Look what I picked up yesterday

sofo · October 19th, 2009, 08:25 PM

I went out for a ride yesterday and when I got back my rear tire had picked up a passenger.

nail_three_quarter.jpg

Yes, that's a nail embedded head-first in my tire and bent just over 90 degrees towards the back. The top of the bent part is ground up so it was there for at least part of the ride. Check out the bulge on the sidewall of the tire.

nail_side_bulge.jpg

I gingerly removed the nail by pulling up and wiggling it out without any drama. The tire has a little wear from where the nail was pressed when I was cornering... which gives me the willies thinking about it now.

nail_hole_after_removing.jpg

I've checked the pressure in the tire and watched for leaks and it seems solid. I'm about to put the bike in storage and was planning on replacing these stock tires with something else next season so overall I'm happy I didn't have any drama from this 'lil guy while riding yesterday and not worried about losing a tire.

I'm wondering if anyone can judge based on the pics whether the tire is a write-off in terms of safety or if it should be good at least to get the bike to the dealer for storage. I'm not an expert by any means and don't want to take any chances.

Delta107 · October 19th, 2009, 08:32 PM

Wow!

bob706 · October 19th, 2009, 08:35 PM

I'm not an expert either but that one looks unsafe as hell. If it was mine I would get rid of it. Or at most fill in the hole and use it as a spare.

backinthesaddleagain · October 19th, 2009, 09:05 PM

side bubble would be a concern, but i get concerned over chain alignments

Mo1981 · October 19th, 2009, 09:40 PM

Dang!

Cedilla · October 19th, 2009, 11:04 PM

I would be a little worried riding on that, and im the kind of guy that waits until I can see the belts before I replace a tire(you should see my rear tire lol).

The little bubble sticking out of the sidewall is what worries me, thread punctures are no biggie, but sidewall damage can cause a blowout.

I think rather or not you should replace it depends on your financial situation, if you can swing a new one with no ill effects by all means replace it, but if the money is just not there, I would ride on it, but know there is a very very small chance you could die from it, but I think death caused by other motorist is way more likely.

g21-30 · October 20th, 2009, 04:26 AM

It looks like the bubble was from the nail head. Now that the nail is out, is the bubble gone? Since the tire didn't go flat after removing the nail, it was not punctured..right? You can always air it up to like 50 lbs and run soapy water over it and check for bubbles.

Bottom line, if you're going to store it, wait until you take it out of storage and decide whether to replace the tire(s) or not. I wouldn't buy new tires now.

Greg_E · October 20th, 2009, 06:23 AM

I wouldn't treat it like a track day tire, but for normal commuting it should be fine until you decide what to replace it with. Try not to lean it over onto the whole or it will eat away at the rubber and make it bigger. Check with soapy water to make sure no air is getting out, air it up for storage and check the pressure. Compare pressure with next spring and decide if it is immediately junk or can make a few trips while the roads are still dirty. Chances of picking up another object in the spring are a little higher so might be worth riding a little bit until you have time to order a tire.

Do tire prices go down in the Winter?

sofo · October 20th, 2009, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g21-30

It looks like the bubble was from the nail head. Now that the nail is out, is the bubble gone? Since the tire didn't go flat after removing the nail, it was not punctured..right? You can always air it up to like 50 lbs and run soapy water over it and check for bubbles.

The bubble is gone now that the nail is out, so it looks like it was just the nail head pushing it out. There doesn't appear to be any loss in pressure but I'll try the soapy water trick to make sure.

Thanks for all the advice all!

rockNroll · October 20th, 2009, 11:55 AM

For commute-ish riding I wouldn't worry about it, It doesn't look like you lean over to the point where the nail entered anyway. If you're just riding the bike to storage and will be puttin on better tyres in the spring then I wouldn't let it bother me, go ahead and ride it.

Greg_E · October 20th, 2009, 12:16 PM

The one nice thing about junk tires for storage is that you don't care if they get flat spots from sitting in one place.

Snake · October 21st, 2009, 09:30 AM

I would not replace the tire until you take it out of storage for next years riding season. No need to replace if you are not going to be riding the bike.

mike_sema · October 22nd, 2009, 10:18 PM

man that sucks

TrueFaith · October 24th, 2009, 09:28 AM

Thanks for reminding me why I carry a tubeless tire repair kit, which I luckily haven't had to use yet. It's mind-boggling the things your tire can pick up on the road and the places on the tire they end up in. I wouldn't want to carve many corners with that tire. Even for commuting, I'd probably get a new one instead of trusting that one in an avoidance or panic-stop situation.

October 19th, 2009, 08:25 PM	#1
sofo ninjette.org guru Name: Andrew Location: Vancouver, BC Join Date: Jul 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: 410	Look what I picked up yesterday I went out for a ride yesterday and when I got back my rear tire had picked up a passenger. nail_three_quarter.jpg Yes, that's a nail embedded head-first in my tire and bent just over 90 degrees towards the back. The top of the bent part is ground up so it was there for at least part of the ride. Check out the bulge on the sidewall of the tire. nail_side_bulge.jpg I gingerly removed the nail by pulling up and wiggling it out without any drama. The tire has a little wear from where the nail was pressed when I was cornering... which gives me the willies thinking about it now. nail_hole_after_removing.jpg I've checked the pressure in the tire and watched for leaks and it seems solid. I'm about to put the bike in storage and was planning on replacing these stock tires with something else next season so overall I'm happy I didn't have any drama from this 'lil guy while riding yesterday and not worried about losing a tire. I'm wondering if anyone can judge based on the pics whether the tire is a write-off in terms of safety or if it should be good at least to get the bike to the dealer for storage. I'm not an expert by any means and don't want to take any chances.

