I departed Vegas yesterday and arrived in Miles City MT tonight. I inspected my tires before leaving yesterday and felt a tire change would happen after I arrive VA. My 17 RM rear tire shows thread in the center. High speed didn't help. The nearest possible motorcycle shop is a couple hours behind me (Harley) or a very long 3 Hr ride to Nebraska. Anyone out there from this area know if there's a closer "any" motorcycle shop? I can't be choosy right now. Long road ahead and not much time
Rear tire
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Have been in your shoes many times thru the years,, it is never a good idea to head across open country with a tire in that condition in my opinion.. Riding down a touring bike, loaded for travel with a flat tire is not fun,, sometimes it can be deadly.. I travel with tire spoons and a small bead breaker so I can change my own tires, if you do not have access to such I would locate a local tire store that can handle the swap if you pull the wheel.. A good option for finding a tire may be to check Craigs list, motorcycle parts in that area.. If nothing shows, another option would be to jump on Ebay, by a tire and have it shipped to the local tire store who is willing to mount it.. I have done this several times thru the years, an overnight ship is always possible,,, well,, unless this virus gets in the way.. Of course,, another option would be to bounce around on facebook and sites like this and see if you could find a fellow biker in the area willing to help..
Best of luck,, hope you get er done and are able to finish your tour..
Cheeze
Best of luck,, hope you get er done and are able to finish your tour..
Cheeze
The options are what my gut felt but, heavy sigh, I was hoping. I appreciate your reply/concern and I'm not getting back on the highway with it. Much appreciated. Respect.
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If it’s an IM dealer 3 hrs towards your destination and two hours backwards to a HD dealer, I’d ride an extra hour and try for the IM dealer. Obviously call first, but I’m not sure a HD dealer is going work on a non-HD bike. Some have already encountered that...HD shops will only work on HD bikes.
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Dont be surprised if HD shop doesn't have the size tyre you require it is a 16 x 180 x 60. They may have a 16 x 180 x 65, ring first. Is there a bike recovery service available in that area or are you up the track in the scrub.
Another concerning thought, do you need to cross any borders? Due to the virus our borders are all closed and so are a lot of businesses
Good luck
Another concerning thought, do you need to cross any borders? Due to the virus our borders are all closed and so are a lot of businesses
Good luck
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If I remember right our back tire is the same as the gold wing
800-322-7817 (406) 232-3300 2323 S Haynes Ave | Miles City, MT 59301
Two other things if you can post here you can do a search for "motorcycle repair in Miles City, MT and you could have found more than one shop.
The second thing is a fellow rider reached out and asked a question when in need and all he got was opinions on when he should or should not ride on a tire. Also whether or not an HD would work on his bike. No one did a search for him and posted an address and phone number.
800-322-7817 (406) 232-3300 2323 S Haynes Ave | Miles City, MT 59301
Two other things if you can post here you can do a search for "motorcycle repair in Miles City, MT and you could have found more than one shop.
The second thing is a fellow rider reached out and asked a question when in need and all he got was opinions on when he should or should not ride on a tire. Also whether or not an HD would work on his bike. No one did a search for him and posted an address and phone number.
You're absolutely right and I've heard that about the local Harley dealership near Bozeman areas. I won't trust riding on the tire to Sturgis, I have a tow and appointment set.
I appreciate the response.
I also tried the IMRG Roadside Asst. I called their main number (website) and they don't do roadside assistance and evidently no membership costs anymore according to a gentleman from IMRG, but the young lady who answered my call (number on the back of card) didn't mention whatsoever and she couldn't find me on the system. Maybe fraud, I don't know, but I'll be on the road again later this afternoon. Thank you.
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What shop did you find? And was it in Miles City?
Like anything else,tires and tire pressures are "VERY IMPORTANT" and should be inspected atleast once a month for things like nails, glass,etc, that may have been picked up during your travels,and then,even more importantly, "TIRE
PRESSURES.Too much pressure wears em out in the middle,and not enough pressure wears em out on the outside edges.[and low tire pressure can and will cause a spill or an accident] And these pressures are ALWAYS checked when the tires are COLD.
I am religious about this inspection cause I've seen too many accidents caused by under inflation,or something stuck in the tire itself,either in the main tread or the side wall which created the spill.And then,if ya have a fatality,ya gotta go to the home of the deceased to inform the family about said fatality.Not fun!!
PRESSURES.Too much pressure wears em out in the middle,and not enough pressure wears em out on the outside edges.[and low tire pressure can and will cause a spill or an accident] And these pressures are ALWAYS checked when the tires are COLD.
I am religious about this inspection cause I've seen too many accidents caused by under inflation,or something stuck in the tire itself,either in the main tread or the side wall which created the spill.And then,if ya have a fatality,ya gotta go to the home of the deceased to inform the family about said fatality.Not fun!!
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Called them and they have a tire and can do the work. Although the tire they have a $400 but they have one and will do the work. In a situation like this, it doesn't hurt to call around and ask.
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Its funny how fast that last bit of tread wears out. I have had tires that when nearing the end of their life I think I have a couple thousand miles left and ride 100 miles and the chord is showing. Hope you back on the road soon.
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The man doing your tire work is a personal friend of mine he's very good, rest assured the work will be completed with the utmost of care, he's a biker as well
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At $400 for the tire, I might consider running on the rim.
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I agree $400 is pretty thick for $230 tire(if you're stranded you're stranded), Sturgis is my nearest dealer (200 miles from Miles City), they take care of all the work on my 2016 Chieftain.
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I had a bike that used an odd sized front tire. My wife and I rode down to visit our friends in Locust Grove, OK. I found a split in my front tire on the morning of the 4th of July. My friend gave me the number of a local guy who has his own independent shop and I gave him a call. He was open that day and had one tire of that size in stock. We pulled the front wheel off and my friend and I ran it over to him. The tire and mounting was a little expensive, but I didn't care. I don't know where else I would have picked up a tire on a holiday and got it mounted.
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