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I've come to realize that life has a way of correcting my missteps very abruptly, like a slap on the hand immediately after I do something sketchy. Case in point:

This morning I was riding to work which is about 35 miles away via 2 major interstates. I left earlier than usual because I had a meeting first thing this morning and about 5 miles from home I came up on a MASSIVE traffic jam, just not moving. I sat there for about 5 minutes without even needing to put the bike in gear and began to worry about being late. This is where my youthful indiscretion took over.

Here in Michigan it is grossly illegal to lane split or otherwise attempt to go around traffic. But I decided to take my chances and took to the shoulder, which is very wide and flat on my route. I started rolling by the parked cars at about 35-40mph and kept looking for an end to the jam-up. I ended up riding the shoulder for 13 miles before coming across a burnt out shell of a Ford Focus being hoisted onto a flatbed and half the highway covered in gas and oil. I got back into traffic before I rolled past the accident to avoid the po-po working the scene, inched on by and finally hit the open road. About 8 minutes after that I changed lanes and my backend made that sickening wallow-wiggle that indicates somethin' aint kosher back there.

Immediately my little bubble of pride at beating that massive traffic jam just deflated like the rubber under my a$$ (hey now, not like that). I got off the interstate at the next exit and negotiating the cloverleaf on a flat was not what I would call a good time.

Once parked on the side of the secondary road at the exit, I pulled off my helmet and inspected the tire. Sure enough, that rock I hit near the end of my shoulder ride punctured the dead center of the tread. While I was calling work to let them know I would be late because of the flat (there goes all my made up time), a car pulls up behind me and a guy hops out. I am half expecting (this is Michigan after all) that it's some HVAC tech who got pissed at seeing me slide by all that traffic while sitting there listening to Poison and combing his mullet. But it was Ted, the Road King rider and savior of punctured tires. Ted makes sure I'm pulled over because of a flat and then runs home (around the corner) and gets his puncture kit. (Sidebar, I'm an idiot. Two weeks ago I removed my puncture kit from under the seat to make room for the AutoComm. I will be making room for it now) From the time I pulled over till the time I was back on the road, it was maybe 20 minutes, and thats only because neither Ted or I had ever used a puncture kit.

So the way I see this is:

1. Normal day
2. Obstacle
3. Obstacle overcame in a shady manner
4. Karma says "uhhh, no....thats not cool" and smites my tire
5. Karma says "but I will provide a fix immediately via my Angel Ted"
6. Karma says "don't do it again, grasshoppa"
7. Karma says "pay it forward"

This was my first real experience of biker brotherhood and its just really cool. Thanks again Ted. And thanks Karma, for being fair.

P.S. In case you are stupid like I can be at times, you really shouldnt take the puncture kit off the bike.

I better buy a puncture kit...

New Camus

Thank you for this very well written post.
Your thoughts are insightful.

'Beeming

chris wrote:I better buy a puncture kit...

You and me both!

Ah, that squiggly, squishy feeling in the rear. And I'm not talking about the need to visit the bathroom. I've avoided riding on the shoulder no matter how excruciating waiting in traffic has been with the exception of one situation on I-95 in northern Maryland.

I've had two flats in the rear, none up front. Once on my SV650, and the other on my Roadster. Unfortunately, it's difficult to tell you have a flat until the going gets a little squirrelly in the twisties.

A Stop 'n Go plug I had installed in my rear Z4 about 500 miles beforehand started leaking slowly enough that I almost got home before the rear end started to feel like I was riding on Jell-o ... I tried another one and that lasted a couple of days before leaking again, so I took the tire down to the bike shop and had a mushroom plug glued in that lasted until the tire was replaced ~ 2500 miles later (due to lack of tread).

I think the sharp edges of the steel ply around the hole in the Mettzler tire sawed away at the soft rubber Stop 'n Go plug or the hole opened up, I don't know which.

The lesson I learned from this is, I don't ride on a temporary plug permanently...I get it properly repaired as soon as I'm able too.

Thanks for commiserating everyone

I'm curious how long that patch job would've held up, but I've decided to swap out the tire, hoping to have it done this afternoon.

