motorcyclemeditation.com

Don’t know what it is about the love affair between motorcycle rear tyres and nails but the attraction sure is strong. Over the weekend, a hundred miles from home, a nail in the road, delicately shunning countless opportunities to plant itself into trucks and cars, finally found the object of its desire, my rear wheel. Probably wouldn’t have bothered, except the tyre is almost new, thick inviting rubber, you can half imagine the nail salivating in anticipation.

Modern tyre design, no immediate safety problem, in fact you don’t notice it. Then that distinctive feel, the motorcycle not behaving quite as normal, a bit woozy. But distinctive only in retrospect. Parking the motorcycle, noticing the next day that the tyre looks a bit flat.

Pulling the motorcycle on the centre stand, spinning the wheel. Ah dammit, there it is, the nailhead deep in the tread, shiny and self satisfied and made itself quite at home thank you. The deflation of the tyre matched by deflation of the spirits. Plans on hold, alternative arrangements, trying to get the thing fixed.

Internet and telephone to find suppliers, getting the standard answers, no, we don’t fix punctures, you need to replace the tyre. What even though it’s new. Yes. The unctuous tone of a safety first voice. No self interest there, obviously.

Nobody stocking temporary puncture repair kits. Eventually deciding on spray in foam. The aerosol can covered with safety warnings and no other information. Risk being a matter of intense concern, but their risk not yours, the intent being to avoid being sued.

Following the instructions, riding gingerly home. The normal pleasure of the ride tainted by scare stories of all the nasty things that can happen if the tyre goes. Trying not to be too jumpy. Or dyspeptic, it just happens, dammit, grow up. Thinking about it, no great mystery why motorcycles get more punctures than cars, it’s just the price you pay for all the filtering through the traffic, you tend to ride on the parts of the road where there’s more debris.

Getting home uneventfully. Oh well, a success of sorts, no major damage done. Must get a temporary puncture repair kit, carry it with me. But all that stuff can wait until tomorrow, had enough for one day.