The Adventures of Motorcycle Max: July 2011

Having worked in various dealerships for 10 years, starting in the early 70’s, I have met a lot of really great enthusiasts, as well as helping new people get started in our fantastic sport.

One day in the summer of 1973, I had a young man in his late teens come in the shop. He wore a long sleeve shirt that was torn and asked if he could use our bathroom. He then showed me his forearm that sported some new ‘road rash’. It was very obvious that he had just crashed. After helping him to clean up and apply a little first aid I asked him what happened. His first statement was actually a question “Does everybody crash when they get a flat tire?” I responded that that was not normally what happens. I gave him a few pointers on how to deal with a flat when it happens. He was obviously a new rider and I did not want to insult his riding skills. I then sold him a new tube for his Honda CB350. He said he hoped to never have another flat; as this was the second time he had one and had crashed both times! After a little more discussion he asked if I would look at his bike to see if I though something might be wrong with it. I said I would be glad to have a look.

The best replica of what the New Rider had that we could find online!

We then walked out of the shop and around to the side where the bike was and at first glance it was very apparent what the problem was. This bike had extended forks that were at least +8” but I think were probably +10” and ‘Z’ bars. The fact that he was not hurt as bad as it could have been was a testament to his current skill level. I then gave him a lesson on motorcycle geometry and why the factory setup had its advantages. He said he bought it that way because it looked ‘cool’.

Today’s motorcycles are far safer that ever before. Not going into chassis design or anything else but the fact that most have tubeless tires versus the old tube is a major step. With a tube the air is forced out with a puncture (think of a toy balloon); where with a tubeless tire the tire pinches the object and the pressure helps it stay in the tire. Commonly the puncture is not noticed until one notices the tire is low on air because it comes out more slowly.

Be very careful about adding sealants to street bike tires as a preventative measure. This will cause the puncture to seal and the object and move around as the tire goes through the contact patch. It can also eat up the casing, which has a great potential of causing a catastrophic failure.

40 years later, Tire repair is still a touchy subject! We here at Ventura-MCA have a great new product, GRYYP Emergency Tire Repair Systems, made in Spain. The Cargol Turn & Go is a revolutionary NEW way to quickly repair a tubeless tire in an emergency situation. Check them out on our website, www.ventura-mca.com!