Hi Guys,
out of curiosity, how often does everyone get a puncture or flat tyre?
im finding the most unreliable part of running my emax is the rear tyre.
im finding a tube only lasts around 2000km before it develops a puncture.
ive changed the back tyre, working on a theory that there was a metal splinter in it.
however, im finding a new tube still develops a puncture after around 2000km.
has anyone else had similar issues?
Matt
The higher speed you go, the more dangerous a blowout is. I had a flat rear tire on the interstate once, at about 70mph, on my old Honda Reflex. Fortunately, an exit ramp was immediately in front of me, and it was easy to get off the road and into a gas station at the top of the ramp.
Since then, my motorcycle tires have always gotten a treatment with a flat sealant liquid, either PJM Flat-Shield or Ride-On. Both products are pretty good at sealing a puncture, and have the side effect of correcting small imbalances in the wheel. I'd advise against using the Slime brand, since it doesn't clean up as easily using just water.
To answer your question, I've never had a flat other than that one time, and that once was because I'd waited too long to replace the tire. But tire life and resistance to puncture is what you are paying for when you buy a tire, and differences in brands and models are significant.
I've also noticed that bigger & faster bikes have more rugged tires, flats on a lightweight bicycle tire are far more common than flats on a thick motorcycle tire. If you've got lightweight tires on the emax, and it looks like you do, I suspect that flats are just going to be a recurring problem.
My electric vehicle: CuMoCo C130 scooter.
I've never had an inexplicable puncture but I have had many flats. Mine are usually roofing nails or thorns or one variety or another. I changed to Kenda 471 (stand-up scooter) tires and that seemed help with the thorns.
Have you be able to find the holes in the tubes? If it is wearing against some part of the rim, as you suggest, it should appear in roughly the same place each time. By putting the tube back in the rim it should be easy enough to find the metal spur or whatever.