October 19th, 2009, 09:40 PM	#5
Mo1981 ninjette.org member Name: Matt Location: Keller, TX Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ebony Ninja 250R Posts: 137	Dang! __________________________________________________ Matt 2008 Ebony Ninja 250R (a.k.a. "Venom")

October 19th, 2009, 11:04 PM	#6
Cedilla ninjette.org sage Name: Chris Location: Huntsville, AL Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 (sold) Posts: 755	I would be a little worried riding on that, and im the kind of guy that waits until I can see the belts before I replace a tire(you should see my rear tire lol). The little bubble sticking out of the sidewall is what worries me, thread punctures are no biggie, but sidewall damage can cause a blowout. I think rather or not you should replace it depends on your financial situation, if you can swing a new one with no ill effects by all means replace it, but if the money is just not there, I would ride on it, but know there is a very very small chance you could die from it, but I think death caused by other motorist is way more likely. __________________________________________________ The Ninjette is not a disposable bike. You are not ever supposed to get rid of it. It is like a [friendly] herpes virus.... once you got it, you get keep it forever. Originally posted by-Headshrink

October 22nd, 2009, 10:18 PM	#13
mike_sema ninjette.org guru Name: mike Location: tucson az Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): ninja 250r Posts: 371	man that sucks __________________________________________________ 08 250R: sportisi VR full exhaust, Dynojet, custom seat, kleen air rmvd, rim tape, grips, fender chop,zg db windscreen,k&n air filter,15t front sprocket,sportisi-usa clipons,solo seat cowl

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October 19th, 2009, 08:32 PM	#2
Delta107 ninjette.org member Name: Delta Location: Colorado Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R - BLUE Posts: 139	Wow!

October 19th, 2009, 08:35 PM	#3
bob706 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sean Location: Mary Esther, FL Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 1998 HD Road King Posts: A lot.	I'm not an expert either but that one looks unsafe as hell. If it was mine I would get rid of it. Or at most fill in the hole and use it as a spare.

October 19th, 2009, 09:05 PM	#4
backinthesaddleagain ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Greg Location: Rhode Island Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2013 ZX6R 636 Posts: A lot.	side bubble would be a concern, but i get concerned over chain alignments

October 20th, 2009, 04:26 AM	#7
g21-30 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Sam Location: Northern Virginia Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250R 2009 and ZX-12R 2000 Posts: A lot.	It looks like the bubble was from the nail head. Now that the nail is out, is the bubble gone? Since the tire didn't go flat after removing the nail, it was not punctured..right? You can always air it up to like 50 lbs and run soapy water over it and check for bubbles. Bottom line, if you're going to store it, wait until you take it out of storage and decide whether to replace the tire(s) or not. I wouldn't buy new tires now.

October 20th, 2009, 06:23 AM	#8
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	I wouldn't treat it like a track day tire, but for normal commuting it should be fine until you decide what to replace it with. Try not to lean it over onto the whole or it will eat away at the rubber and make it bigger. Check with soapy water to make sure no air is getting out, air it up for storage and check the pressure. Compare pressure with next spring and decide if it is immediately junk or can make a few trips while the roads are still dirty. Chances of picking up another object in the spring are a little higher so might be worth riding a little bit until you have time to order a tire. Do tire prices go down in the Winter?

October 20th, 2009, 11:55 AM	#10
rockNroll . Name: rock Location: greenville, south carolina Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): black Posts: A lot.	For commute-ish riding I wouldn't worry about it, It doesn't look like you lean over to the point where the nail entered anyway. If you're just riding the bike to storage and will be puttin on better tyres in the spring then I wouldn't let it bother me, go ahead and ride it.

October 20th, 2009, 12:16 PM	#11
Greg_E ninjette.org sage Name: Greg Location: central new york Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): 90 Suzuki gsx600f Katana, 03 Buell XB9R Posts: 868	The one nice thing about junk tires for storage is that you don't care if they get flat spots from sitting in one place.

October 21st, 2009, 09:30 AM	#12
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	I would not replace the tire until you take it out of storage for next years riding season. No need to replace if you are not going to be riding the bike.

October 24th, 2009, 09:28 AM	#14
TrueFaith ninjette.org sage Name: Wayne Location: Brookfield, MA Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Honda CBR250R Posts: 585	Thanks for reminding me why I carry a tubeless tire repair kit, which I luckily haven't had to use yet. It's mind-boggling the things your tire can pick up on the road and the places on the tire they end up in. I wouldn't want to carve many corners with that tire. Even for commuting, I'd probably get a new one instead of trusting that one in an avoidance or panic-stop situation.