P.S. Next tire swap I think I'll try to assemble the gear to do DIY (or rather, DIM "Do It Myself")

I used one of those gooey rope plugs for a rear tire nail puncture. It stayed in-place without leaking for nearly 5k miles, when the tire was replaced due to wear. Luckily, the bike was in my garage when I noticed the low tire. (Actually, if I was "Lucky", I wouldn't have picked up the nail...you know what I mean).

New Camus

Thanks for the advice, I had not much faith in the puncture kit and wanted to remove it but now I'll keep it there.

When you decided not to stay in line like a car you must have been hit by an Italian Kharma! Looking at how you drive bikes in slow or standing traffic in the US, we Italians are always amazed at how you can resist not to pass everyone and get out of the mess. To us that's one of the plus' of a bike.

Ciao
Leoquattro

leoquattro wrote:New Camus

Looking at how you drive bikes in slow or standing traffic in the US, we Italians are always amazed at how you can resist not to pass everyone and get out of the mess. To us that's one of the plus' of a bike.

Ciao
Leoquattro

Same here, we're encouraged to filter to keep things moving. Would drive me crazy having to follow along behind cars.

I am lucky. Never had a flat on a road bike. Many on the dirt, usually during a race, with is race ending. I always wondered what those little rubber things where for in the kit. How do you insert said plugs?

Hi all,
As far as I know, in all Europe (except Switzerland ) motorbikers are allowed to pass the cars on the motorway if they are driving under certain speed (I guess 40 km/hr).
Regards
Robert

Chris and Leoquattro,

I feel pretty strongly that the US should follow the lead of the rest of the world and allow bikes to cut through traffic. California is currently the only state that allows it. I believe the time I spent in both of your countries made me a better driver. I think US drivers on average are pretty bad and I also think it isn't helped by stricter laws. The idea being that over legislation protects the stupid but when you don't encourage people to use their own discernment regularly they forget how to...

:Rant Over:

But maybe there should be a law against rocks that can puncture tires...

So, When I read this to my husband he asks me, "So, where is your pucture kit?" (with that "I know, and you don't" edge to his voice).



I say to him, "I don't know, on your bike?"



Being the sweet guy that he is....I still don't know where it is, other than I have one as long as I take my husband with me....

In the UK you are only meant to pass on the right unless the traffic is moving slowly. Lane splitting/filtering is not illegal and I'm amazed that it can be in the USA. Why? What harm can it do with care?

Filtering (Lane splitting) isn't exactly "legal" in the UK, but it's not specified as an offence - so we can get away with it.


Personally I'd NEVER ride on the hard-shoulder - that lane is there for a reason - to allow stopped vehicles a place to take refuge, and to allow emergency services access to incidents.

Gregor
you said it right: "with care"!
This is what is not happening in Italy: especially scooter and moped drivers do the craziest things. And this is aproblem since, apart from accidents they incur in, we on two wheels are all put in the same group by car drivers and therefore because of them we usually are referred to as "that gang of silly people zooming in traffic and risking their lives to arrive at destination 45 seconds earlier".

Ciao
Leoquattro

BMW Detroit was nice enough to fit me in yesterday afternoon with no notice to swap out my rubber while I waited. I even got to take a R1200RT for a spin while they were working on the Rockster. It's a little off topic (ok, alot off topic) but I thought I would share my observations of the RT:

First, why does it feel small?? How is that? I guess it's the upright riding position along with the handlebars being much narrower than I'm used to. It feels lighter and really dynamic, easier to lean than the rock. The extra 25 horses dont hurt either. I did notice more vibration than my 1150 makes, maybe just because it isnt broken in yet, but the windshield shook at idle. No fast idle lever. The gauges look flat, almost digital. The clutch feels the same and the gearbox still clicks with conviction, but it doesnt SLAM like the 1150's does sometimes. I liked it alot, but it would never replace the rock, the KGT on the other hand....maybe next time.

leoquattro wrote: we Italians are always amazed at how you can resist not to pass everyone and get out of the mess.

Leoquattro

Hello Leoquattro,

I think if you can drive in Italy without making accidents then you must be one of the best drivers in the world. Last month we went (my G/F and I) to Torino for a short visit with our motorbike. I must be honest to tell you that the traffic rules which are valid everywhere don't exist there. Traffic lights are considered as celebration lamps, nobody cares if it is red or green; cars can pass you from every where left, right…The best rule is close your eyes and push gas. It is very special. Anyway, Italy stays beautiful country full with character and temperaments.

Regards
Robert