart! Suraklyn said he had been hit by a couple of chunks of rubber a while back but thought it was from the truck we were passing!
I called the wife at around 16:30 and she hit the road to come rescue me. Suraklyn hung out, cat-napped a little, and gave me moral support until about 22:00 and he left to finish his ride. About 22:30 Barbi gotr there, I loaded my rear wheel and stuff into the car ans we headed back to Crowley. We got home about 04:00 and we got a call from Suraklyn about the same time letting us know he made it home in one piece. I grabbed about 2 hours of sleep and dragged my a$$, and wheel, out to the shop.
My new No-Mar tire mount/demount bar made quick work of removing the old tire and the new tire went on smoothly. After popping the beads I noticed a "hiss" and found the valve stem leaking - I musta bashed it demounting the tire or something. I cursed for a while and de-mounted half of the tire, removed the old valve stem, and went up the road to the neighborhood auto-parts house. I picked up a nice metal valve stem, headed back home, installed it, and put the rest of the tire back on the rim. I aired up the tire, seated the beads, and this time all was airtight.
It was now between 08:30 and 09:00 and Suraklyn pulled up in his Outback so we threw the repaired tire/wheel in the back, along with my saddlebags, and headed 400 miles west to where my bike was. We got there, put on the rear wheel (along with new rear brake pads since the caliper was off and the pads were pretty thin), and I think we were back on the road around 16:00.
The rest of the trip was uneventful and got home about 23:00. Suraklyn made his 1000 miles in 24 hours - PLUS another 800 chauffeuring me around - and I put on a combined 1800 miles in 41 hours. Suraklyn told me, with a wry grin, that there's always this fall! I'm not sure about that...
Here's what a Dunlop Sportmax looks like after running 600 miles at 80 mph...
-
How many miles on it total?
What pressure were you running?
Any ideas why it failed? Overheated? Slow leak and lost pressure?
-
I'm wanting to say it had somewhere between 5000 and 6000 miles on it. Running 41 PSI which is the pressure on the sticker inside the radio box and this was the OEM tire although recently discontinued. One thing that is not evident in these pictures, but was when still mounted with air in it, was big warts/bubbles on the tread surface. This was what the "thumping" feeling was. I mention this because the front tire had developed these "warts" sometime in Feb or March but I noticed them before the tire came apart. I ordered a set of the Michelin tires and replaced the front but didn't replace the rear as it still had lots of meat left on it.
-
This would have never happened if you had been riding the R65, because it wouldn't run 600 miles at 80mph! ;D ;)
-
I'm glad you are alright, Justin. That is scary looking! You must have freaked out when you saw that.
-
You could probably be awarded the Iron Butt 2nd Class award -what with those 1800 miles in 41 hours of seat time.
Your ol' buddy Ken, in Big Cedar, says he's a member of the Candy Ass Club! No interest in the long distance bike challenges. This from a guy who routinely runs between Idaho and Okieland... in a cage.
Hopefully, the frustration and disappointment will fade and you can do the 1K another time. [smiley=thumbup.gif]
-
This would have never happened if you had been riding the R65, because it wouldn't run 600 miles at 80mph! ;D ;)
Only because you would have to stop for gas.
-
Sounds like defective tires to me!
-
Maybe this is why they were discontinued... :P
I just remember thinking I at least was not imagining things!